criminology 1-3

6 subareas of criminological enterprise

1.criminal statistics- gathering valid crime data. Devising new research methods, measuring crime patterns and trends 2. Sociology of law/ law and society/ sociological studies determining the origin of law. Measuring the forces that can change the law and society. 3.Theory construction-predicting individuals behavior. Understanding the cause of crime rates and trends. 4. Criminal behavior systems- determining the nature and cause if specific crime patterns. Studying violence, theft, organized crime, white color crime, and public order crimes. 5. Penology: punishment, sanctions, and corrections- studying the correction and control of criminal behavior. Using the scientific method to assess the effectiveness of criminal sanctions designed to control crime through the application of criminal punishments. 6. victimology- studying the nature and cause of victimization. Aiding crime victims, understanding the nature and extent of victimization; developing theories of victimization risk.

Difference b/t deviant and criminal behavior

Actions that depart from the social norm. some are considered criminal others merely harmless aberrations. - (Behavior that departs from social norm) values beliefs but is not always criminal -(Crime- an act deemed as socially harmful or dangerous) that specifically defined, prohibited and punished under criminal law

Actus reas- Mens rea-

Actus reas- Criminal act Mens rea- intent to do the crime

age,

Age- The age of the population has a huge influence on crime trends; teenagers have extremely high crime rates. Where as seniors rarely commit crime. The greater the proportion of teens in there population the higher the crime rate and the greater the number of persistent offenders. Immigration- Research suggests that immigrants as a whole engage in criminal activities less than the general population the more immigrants in the local population the lower the crime rate Economy-although it seems that high unemployment rates should increase crime rates and that a good economy should reduce criminal activity especially theft related crime there is actually little evidence linking crime rates and the economy the official crime rates have declined during periods of high unemployment and a poor economy while increasing in others the depression error. Some crime expert believe that a poor economy actually helps lower crime rates because unemployed parents are at home to supervise children and guard there possessions. Abortion There is evidence that the recent drop in crime rate can be attributed to the availability of legalized abortion. If abortion is made illegal crime rates might rise. Gun availability-as the number of gun toting people increases so does the seriousness if violent crime because fights between gun toting people can easily turn into murder, Gangs- according to government sources there are now more than 1 million gang members in the U.S criminal gangs commit as much as 80 % of the crime in many community's, including armed robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions. Identity theft murder and weapons trafficking.. if gangs continue to grow so do criminal rates Drug use- As drug use increases, crime rates increase, the surge in violent crime in 1980s has been tied directly to the crack cocain epidemic that swept the nations largest cities. When crack use declined in the urban areas after 1991 so did crime rates. Media- The jury is still out but some experts believe that violent media can influence the direction of crime rates. As the availability of media with a violent theme sky rocket with the introduction of home video players dvds cable tv and computer video games. Teen violence rates increase as well. Medical treatment- some crime experts believe that the presence and quality if health care can have a significant impact on murder rates the big breakthrough occurred in the 1970s when technology that was developed to treat injured soldiers in Vietnam was applied to trauma care in the nations hospitals. Ever since then fluctuations in the murder rate have been linked to the kecel and availability of emergency medical services. Justice policy- Incarceration is also possible that tough laws imposing lengthy prison terms on drug dealers an d repeat offenders can effect crime rates. Even though putting people in prison might have a short term positive effect on crime rates, in the long run, increasing punishments may back fire. The recidivism rate of parole inmates is quite high and about two thirds of those released from state custody will eventually return to prison. Social and cultural change in cotemporary society culture change such as increases in the number of single parent families, in high school dropout rates, in racial conflict an din teen pregnancies, can affect crime rates.

Be familiar with secondary sources:Cohort, Experimental, Observational, Meta analysis and systematic review, Data mining, Crime mapping

Be familiar with secondary sources:Cohort, Experimental, Observational, Meta analysis and systematic review, Data mining, Crime mapping Five secondary sources would be Cohort research data- collecting cohort data involves observing over time a group of people who share certain characterizes, Experimental data sometimes criminologists conduct controlled experiments to collect data on the cause of crime, Observational and interview research sometimes criminologists focus their research on relatively few subjects, interviewing them in depth or observing them as they go about their activities, Systematic review Meta analysis involves gathering data from a number of pervious studies, compatible info and are extracted and pooled together, Data mining a relatively new criminological technique data mining uses multiple advanced computational methods including artificial intelligence to analyze large data sets that usually involve one or more data sources and crime mapping criminologists now use crime mapping to create graphical representations of the spatial geography of crime computerized crime maps enable criminologists to analyze and correlate a wide array of data to create immediate detailed visuals of crime patters.

Describe how law has developed-

Code of Hammurabi- the first written criminal code developed in Babylonia about 1750 Bc Mosaic code- The laws of the ancient Israelites, found in the old testament of the judeo-Christian bible.

difference in conscious view, conflict, and interactions view on crime

Conscious view- The belief that the majority of citizens in a society share common values and agree on what behaviors should be defined as criminal. Conflict view- The belief that criminal behavior is defined by those in power in such a way as to protect and advance their own self interest. Interactions view- The belief that those with social power are able to impose their values on society as a whole and these values then define criminal behavior

Difference between criminology and criminal justice

Criminology the scientific study of the nature, extent, cause and control of criminal behavior -Criminal justice is a System made up of the agencies of social control, such as police departments, courts and correctional, institutions that handle criminal offenders

Describe 3 primary sources of data collection for criminologists - UCR, NCVS, & self-report studies.

Describe 3 primary sources of data collection for criminologists - UCR, NCVS, & self-report studies. 1.(UCR) data collected from records from, police departments across the nation crime reported to police arrests. 2. National crime victimization surveys (NCVS)= data are collected from large national survey 3. Self report surveys- Data are collected from local surveys

Differences b/t felony and misdemeanor

Felony- a serious offense that carries a penalty of imprisonment usually for one year or more and may entail loss of political rights Misdemeanor- a minor crime usually punished by a short jail term and or fine.

List and explain the factors linked to crime patterns - ecology of crime, firearms, social class and conditions, age, gender, race, immigration, chronic offenders.

List and explain the factors linked to crime patterns - ecology of crime, firearms, social class and conditions, age, gender, race, immigration, chronic offenders. (Ecology of crime)- large urban areas has by far the highest violence rates rural areas have the lowest per capita crime rates. Firearms- The availability of guys increases violence. The ability to soot someone might make someone actually commit the act. Social class and conditions Where you are in society determines how you act Age- Younger people face a greater victimization risk than do older people- risk diminishes over age 25 Elderly victims are mom susceptible to a narrow band of crimes such as purse snatching, fraud and scams- preyed on because they have resources (pensions) etc. and may be lonely elder abuse in under reported. Gender- Except for crimes for rape and sexual assault, males are more likely than females to be the victims of violent crime however the gender differences are closing. Females are more often victimized by someone they know while males are more often victimized by strangers. Race- African Americans are more likely than whites to be victims of violent crime Serious violent crime rates have declined in recent years for both blacks and white

strengths/ weaknessses

Strengths-The ucr are that is measures homicides arrests and that it is consistent national sample Weaknesses Ucr weaknesses of ucr are that it omits crimes not reported to police omits most drug usage and contains reporting errors. Strengths- strengths of the ncvs are that it includes crimes not reported to the police uses careful sampling techniques and is a yearly survey Weaknesses- Of the ncvs are that it relies on victim memory and honesty and that it omits substance abuse. Be familiar with secondary sources - cohort, experimental, observational, meta analysis & systematic review, data mining, crime mapping Strengths- strengths of self report surveys are that they include non reported cimes substance abuse and offenders personal information Weaknesses- are that theyr eloy on honesty of offenders and they omit offenders who refuse or are unable as a consequence of incarceration, to participate and who there fir may be the most delinquent and or criminal.