FSU CCJ 3011 - Chapter 1: Concepts, Crime, Law, and Criminology

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Chapter 1 Concepts Crime Law and Criminology Criminology the scientific study of the nature and extent of criminal behavior Demonology The historical thought that people committed crimes because they were possessed by demons which led to cruel sentencing such as mutilation drowning and beheading Classical Criminology theory that humans are rational and consider the pros and cons of a crime before they commit it Believes punishment must be swift and severe to have an effect The purpose of punishment is to deter crime Focus on crime and all criminals are the same Two types of crime deterrence 1 General Deterrence focuses on punishing potential offenders 2 Specific Deterrence focuses on punishing past offenders so that they will think about this punishment for their future crimes Positivist Criminology uses scientific method and natural sciences to show that human behavior are beyond individual control Founded by Augusta Comte in 1789 Focus on criminals and how they are different from each other Sociological Criminology examines the social factors such as climate and society in criminal activity Adolph Quetelet found sex season climate and population s composition related to crime Emile Durkheim views crime as a normal part of society o Mechanical society is a rural simple society o Organic society is a modern urban society When we transfer from a mechanic to organic society an ANOMIE results Chicago School says crime is not a personal characteristic but a reaction of their environment Anomie a state of confusion in which crime results Subculture a group of delinquent people who exist outside of main stream culture Critical Criminology says that capitalism is the cause of high crime rates Karl Marx Also knows as new criminology Conflict theory capitalism causes us to always be in conflict w each other Control theory Wilson and Kellings Broken Windows theory shows that the physical environment impacts peoples feeling of safety and sense of worth Situational Crime prevention putting cameras or signs up to deter criminals this is easy to implement Restorative justice a rehab program where criminals are reintegrated into the community Developmental Criminology viewed criminology as a dynamic process influenced by social experiences as well as individual characteristics Developed by Sheldon and Eleanor glueck Biological social and psychological elements Surveys The most common ways that criminologists study crime Cross sectional most common survey takes place at one point snap shot Longitudinal surveys subjects over a time period Ethics are an important part of research Researchers must have informed consent from subjects being studied Researchers must be honest about reason and purposes of study Researchers must not cause harm to subjects Chapter 2 Measuring Crime Uniform Crime Report most common official crime statistic published by FBI Includes 8 index offenses Crime rate of reported crimes Total U S Population 100 000 people Index Crimes violent offenses such as murder rape robbery burglary Pros of official data crime trends over time geography comparisons info on serious crimes Cons of official data dark figure of crime gap between actual crime and amount on UCR bias hierarchy rule only most serious crimes in an incident are reported not all states send UCR to FBI National Crime Victimization Survey NCVS data collected by Justice Department and Census Bureau assesses victimization in the U S and includes crimes reported and unreported to the police Self Report Surveys face to face interviews and anonymous questionnaires Pros of NCVS Cons of NCVS captures dark figure of crime trends over time doesn t capture many types of crime memory and other reporting problems limited info on offenders Pros of Self Report not affected by bias sample any population social psychological causes of crime Cons of Self Report Major Demographic Crime issues 1 Age 2 Sex 3 Race 4 Social Class Validity is the report measure what we want to measure they could lie remember incorrectly or report less serious crimes Correlate a variable that is related to a crime in a statistical sense Age property crimes at 17 violent crimes in 20 s Sex males are more likely to violate law than females Race Non blacks commit more crimes than blacks Hirshi s Study self report data shows more white youth delinquency than official data Social Class weak and inconsistent correlate of crime Relationship between social class and crime depends on o Type of data o Measure of crime o Measure of social class Chapter 3 Victims Victimization Victimology the scientific study of victims and the role they play in crime process National Crime Victimization Survey NCVS household survey of 1973 allows personal experiences 23 million incidents annually Shows the dark figure of crime Include Rape assault robbery etc Do NOT include homicide child abuse victimless crime Correlates of victimization 1 Age 2 Sex 3 Race 4 5 Neighborhoods Income Most crimes except robbery occur between non strangers Von Hentig Theory says victims have active provoking and passive vulnerability precipitation which cause the crime Amir s Rape Study rape victims caused their own rape by dressing or flirting Victim blaming insinuating that the victim was to blame for their victimization Lifestyle and routine activity theory your social characteristics age gender class will lead to life style activities that lead to crime Ex high risk people are at a higher risk of being victimized Cohen Felsons theory victimization will happen if there is a motivated offender suitable target and no capable guardian Fisher et al higher rate of rape and sexual assault on college campus than general population Many consider date rape not real rape Secondary Victimization people have to relive their victimization by police and courts Victim s bill of rights right to be notified of proceedings right to be present at proceeding right to make statement and receive restitution Chapter 4 Choice Theory Rational Choice Theory developed by Becarria and views that potential offenders weigh the costs and benefits prior to committing a crime This assumes that all individuals are rational which is not the case And assumes they have enough info about crime violating behavior Eliminating crime Incapacitation or imprisoning offenders this keeps violator from re offending Collective incapacitation indiscriminate policy of putting all felons in prison Increase prison population Selective incapacitation


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FSU CCJ 3011 - Chapter 1: Concepts, Crime, Law, and Criminology

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