Introduction to Criminology Exam 1 Study Guide Concepts Terms Politicization This is the idea that science is not completely neutral and can be used to advance particular agendas that are ideological The definition of criminology Systematic study of 1 The process of making law 2 The breaking of the law 3 The reaction of the breaking of the law Correlation and causation Because two items are related correlation it does not mean that one causes the other Spuriousness Potential extra variables that are unaccounted for Relationship not causal and is driven by some other variable Ideology Set of beliefs or values that all of us develop usually unconscientiously about the way that the world is ought to be Conservative right wing punitive and repressive Liberal left wing forgiving and rehabilitative Conflict and consensus theory Conflict Theory criminal justice system and criminal law operate on behalf of the rich and social elites with policies aimed at controlling the poor Consensus Theory criminal law reflects the interests of members of society at large The consensus of society is something is illegal so it is The dark figure of crime Not all crimes are reported Ecological fallacy Group level correlations cannot substitute for individual level correlations Index crimes 1 Homicide 2 Rape 3 Robbery 4 Aggravated Assault Most often occurring of index crimes 5 Burglary 6 Theft 7 Motor Vehicle Theft 8 Arson Bounding as a way of addressing memory decay and telescoping Memory Decay forgetting to include events under inclusion Telescoping include events from different time periods over inclusion Bounding achieved by comparing incidents reported in an interview with incidents reported in a previous interview and deleting duplicate incidents that were reported in the current reference period Is criminology a science Yes and no Yes there are theories and methods No lacks credibility because it lacks predictive power Hierarchy rule and series victimization Hierarchy Rule if multiple crimes are committed the most serious one is the only one tabulated Series Victimization Offenses that have no clear cut beginning and end Quantitative and qualitative data Quantitative Data numerical data Qualitative Data non numerical data Cross sectional and longitudinal data Cross Sectional Data data collected at only one point in time Longitudinal Data data collected at more than one point in time Macro and micro level of measurement Macro groups Micro indivduals Mala in se wrong in themselves Murder rape assault etc Mala prohibita conduct that is prohibited by laws Speeding tax evasion public intoxication etc Paradigm of Positivism many distinct pathological conditions may be the genesis of criminal behavior Rational Choice Paradigm argues that every person has the free will to make the decision to offend Criminal Career criminal activity has a beginning middle and an end Generalizability the methodological concept explaining whether findings are limited to a specific group or can be used to represent a larger group or population Items what they are pros and cons Uniform Crime Reports strengths weaknesses 18 000 law enforcement agencies reporting to FBI Only index crimes Strengths o Strong collaboration between FBI and local law enforcement o Nationwide crime statistics o Data collected since 1930 and collected monthly Weaknesses o Index crimes omit serious illegal acts o Political manipulation o Differences in definitions o Hierarchical rule o Dark figure of crime National Crime Victimization Survey strengths weaknesses Started in 1973 Surveys households for those 12 years and older via telephone Strengths o Eliminates reporting bias Weaknesses o Rape question redesign in 1992 produced much higher o Household survey excludes institutions such as jails and estimates businesses o Victimless crimes and homicide not included o Series victimization rule underestimates crime o Potential problems Memory decay forgetting to include events under inclusion Telescoping include events from different time periods over inclusion o Solutions Bounding achieved by comparing incidents reported in an interview with incidents reported in a previous interview and deleting duplicate incidents that were reported in the current reference period Two times as much info as UCR NIBRS New way to get info Only about half the US is on it Self report surveys Asking people about their own criminal behavior Tend to undermine our confidence in both the race and social class correlation with criminality Strengths o Another tool to uncover the dark figure of crime o Police or political figures cannot alter Weaknesses o Historically focused on adolescent populations o Difficult to recall events in the past o Falsification individuals may lie Geographical Distribution Crime highest in the South Lowest in the Northeast Temporal o Fewer crimes in Jan Feb since less people are outside o More crimes in July August and December People are outdoors more in the summer People face pressures and expectations during the holidays Gender o Most crimes at nighttime Females accounted for approx 25 of all arrests in 2010 Female crime is far less studied than male crime Women s crime has been increasing Freda Adler Sisters in Crime o Women s rights movement Fewer restraints on women and greater pressure on them Women become more susceptible to the same criminogenic forces men face o Predicted an increase in female street crime Crime is highest during adolescence and teenage years Dramatically decline in late teens and early twenties Age crime Curve remarkably similar across societies and over the past Aging Out of Crime Age 150 years Crime and Race statistics African Americans and other minorities are overrepresented in crime Minorities more likely to receive prison sentences and harsher ones than whites Scholar debate whether the criminal justice system is racist Crime and Social Class Wright et al Complex relationship that scholars continue to debate o Low Social Economic Status promotes crime by increasing individuals alienation financial strain and aggression and decreasing educational and occupational aspirations o High SES promotes crimes by increasing risk taking etc Violent and Property Crime Legal Definition of Violence Some violence is not illegal or considered morally permissible o Death penalty o War o Self defense varies by state Some violence is illegal o Homicide o Assault o Rape Homicide The unlawful killing of one human being by another o A
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