105 Cumulative Study GuideCCJS 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 crimeWeaknesses: 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 smallpop. 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 methodWeaknesses:ffms and businesses, victimless crimes and homicides not reported and series victimizations produce undercounting.About 60% of crime is not reported. Self-report surveysStrengths: Tells us a lot about juvenile crimes, data can’t be manipulatedWeaknesses: 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 measuredQuantitative: 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. “Chapter 1 discusses criminology as the scientific study of the causes of crime” p. 2%6. 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 oflaws.%6. “...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. 82. 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 behome), more likely to be crime in the summer and during holiday seasons2. 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)%6. 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. Morality is central to social order. Morality makes laws, it’s a consensus. %6. 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 toprotect 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 conservatism . Conflict theories draw attention to power differentials, such as classconflict, 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 the4 paradigms of sociology. Mala in se- wrong in itselfMala prohibita- wrong due to gov (victimless crime) Actus reus- The act itselfMens 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)
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