Introduction to Criminology Exam 2 Study Guide DESCRIPTION OF THE CRIMINAL Classical people think before they proceed with criminal actions that when one commits a crime it is because the individual decides it was advantageous to commit the crime oOut of free will oRational Choice Theory the idea that we all make choices on the basis of maximizing our profits and minimizing our loses oDeterrence the use of punishment as a threat to deter people from offending Positivism biological theories Chicago School oPeople are born raised with factors that tend to favor criminal behavior nature oCriminal as determined not all people are born with criminal traits oAnalyzed reality through medicine secular rational scientific thinking and ex perimentation Neo Classical theory which focuses on manipulating the environment to decrease the opportunity for crime rather than attempting to manipulate the offenders oAsks why people conform to the law oControl Theory people are predisposed towards crimes assumes that most people are equally motivated to commit crime oRoutine Activities Theory believe that crime is inevitable and that if the target is attractive enough crime will happen effective measures must be in place to deter crime from happening 3 things that when they all exist in the same place and at the same time crime is more likely Motivated offender suitable target absence of a capable guardian Names Beccaria Classical criminology Deterrence swiftness severity certainty oSwiftness speedy trial and punishment oSeverity to be effective the punishment must outweigh the potential benefits oCertainty said to be the most important makes a stronger impression than Against the death penalty as it leaves a negative example for society oBrutalization effect increase of homicides in places that have the death Legislatures elected by citizens must define crimes specific punishment for each of fense judges should not interpret the law Responsibility of determining facts of a case should be in hands of more than one per of a given crime fear of another penalty son jury of peers oSociety must have a say Decision making processes of justice should be public knowledge True measure of crime is namely the harm done to society Mens rea guilty mind actus reus guilty act If people know the punishments they will act accordingly Lombroso Biological criminology and evolutionary Italian criminologist military physician The born criminal Measured numerous physical attributes oPhrenology study of the skull Writings oOn Criminal Man 4 types of criminals Born generational criminals atavistic characteristics Atavistic biological throwback a reappearance of an earlier characteristic Insane idiots imbeciles paranoiacs epileptics alcoholics Occasional rarely act on their innate traits that predispose them to criminality Passion act on emotion commit crimes because of anger love or honor and are characterized by being propelled to crime by an irresistible force Durkheim Sociological criminology Mechanical and organic solidarity oMechanic Solidarity uniformity more primitive Crime is normal laws reflect societal beliefs Law enforces uniformity of the members Oriented toward repressing any deviation from the norms oOrganic Solidarity diversity division of labor more advanced Crime is still normal laws change to reflect societal beliefs Law regulates interactions of various parts of society Provides restitution in cases of wrongful transactions Anomie oThe deregulation of appetites normlessness oTends to occur most often during times of change in societal values Writings oThe Division of Labor in Society oThe Rules of the Sociological Method oSuicide Phineas Gage Brain injury to the frontal lobe far more inclined to act on their emotional urges with out any logical reasoning or inhibitions imputed from this specialized region oFrontal lobe controls high level problem solving functions processes what we re thinking and inhibits us from doing what we are emotionally charged to do Changed from rational and relaxed to more aggressive and could not make rational de Showed that the biology of the brain does affect criminogenic factors If IQ matters differences should show up not only between groups but also within Travis Hirschi cisions groups oLower IQ leads to lower school performance which leads to delinquency Social bonds social controls that regulate when crimes occur oDelinquency arises when social bonds are weak or absent oMotivation to offend is universal oSocial control comes from social bonds to conventional society oConventional society adult members institutions peers 4 Elements of Social Control Theory oAttachment Emotional closeness to others especially parents This closeness involves intimate communication affectional identifica tion with parents and a sense that parents know what they are doing and where they are Indirect control Closeness leads to youths to care about parent s opinions includ ing their disapproval of bad behavior Youths do not offend because they do not want to disappoint their parents or others to whom they are attached like teachers Direct control parents supervise offspring while in their presence oCommitment school The degree to which the individual s self interest has been invested High school educational and occupational aspirations and good grades in Stake in conformity makes the cost of crime too high rational compo nent of the social bond oInvolvement oBelief Denial of access to criminal opportunities makes delinquency less likely Participation in conventional activities homework work sports school activities other recreational pursuits Lack of unstructured or leisure time limits opportunities to offend An embrace of the moral validity of the law and of other conventional norms such as school rules Moral beliefs restrain impulses to offend Crime occurs when such conventional beliefs are weakened Hirschi Gottfredson Only determinant in crime is a lack of self control Locus of control moved from external relationships to an internal mechanism Self control is established in childhood through parental socializa tion 3 stage process oSupervision parent must be present oRecognition of misbehavior deviance must be acknowledged oPunishment cannot be too harsh with power but apply an adequate amount of punishment Remains stable from age 8 until death enduring trait Thomas Hobbes social contract The life of man solitary poor nasty brutish short All individuals are in a constant state of warfare
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