criminal psychology chapter 1
What are the approaches in Psychological criminology
-Cognitive -Neurological or biological -Developmental -Trait
What are the 4 theories of crime?
-Just-world hypothesis -Classical theory -Deterrence theory -Positivist theory
What are the 3 ways of measuring crime?
1. Official statistics/police reports 2. Victim surveys 3. Offender surveys
longitudinal studies
A research method that studies the same participants multiple times over a period of time
Sociological Criminology
Approach to criminology, based on the work of Emile Durkheim, that focuses on the relationship between social factors and crime
Developmental Approach
Behavior begins in early childhood and continues throughout adulthood.
dark figure of crime
Crime that is not reported to the police and that remains unknown to officials.
General Theory of Crime
Gottfredson and Hirschi's developmental theory that links crime to impulsivity and a lack of self-control
Biological theories
Humans are fundamentally unruly and deviant.
Uniform Crime Reports
MOST cited source of U.S. crime statistics.
Violent crimes
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape (Robbery, aggravated assault)
Psychological criminology
Psychological criminology The science of the behavior and mental processes of the person who commits crime
General Strain Theory
Robert Agnew - The view that multiple sources of strain interact with an individual's emotional traits and responses to produce criminality.
strain theory
Robert Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals.
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
The ongoing victimization study conducted jointly by the Justice Department and the U.S. Census Bureau that surveys victims about their experiences with law violation.
A scientific theory of crime
The purpose is to identify the causes or precursors of criminal behavior
Nonconformist perspective
The theoretical perspective that humans will naturally try to get away with anything they can, including illegal conduct, unless social controls are imposed.
Conformity Perspective
The theoretical position that humans are born basically good and generally try to do the right and just thing.
clearance rate
a comparison of the number of crimes cleared by arrest and prosecution with the number of crimes reported during any given time period
social control theory
a theory by Travis Hirschi stating that delinquency links deviance with the absence of bonds to society's main institutions
Hierarchy Rule
an old police method of counting only the most serious crime in a single incident involving multiple crimes
juvenile delinquency
antisocial or criminal behavior of young people
property crime
crimes that did not involve violence, including burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson
learning perspective
emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior
criminal behavior
refers to conduct of an offender that leads to and including the commission of an unlawful act.
What are the 3 major disciplines in criminalogy?
sociological, psychological, and psychiatric.
Self-report studies
surveys in which respondents are asked to report about criminal offenses they have committed
crime rate
the number of crimes committed per 100,000 population
social learning theory
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
differential association theory
theory that individuals learn deviance in proportion to number of deviant acts they are exposed to
conflict theories of deviance
view deviance as arising when groups with power attempt to impose their norms and values on less powerful groups