11 28 2012 CCJS 105 Introduction to Criminology Final Exam Study Guide cumulative portion The final exam will consist of 100 multiple choice questions Approximately half of these questions will be drawn from the content covered in the first two exams In order to assist your studies a comprehensive list of these items are included below That is only these items appearing below will be drawn from in compiling the cumulative portion of the final exam Please note that some of the terms and concepts listed below are broader than others The dark figure of crime Unreported and unrecorded crimes Strengths and limitations of both the UCR and NCVS UCR o Hierarchy rule only the most serious crime is counted o Sample comes from police departments official reports are drawn from law enforcement agency records If a person commits a crime in a city it does not necessarily mean that they live there but they will influence crime rates ecological fallacy o Most consistent definition of crime across jurisdictions o Can track trends in data o National figures can be broken down these are raw counts represent a census o 8 index crimes included most serious crimes Homicide rape robbery aggravated assault burglary larceny theft motor vehicle theft arson NCVS o Sample comes from households with telephones o Covers a broader set of crimes does not include homicide or victimless crimes o Underreports rapes because of stigma less likely to be discussed o Series victimization a serious of crimes committed by the same person is recorded as a single crime occurring o Excludes institutions like jails businesses o Telescoping memory decay Eliminated by bounding Quantitative and Qualitative data Quantitative statistics Qualitative narrative recount of events The 3 part definition of criminology Making breaking and reaction to breaking of the law Crime patterns 16 24 year olds are most likely to commit crimes Highest crime rates between 6 pm and 6 am Males commit more crimes than females but since the 1960 s female crime rate has o But are overrepresented in drug abuse white collar crime Blacks and Hispanics are overrepresented especially with violent crimes been increasing faster than male crime rates Urban areas have more crime Whites commit the most crimes homicides Lower class is more likely to commit crime Conflict versus consensus theories Conflict power struggle between 2 or more groups that have differing views of the norms of society o Belief that the law disproportionally reflects the interest of a powerful minority within society Consensus society as a whole agrees to what the norms are o Belief that the law reflects the interest of most people in society Mala in se and mala prohibita Mala in se inherently wrong o Rape murder Mala prohibita wrong because it is illegal o Drugs Actus reus and mens rea Actus reus guilty act Mens rea guilty mind Beccaria Victim offender overlap the same social class etc The science of criminology Both must be present in order for a crime to have occurred Typically both the victim and offender have similarities both are males both are in 3 criteria required to establish causal relationship o Correlation o Temporal ordering o Must eliminate spuriousness the potential for a third element The role of ideology and politics o Basic beliefs or values may filter scientific information o Science can be used to advance political claims o Legal or economic pressure can influence the findings of scientific research or the way it is disseminated reported or interpreted Independent and dependent variables Cross sectional and longitudinal data o Cross sectional data collected at 1 point in time o Longitudinal data collected over time Macro micro o Macro groups gangs neighborhoods states nations etc o Micro individual background psychological factors etc Relative rates of crimes and crime numbers produced by UCR and NCVS NCVS estimates more crime than the UCR Self report data Similar to NCVS but not series victimization Telescoping memory decay Sampling from general population Based on offender behavior People may be dishonest or not know how to answer NYS National Youth Survey o Sample comes from public school students o More information on deviance rather than crime o Limited because many deviants may not be in school Important figures Emile Durkheim Sociological criminology Anomie state of normlessness causes more crimes to occur o Lack of rules and definitions about what the function of society should be o Tends to occur most often during times of change in societal values Organic mechanical solidarity o Moving from mechanical to organic solidarity causes more crime because the more specific your job is the more you have to rely on others Cesare Beccaria Classical criminology Deterrence o Swiftness severity certainty o Certainty is most important and most effective o Emphasized less severity Book Crime and Punishment Against the death penalty penalty A given act should be given equal punishment Right to a speedy trial o Brutalization effect increase of homicides in places that have the death Society must have a say jury of peers Decision making processes of justice should be public knowledge Cesare Lombroso Biological criminology The born criminal Book On Criminal Man 4 types of criminals Phrenology studying the skull Travis Hirschi Social bonds theory o More bonds you have more invested in others you are less likely you are to commit crime o 4 elements of the bond Attachment Commitment Emotional affective bond psychological presence Rational component considers consequences Restraint that comes from not wanting to sacrifice the gains one has made in conventional institutions like education by engaging in criminal behavior Stakes in conformity Involvement Belief Idle hands are the devil s playground In the moral worth of society s laws Low self control o Self control develops until age 8 and then it stays consistent Established by parents supervision recognition punishment o If you have low self control you are more likely to commit crime o Will want to engage in behavior for immediate gratification o Cross sectional studies Shaw McKay zone II Chicago school of thought disorganization o Constant change Social disorganization theory 3 factors of increased delinquency social Invasion dominance succession o Widespread poverty Dilapidated housing low SES homogeneity of each group o Other social ills Breakdown of families community informal social control Lack of stable societal
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