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