105 Cumulative Study Guide CCJS 105 Introduction to Criminology Final Exam Study Guide cumulative portion LIST IS EXHAUSTIVE The dark figure of crime We don t have a notion as to exactly how much crime takes place there s always an unknown figure in the background The totality of all crime that takes place 1 Official statistics 2 Victimization surveys 3 Self reports Strengths and limitations of both the UCR and NCVS e g hierarchy rule sampling crimes included series victimization etc Uniform Crime Reports strengths weaknesses Strengths able to be compared over time and across a nation it s reliable data FBI compiled it consistent definition of crime Weaknesses Can be politically manipulated hierarchy rule some definitions of crime are not uniform in all locations especially rape ecological fallacy measure of police activity rather than all crime doesn t report white collar crime it only measures street crimes crime rates can be misleading only measures crime of pop tourists don t count Las Vegas has a lot of tourists but a small pop so crime rates look higher National Crime Victimization Survey strengths weaknesses Strengths Eliminates reporting bias reduces memory decay and telescoping produces figures that doubles the UCR total crime reports due to underreporting uses bounding method Weaknesses ffms and businesses victimless crimes and homicides not reported and series victimizations produce undercounting About 60 of crime is not reported Self report surveys Strengths Tells us a lot about juvenile crimes data can t be manipulated Weaknesses primarily juveniles People might forget about crimes people may place crimes at the wrong time people may not share all the crimes that they committed expensive reporter can influence responses Qualitative data that deals with description or a story can not be measured Quantitative data that deals with statistics or numbers what criminology tries to get at to make arguments 6 The 3 part definition of criminology The definition of criminology 6 6 6 Chapter 1 discusses criminology as the scientific study of the causes of crime p 2 Criminologist One who studies crime criminals and criminal behavior It focuses on The making of laws the breaking of laws and the reaction to the breaking of laws criminology as a scientific endeavor to explain crime the breaking of laws while acknowledging the importance of making law and reacting to law violation p 8 2 systematic study of the processes of making laws breaking of law reaction to the breaking of law Crime patterns Age gender geographic neighborhoods race class 1 Crimes are more likely to occur in the evenings and at night may be due to decreased visibility being vulnerable sleeping or meeting more strangers going out to drink etc on the weekends will meet more strangers you re not in a routine you might not be home more likely to be crime in the summer and during holiday seasons 2 Southern and western states have more crime culture stick up for yourself honor violence weather causes more people to be out and about economic issues More crime in urban areas higher population more interaction with strangers economic issues 3 Teenagers and young adults cause the most crime and are usually the victims as well This may be because they have freedom with limited responsibilities 4 AAs and Hispanics more likely to be reported didn t they say that according to the NCVS there isn t much difference in crime across race If you control for SES socioeconomic status then yes 5 Men more likely to be criminals and more likely to be victimized This may be due with the sense of masculinity strength social issues honor media representations etc Women crime is growing This means that either the criminal justice system is cracking down on women more women are gaining more opportunities recently which includes crime or maybe a combination of both Conflict versus consensus theories a consensus theory Durkheim Does the criminal law reflect the interest of members of the society at large Does a consensus underlie our law s definition of what behaviors are criminal the public votes on laws 6 6 6 Morality is central to social order Morality makes laws it s a consensus Murder is morally wrong we all agree that it is wrong and should be punished iii Will of the masses 6 From Wiki is a social theory that holds that a particular political or economic system is a fair system and that social change should take place within the social institutions provided by it Consensus theory contrasts sharply with conflict theory which holds that social change is only achieved through conflict b conflict theory Marx Is our law a reflection of conflict whereby the state serves the interest of some at the expense of others the powerful makes laws in order to maintain power 6 Society is divided into groups and they have different opinions ii The people in power make laws to protect themselves 6 Immigration laws and tax laws seek to benefit those persons in power ii The will of the powerful 6 From Wiki are perspectives in social science that emphasize the social political or material inequality of a social group that critique the broad socio political system or that otherwise detract from structural functionalism and ideological attention to power differentials such as class conservatism Conflict theories draw conflict and generally contrast historically dominant ideologies It is therefore a macro level analysis of society Karl Marx is the father of the social conflict theory which is a component of the 4 paradigms of sociology Mala in se wrong in itself Mala prohibita wrong due to gov victimless crime Actus reus The act itself Mens rea The mental aspect behind the crime guilty conscience Victim offender overlap extent to which someone is involved in criminal offending as far as what s her his risk for victimization The science of criminology 3 criteria required to establish causal relationship 6 correlation 6 6 spuriousness must be eliminated temporal ordering The role of ideology and politics 6 Ideology A set of beliefs or values that ALL of us develop usually unconsciously about the way things ought to be Reason why discredited solutions remain as policy D A R E Boot Camp In a democracy we get to shape policy through voting This is informed by Death Penalty ideology Ranges of Ideology Conservative right punitive repressive Liberal left forgiving rehabilitative Politicization Science commonly used to advance political claims Racism sexism
View Full Document
Unlocking...