Definitions and key people in Criminology book Chapter 1 Criminology the study of nature extent cause and control of criminal behavior Interdisciplinary involving two or more academic fields Criminological enterprise the various subareas included within the scholarly discipline of criminology which taken as whole define the field of study Valid measure a measure that actually measures what it purports to measure a measure that is factual Reliable measure a measure that produces consistent results from one measurement to another White collar crime illegal acts that capitalize on a person s status in the marketplace White collar crime may include theft embezzlement fraud market manipulation restraint of trade and false advertising Penology subarea of criminology that focuses on the correction and control of criminal offenders Rehabilitation treatment of criminal offenders that is aimed at preventing future criminal behavior Mandatory sentences a statutory requirement that a certain penalty shall be carried out in all cases of conviction for a specified offense or series of offenses Victimology the study of the victim s role in criminal events Theory Construction predicting individual behavior Understanding the cause of crime rates and trends Cesare Beccaria 1738 1794 who was one of the first scholars to develop a systematic understanding of why people commit crime Believed in the concept of utilitarianism Utilitarianism the view that people s behavior motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain Classical criminology theoretical perspective suggesting that 1 people have free will to choose criminal or conventional behaviors 2 people choose to commit crime for reasons of greed or personal need and 3 crime can be controlled only by the fear of criminal sanctions Auguste Comte considered the founder of sociology argued that societies pass through stages that can be grouped on the basis of how people try to understand the world in which they live Created positivism Positivism the branch of social science that uses the scientific method of natural sciences and suggests that human behavior is a product of social biological psychological or economic forces J K Lavater studied the facial features of criminals and found that the shape of the ears nose and eyes and the distances between them were associated with antisocial behavior Franz Joseph Gassl and Johann K Spurzheim studied the shape of the skull and bumps on the head and concluded that theses physical attributes were linked to criminal behavior Cesare Lombroso known as father of criminology began to study the cadavers of executed criminals in an effort to determine scientifically how criminals differed from noncriminal Biosocial theory approach to criminology that focuses on the interaction between biological and social factors as they are related to crime Sociological criminology approach to criminology based on the work of Quetelet and Durkheim that focuses on the relationship between social factors and crime Durkheim believed hat crime is inevitable because people are so different from one another and use such a wide variety of methods and types of behaviors to meet their needs Anomie a lack of norms or clear social standards Because of rapidly shifting moral values the individual has few guides to what is socially acceptable Chicago school group of urban sociologists Park Burgess Wirth who studied the relationship between environmental conditions and crime Conflict theory the view that human behavior is shaped by interpersonal conflict and that those who maintain social power will use it to further their own ends Critical criminology the view that crime is a product of the capitalist system Developmental theory the view that criminality is a dynamic process influenced by social experiences as well as individual characteristics Rational choice theory the view that crime is a function of a decision making process in which the would be offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act Trait theory the view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits Social structure theory the view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime Social process theory the view that criminality is a function of people s interactions with various organizations institutions and processes in society Deviance behavior that departs from the social norm but is not necessarily criminal Critical criminologists members of a branch of criminology that focuses on the oppression of the poor women and minorities thereby linking class conflict sexisms and racism to crime rates Crime an act deemed socially harmful or dangerous that is specifically efined progibited and punished under the criminal law Decriminalized having criminal penalties reduced rather than eliminated Consensus view the belief that the majority of citizens in a society share common values and agree on what behaviors should be defined as criminal Criminal law the written code that defines crimes and their punishments Conflict view the belief that criminal behavior is designed by those in power in such a way as to protect and advance their own self interest Interactionist view the belief that those with social power are able to impose their values on society as a while and these values then define criminal behavior Code of Hammurabi the first written criminal code developed in Babylonia about 2000 b c Mosaic code the laws of the ancient Israelites found in the Old Testament of the Judeo Christian Bible Precedent a rule derived from previous judicial decisions and applied to future cases the basis of common law Common law early English law developed by judges which became the standardized law of the land in England and eventually formed the basis of the criminal law in the U S Statutory crimes crimes defined by legislative bodies in response to changing social conditions public opinion and custom Appellate court court that reviews trail court procedures to determine whether they have complied with accepted rules and constitutional doctrines Chapter 2 Part I crimes The eight most serious offenses included in the UCR murder rape assault robbery burglary arson larceny and motor vehicle theft Part II crimes all other crimes aside from the eight part one crimes included in the UCR arrest data Part II crimes include drug offenses sex crimes and vandalism among others Cleared crimes crimes are considered cleared
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