Introduction to Criminology: Exam 2 Study GuideDESCRIPTION OF THE CRIMINALClassical - 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 crimeOut of free willRational Choice Theory - the idea that we all make choices on the basis of maximizing our profits and minimizing our losesDeterrence - the use of punishment as a threat to deter people from offendingPositivism - biological theories, Chicago SchoolPeople are born/raised with factors that tend to favor criminal behavior (nature)Criminal as determined, not all people are born with criminal traitsAnalyzed reality through medicine, secular, rational-scientific thinking and experimentationNeo-Classical - theory which focuses on manipulating the environment to decrease the opportunity for crime rather than attempting to manipulate the offendersAsks why people conform to the lawControl Theory - people are predisposed towards crimes, assumes that most people are equally motivated to commit crimeRoutine 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 happening3 things that when they all exist in the same place and at the same time, crime is more likelyMotivated offender, suitable target, absence of a capable guardianNamesBeccariaClassical criminologyDeterrence -- swiftness, severity, certaintySwiftness - speedy trial and punishmentSeverity - to be effective, the punishment must outweigh the potential benefits of a given crimeCertainty - said to be the most important, makes a stronger impression than fear of anotherAgainst the death penalty as it leaves a negative example for societyBrutalization effect - increase of homicides in places that have the death penaltyLegislatures, elected by citizens, must define crimes & specific punishment for each offense -- judges should not interpret the lawResponsibility of determining facts of a case should be in hands of more than one person, jury of peersSociety must have a sayDecision making processes of justice should be public knowledgeTrue measure of crime is namely the harm done to societyMens rea (guilty mind) & actus reus (guilty act)If people know the punishments, they will act accordinglyLombrosoBiological criminology (and evolutionary)Italian criminologist & military physicianThe born criminalMeasured numerous physical attributesPhrenology - study of the skullWritingsOn Criminal Man4 types of criminalsBorn - generational criminals (atavistic characteristics)Atavistic - biological throwback, a reappearance of an earlier characteristicInsane - idiots, imbeciles, paranoiacs, epileptics, alcoholicsOccasional - rarely act on their innate traits that predispose them to criminalityPassion - act on emotion, commit crimes because of anger, love, or honor and are characterized by being propelled to crime by an “irresistible force”DurkheimSociological criminologyMechanical and organic solidarityMechanic Solidarity - uniformity, more primitiveCrime is normal, laws reflect societal beliefsLaw enforces uniformity of the membersOriented toward repressing any deviation from the normsOrganic Solidarity - diversity/division of labor, more advancedCrime is still normal, laws change to reflect societal beliefsLaw regulates interactions of various parts of societyProvides restitution in cases of wrongful transactionsAnomieThe deregulation of appetites; normlessnessTends to occur most often during times of change in societal valuesWritingsThe Division of Labor in SocietyThe Rules of the Sociological MethodSuicidePhineas GageBrain injury to the frontal lobe -- far more inclined to act on their emotional urges without any logical reasoning or inhibitions imputed from this specialized regionFrontal lobe - controls high level, problem-solving functions, processes what we’re thinking, and inhibits us from doing what we are emotionally charged to doChanged from rational and relaxed to more aggressive and could not make rational decisionsShowed that the biology of the brain does affect criminogenic factorsTravis HirschiIf IQ matters, differences should show up not only between groups, but also within groupsLower IQ leads to lower school performance, which leads to delinquencySocial bonds - social controls that regulate when crimes occurDelinquency arises when social bonds are weak or absentMotivation to offend is universalSocial control comes from social bonds to conventional societyConventional society- adult members, institutions, peers4 Elements of Social Control TheoryAttachmentEmotional closeness to others, especially parentsThis closeness involves intimate communication, “affectional identification” with parents, and a sense that parents know what they are doing and where they areIndirect controlCloseness leads to youths to care about parent’s opinions, including their disapproval of bad behaviorYouths do not offend because they do not want to disappoint their parents or others to whom they are attached, like teachersDirect control - parents supervise offspring while in their presenceCommitmentThe degree to which the individual’s self-interest has been investedHigh school educational and occupational aspirations and good grades in schoolStake in conformity makes the cost of crime too high, rational component of the social bondInvolvementDenial of access to criminal opportunities makes delinquency less likelyParticipation in conventional activities- homework, work, sports, school activities, other recreational pursuitsLack of unstructured or leisure time limits opportunities to offendBeliefAn embrace of the moral validity of the law and of other conventional norms such as school rulesMoral beliefs restrain impulses to offendCrime occurs when such conventional beliefs are weakenedHirschi & GottfredsonOnly determinant in crime is a lack of self controlLocus of control moved from external relationships to an internal mechanismSelf control is established in childhood through parental socialization (3 stage process)Supervision - parent must be presentRecognition of misbehavior - deviance must be acknowledgedPunishment - cannot be too harsh with power but apply an adequate amount of punishmentRemains stable from age 8 until death, enduring traitThomas Hobbes (social contract)The life of man- solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, shortAll individuals are in a constant state of
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