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Criminology Exam #1 Review Questions with Complete Answers
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Criminology Exam #1 Review Questions with Complete Answers
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Criminology Exam #1 Review Questionswith Complete Answers
atavism (chicken teeth ex) - Answer-- crime is the result of primitive urges that survived
the evolutionary process in modern-day human throwbacks
- idea that humans who commit crimes are the chicken with the teeth
- they are the way they are (genetic accident) and can't be fixed
- poses a problem for punishing because if they can't be fixed then rehabilitation
shouldn't work with any criminals
difference between criminology and criminal justice - Answer-*criminology:* the
interdisciplinary profession built on the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior,
including their manifestations, causes, legal aspects, and control
*criminal justice:* emphasizes application of criminal law and the study of the
components of the justice system, especially the police, courts, and correctional
systems
consensus vs pluralistic perspectives of criminalization (ways we decide what criminal
behavior is) - Answer-*consensus:* laws should be enacted to criminalize behavior
when members of society agree that such laws are necessary
*pluralistic:* behaviors are typically criminalized through a political process only after
debate over the appropriate course of action (ex: flag burning under Texas v. Johnson)
legalistic perspective of crime - Answer-the view that crime's essential characteristic is
that it is behavior which is prohibited by the state and is the impetus for punishment (the
People vs ....)
cleared crimes and clearance rates - Answer-*cleared crimes:* those crimes for which
arrest has been made or for which the perpetrator is known but an arrest is not possible
(dead or out of the country)
*clearance rates:* the proportion of reported crimes that are solved
target hardening - Answer-- measures taken to fortify the physical environment of a
location or facility so as to deter or mitigate the effects of a criminal or terrorist act
against it
- idea that if you make it more difficult to commit crime then it will happen less
the 2 principles of scientific positivism - Answer-*(1)* social determinism (behavior is
caused by outside forces, not free will)
*(2)* application of scientific technique/method to criminology (measurement, data)
definitions and difference between hard and soft determinism - Answer-*hard
determinism:* the idea that free will did not exist and human behavior (and crime) was
largely outside of an individual's control (criticism: how can we punish people then?)
, *soft determinism:* belief that crime is a result of personal choice AND environmental
influences (it's about their character)
Katz's Seduction of Crime (1988) - Answer-- suggests that traditional criminology
ignores that crime can be sensual or pleasurable for the perpetrator
- could be argued that the hedonistic calculus should include these extra calculations in
cost-benefit, utilitarian analysis
general and specific deterrence - Answer-*general deterrence:* using criminal
punishment as an EXAMPLE to prevent others from committing the same crime
*specific deterrence:* using criminal punishment to prevent THAT offender from
repeating crime
just deserts (as a theory of punishment) - Answer-- "they got what they deserved"
- based on western conceptions of retribution
- criminals deserve punishment appropriate to their crime, "eye for an eye"
- justice is giving out nothing more or less than what one deserves after consideration
James Q. Wilson's Justice Model of criminal punishment - Answer-- the only reason we
arrest people is to restore justice
- states that prison is not to rehabilitate but deserved because of choices
- based on rational choice theory
- 30 years of these policies: mandatory minimums, three strikes, etc.
Cesare Lombroso/Italian School of Criminology - Answer-- best-known scientific
biological theorist
- believed certain people are born with traits and instincts of primitive humans or beasts
- coined the term atavism: crime is the result of primitive urges that survived the
evolutionary process in modern-day human throwbacks (led to dehumanization of all
criminals; can't fix undeveloped human being)
- gave rise to the Italian School of Criminology, referred to now as criminal
anthropology: the scientific study of the relationship between human physical
characteristics and criminality
recidivism - Answer-- repeating criminal behavior by those already involved in crime
- can also be used to measure the success of a given approach to the problem of crime
- US has high rates of recidivism
situational crime prevention - Answer-- a reduced focus on the offender or people who
commit crime and reorientation towards the context of where crime occurs
- places a responsibility on the victims not to put themselves in situations where they're
likely to be a victim of crime (ATM at midnight, etc.)
phrenology or craniometry - Answer-- the detailed study of the shape and size of the
cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities
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