Chapter Outlines Chapter 1 Crime and Criminology I The Criminological Enterprise the various subareas included within the scholarly discipline of criminology which as a whole define the field a Criminal statistics gathering valid crime data Measuring crime patterns and trends b Sociology of law determining the origin of law Measuring the forces that can change II History of Criminology laws and society rates and trends c Theory construction predicting individual behavior understanding the cause of crime d Criminal behavior systems determining the nature and cause of specific crime patterns e Penology studying the correction and control of criminal behavior f Victimology studying the nature and cause of victimization a Classical Criminology theoretical perspective suggesting that people have free will to choose criminal or conventional behaviors People choose to commit crime for reasons of greed and personal need and crime can be controlled only by the fear of criminal sanction 1 More rational punishment 2 Cesare Beccaria first scholar to develop an understanding of why people commit crime o Believed in utilitarianism view that people s behavior is motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain b Positivist Criminology founded by Auguste Comte 1 Human behavior is a function of external forces that are beyond individual control 2 Embraced the scientific method for studying crime 3 Cesare Lombroso father of criminology o Born criminals c Sociological criminology 1 Adolphe Quetelet o Beligan mathematician who examined the influence of social factors on the propensity to commit crime o Uncovered that season climate age sex population and poverty are related to criminality 2 Emile Durkheim o Views crime as a normal part of society o Author of Division of Labor Anomie lack of norms or clear social standards 3 The Chicago School urban sociologists studied relationships of environmental conditions and crime o Crime is not a function of personal characteristics but a reaction of environment o Challenged biological and psychological theories d Critical criminology conflict theory Karl Marx 1 Described oppressive labor conditions in industrial capitalism 2 Indicated capitalism for producing conditions that support high crime e Developmental criminology Sheldon and Elanor Glveck 1 Dynamic process influenced by social experiences as well as individual characteristics 2 Biological social and psychological elements f Contemporary criminology 1 Carries on and refines these traditions III How Criminologists Define Crime a Becoming Deviant crime 1 Deviance behavior that departs from the social norm but not necessarily a 2 Decriminalized having criminal penalties reduced rather than eliminated b Consensus view of crime belief that the majority of citizens in a society share common values and agree on what behaviors should be defined as criminal 1 The law defines crime 2 Agreement exists on outlawed behavior 3 Laws apply equally to all citizens c Conflict view 1 The law is a tool of the ruling class 2 Crime is a politically defined concept 3 4 The law is used to control the underclass real crimes racism sexism classism are not outlawed d Interactionist view 1 Moral entrepreneurs define crime 2 Acts become crimes because society defines them that way 3 Criminal labels are life transforming events IV Crime and the criminal law a Code of Hammurabi 1 First written criminal code 2 eye for an eye b Mosaic code 1 Laws of the ancient Israelites found in the Old Testament of the Judeo Christian Bible c Common law rule derived from previous judicial decisions and applied to future cases 1 Precedent rule derived from previous decisions and applied to future cases 2 Statutory crimes crimes defined by legislative bodies in response to changing social conditions public opinion and custom d Web quiz Edwin Sutherland s analysis of business related offenses helped make the phrase while collar crime manie sans delire psychopathic personality Chapter 2 The Nature and Extent of Crime I Primary sources of crime data surveys and records a Official records The Uniform Crime Report 1 Most common official crime statistic 2 Published by the FBI yearly 3 Crime rate number of reported crimes total U S population x 100 4 Not all crimes are reported 5 Only includes index crimes most serious murder rape aggravated assault robbery larceny burglary motor vehicle theft and arson 6 Cleared crimes when an arrest has been made b The National Crime Victimization Survey NCVS 1 Data collected by the Justice Department and the U S Census Bureau 2 Assesses victimization in the U S 3 Includes crimes reported and unreported c Self report surveys 1 Face to face interviews 2 Anonymous questionaires 3 Participation in crime themselves II Crime Patters a The Ecology of Crime 1 Day season and climate o Most reported crimes are during warm summer months o Also on first day of months o Crime rates increase with increasing temperatures and begin to decline 2 Temperature when it gets too hot 3 Regional differences o Large urban areas have highest violence rates o Western and southern states have higher crime rates than Midwest and northeast b Use of firearms 1 Play a dominant role in criminal activity c Social class socioeconomic conditions and crime 1 Crime in lower class phenomenon 2 Instrumental crimes crimes designed to improve financial or social position of criminals 3 Expressive crimes committed not for profit but to vent rage anger or frustration d Age and crime 1 Younger people commit more crime 2 Property crimes peak at around 16 17 3 Violent crimes peak in late teens early 20s 4 People commit less crime as they age e Gender and Crime 1 Male crime rates are much higher than females 2 Cesare Lambroso s masculine theory us the view that women who commit crimes have biological and psychological traits similar to men 1 Minority group members are involved in a disportionate share of criminal f Race and Crime activity III Chronic Offenders Career Criminals criminal offenses b What causes chronicity a Chronic offenders small group of persistent offenders who account for a majority of all 1 Early onset repeat offenders begin their criminal careers at a very young age Chapter 3 Victims and Victimization a Victimiology scientific study of victims and the role that they play in the crime process I II The Victims Role Victimizations Toll on Society a NCVS 1 Approximately 23 million incidents annually 2 Only national indicator of the number
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