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CCJS105 Study Guide Exam 3Criminological Theory- Throughout 1700’s, laws and punishments were uneven and barbaric- Judges had unbounded power, no due process- Demonological theory: supernatural explanation of crime, so harsh punishments for wrong doers.Emergence of Classical Theory- Classical criminologist challenge traditions of church and Age of Enlightenment- Cesarean Beccaria, Classical criminologist: crimes on punishment- Presented the first modern theory of crime and did not publish his name on his book because church would go after him- Individuals have free will and are rational- Pursue own interests, can lead people to harm one another- Maximize pleasure and minimize pain (pleasure principle)- Enter into social contractso Agree to give up some freedom in order for the state to protect themo State enforces social contract through laws- To control crime: must deter people from criminal behavior; better to prevent crimes than to punish them create a utilitarianism, the greatest good for the greatest number (act not actor)- Deterrence: When someone refrains from committing a crime becausehe/she fears punishment (Jeremy Bentham balanced the two)o Specific: punish one person for their wrongdoings, prevents them from committing the crime againo General: Punishing someone to make an example to other offenders- Punishment must be known, swift, severe, and certain- Problem: low risk of being arrested for crime- Project Hope: Identifies probationers at high risk of violating the conditions of their community supervision, deters them from using drugs and committing crimes with frequent and random drug tests; backed up by swift, certain, and short jail stays- Why do some individuals commit crime while others do not?—due to hedonistic calculus- Evaluation of the potential pains of punishment and pleasure of crime varies from individualsImpact of Classical Theory- Basis for the CJS in the US and other western countries- Lasting ideas: laws should be applied to everyone equally- Laws and punishments should be known to the public- Control crime by focusing on deterrence- Punishments based on crimes not offenders (actus reus)Critiques of the Classical Theory- Assumes everyone is motivated to engage in crime through pursuit of self interests- Modern day theories argue that individuals and groups vary in their motivation- Does not take into account the insane, biological, sociological, and psychological factors- No scientific evaluation- Rebirth of classical theory 1970’s to 1980’s- Tried to control crime by increasing the severity of punishment- Neoclassical criminology bounded rationality with classical theoryRational Choice Theory- Cornish and Clark (mid 1980’s)- Free will- “Bounded rationality”, humans are rational, but not perfectly so- Costs include both formal and informal sanctions and “moral costs”- Hedonistic Calculus: pleasure v. pain, benefits v. costs- Adopt a “crime Specific focus”- Focus on particular crime types rather than examining all crime- “Situational crime prevention”o Surveillanceo Target Hardening: making it more difficult for people to steal (plastic locked cases over certain products)o Environmental Management: rearranging the environment in away that prevents crime (denying benefits: putting only one shoe on display for sale)Routine Activity Theory- Cohen and Felson in the 70s- 3 elements must converse in time and space for a crime to occur:- Motivated offender- Suitable target- Lack of Capable Guardians- Suitable Target and Lack of Capable Guardians: core dimensions of criminal opportunity- Supply of a motivated offender as given: shift focus from offending to victimization- Lack of any of these elements can prevent crime- Suitable target and capable guardians influenced by our every day routine activities- The spatial and temporal structure of routine activities we can determine location, type, and quantity of crime- Predictive Policing: - Predict what type of crime and where and when it will happen- Based on routine activity theory- Increased use by police departmentsPositivist School of Criminology- Emerged in the late 1800’s- Crime due to forces beyond the individual’s control- Empiricism: we can only understand crime through observations and measurements, our own experience- Determinism: criminal behaviors are not based on free will or rational thought, but certain forces that are beyond our control that force us to commit a crimeEarly Biological Positivism- Biological features distinguish criminals from non-criminals- Influence of Charles Darwin- Franz Gall’s phrenology: researching skulls shape to distinguish whether or not they were criminal- Lombroso- Atavism: criminals were born as such; throwbacks to a more primitiveevolutionary period; criminals identified by certain physical features - Born criminals vs. criminaloids- Later considered social factors- Extermination, incapacitation of criminals- Scientific study with measurable data- Charles Goring- Data on traits of more than 3,000 convicts and a large control group- Refuted Lombroso’s notion of physical differences- Found criminals were shorter and lighter, of diminished intelligence- Ernest Hooton- Proposed connection between physical inferiority and crime- Inferiority genetically transmitted- Argued for the segregation of criminals- Social Darwinism- Application of “survival of the fittest” to human society- Criminals are unfit for society, they are not survivors- Eugenics- Movement to control genetic composition of a population- Assumes criminality genetically transmitted- Target criminals for sterilization- Nazi’s copied idea from eugenics- Critiques- Suggests a genetic source for a socially-defined category of behavior- Unquestioned acceptance of consensus perspective- Often based on inappropriate samples and faulty statistical analysis- Compatible with authoritarian/totalitarian thinkingBiological Positivism- Most important trait of crime: chromosomes (male), 4x more likely to commit violent crime- Crime can be hereditary- Forms of researcho Family Studies (crime inherited through families) Having a criminal mother was much more of an influence than having a criminal father (antisocial mother—father is often absent if he’s criminal) Problem: very difficult to separate genetics with environment, nature vs. nutureo Twin Studies Compare identical and non-identical (fraternal) twins Examined concordance rates, whether or not someone


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UMD CCJS 105 - Study Guide Exam 3

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