Criminal Justice Chapter 5 Flashcards
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What is Deterrence Theory?

  • The belief that the threat or application of legal punishment prevents criminal behavior (correct)
  • The view that crime is caused by social factors alone
  • The belief that legal punishment has no effect on crime
  • The idea that punishment should always be severe

    • What is Specific Deterrence?

    Deterrence that occurs when offenders already punished for lawbreaking decide not to commit another crime because they do not want to face the legal consequences again.

    Define Objective Deterrence.

    The impact of actual legal punishment.

    What was the Enlightenment?

    <p>An intellectual movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that challenged medieval religious beliefs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Macro refer to in sociological studies?

    <p>Larger picture, study more on the social level.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Positivism suggest about human behavior?

    <p>Human behavior and attitudes, including breaking the law, are influenced/affected by forces both external and internal to the individual.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Subjective Deterrence?

    <p>The impact of people's perceptions of the likelihood of arrest and punishment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are Expressive Offenses?

    <p>Crimes committed for emotional reasons and with little or no planning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Rational Choice Theory suggest?

    <p>People plan their actions and weigh the potential benefits and costs of their behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    State what Rational Choice suggests about offenders.

    <p>Offenders commit crime because of the benefits it brings them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Explain the System Capacity Argument.

    <p>The belief that areas with high crime rates have low arrest rates because the police have many more crimes to investigate, which overburdens the criminal justice system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Opportunity Theory commonly referred to?

    <p>Routine activities theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an Involvement Decision?

    <p>Decision to get involved in crime generally.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an Event Decision?

    <p>Decision to get involved in a particular crime at a particular time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are Initiation, Habituation, and Dissistence?

    <p>Cornish and Clarke's three stages of deciding to be involved in crime.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Situational Factors.

    <p>Aspects of the immediate physical setting.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Certainty refer to in deterrence?

    <p>Likelihood of being punished.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define Absolute Deterrence.

    <p>The effect of having some legal punishment versus having no legal punishment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Routine Activities Theory?

    <p>The view that an individual's daily activities affect their chances of becoming a crime victim.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is General Deterrence?

    <p>Deterrence that occurs when members of the public decide not to break the law because they fear legal punishment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Micro refer to in sociological studies?

    <p>Smaller picture, study more on the individual level.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who is regarded as the father of modern criminology?

    <p>Cesare Beccaria.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Jeremy Bentham known for?

    <p>His work on utilitarianism and his discussion of prisons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Gary Becker recognized for?

    <p>His work on rational choice theory and focus on economics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who are Derek Cornish and Ronald Clarke?

    <p>Known for extending Becker's work into considering the benefits of notoriety and enjoyment gained by committing crime.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson discuss?

    <p>Routine activities theory and three factors that influence crime rates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which country has enacted the most mandatory penalty laws?

    <p>United States.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During the Enlightenment period, justice could be described as ________.

    <p>Arbitrary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What idea best reflects the beliefs of classical school philosophers?

    <p>They believed that people acted to maximize pleasure and reduce pain.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Marginal Deterrence?

    <p>The effect of increasing severity, certainty and/or swiftness of legal punishment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why was Joan of Arc burned at the stake?

    <p>She was thought to be a witch.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are Instrumental Offenses?

    <p>Crimes committed for material gain with some degree of planning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A child playing in a park alone reflects what routine activities theory suggests is a lack of ______.

    <p>guardianship.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Situational Crime Prevention?

    <p>Efforts in specific locations that aim to make it more difficult for offenders to commit crimes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Neoclassical theorists assume criminals act with free will.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Criminals do not always act rationally.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    People in ancient times often thought crime was caused by possession.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Neoclassical and classical theories hold that people 'rationally choose' to commit crime. Researchers, however, have found that humans are not as rational as these theories assume.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Cesare Beccaria known for?

    <p>The father of modern criminology and pioneering the classical school of criminology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a statement that fits neoclassical thinking?

    <p>Criminals act with free will.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Regarding deterrence theory, various kinds of evidence suggest that ______ especially has little or no deterrent effect.

    <p>severe punishment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Hot-spot policing involves intensive police patrols of high crime areas.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Neoclassical explanations do not stress biology as the root cause of crime.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are Theories of Crime?

    <p>Competing explanations of why crime occurs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Neoclassical Theory?

    <p>Theories that rest on the classical theory emphasis of rationality but also have expanded upon it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who is Auguste Comte?

    <p>Part of the Enlightenment and known as the father of positivism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Charles Darwin known for?

    <p>His theory of evolution and the text Origin of Species.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

    <p>Part of the Enlightenment and known for thoughts on human nature that would influence the classical school of criminology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Severity refer to in the context of crime?

    <p>Whether someone is incarcerated and, if so, for how long.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the Classical School?

    <p>A school of thought popular in 18th century Europe that assumed criminals were rational.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Neoclassical explanations of crime are rooted in ______.

    <p>economic thinking.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Contemporary Rational Choice suggests offenders carefully plan all crimes they commit.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What best reflects the Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment?

    <p>A time when religious views began to give way to scientific explanations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Deterrence Theory

    • Belief that threats or application of legal punishment can prevent criminal behavior.
    • Distinction between specific and general deterrence; specific deterrence targets offenders while general deterrence aims at the public.

    Key Deterrence Concepts

    • Specific Deterrence: Occurs when punished offenders refrain from future crimes to avoid repeating legal consequences.
    • Objective Deterrence: Focuses on the actual impact of legal punishments.
    • Subjective Deterrence: Concerned with individuals' perceptions about the likelihood of arrest and punishment.
    • Absolute Deterrence: Examines the difference in deterrent effects between having some legal punishment versus none.

    Crime Theories

    • Rational Choice Theory: Suggests individuals weigh benefits and costs before committing crimes.
    • Routine Activities Theory: Proposes a framework considering daily activities’ influence on victimization; requires a motivated offender, attractive target, and absence of guardianship.
    • Opportunity Theory: Refers to the same principles as Routine Activities Theory, highlighting situational crime prevention strategies.

    Influential Figures

    • Cesare Beccaria: Regarded as the father of modern criminology; stressed that punishment must be certain and swift to serve as a deterrent.
    • Jeremy Bentham: Prominent for discussions on utilitarianism and prison reforms within the classical school.
    • Gary Becker: Known for merging economic principles with rational choice theory in crime.
    • Derek Cornish and Ronald Clarke: Extended studies of crime benefits concerning notoriety and enjoyment.
    • Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson: Developed routine activities theory, detailing three factors influencing crime rates.

    The Enlightenment and Its Impact

    • An intellectual movement that fostered scientific reasoning over religious beliefs, influencing classical criminological thought.
    • Notable philosophers included Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, contributing to thoughts on rationality and human nature.

    Macro and Micro Perspectives

    • Macro: Focuses on broader social factors influencing crime; often relates to sociological studies.
    • Micro: Addresses individual-level factors; often connects to psychological and biological studies.
    • Severity, certainty, and swiftness are crucial dimensions affecting deterrence and crime incidence.
    • Evidence suggests severe punishments may lack significant deterrent effects.

    Modern Context

    • Neoclassical theories enhance classical ideas by considering rationality while acknowledging that humans may not always act rationally.
    • Situational Crime Prevention seeks to lessen opportunities for crime by altering environments.

    Additional Concepts

    • Situational Factors: Immediate physical settings affecting crime potential, such as street lighting.
    • Involvement Decision: General decision-making process about engaging in criminal activity.
    • Event Decision: Choosing to commit a specific crime at a certain time.
    • Marginal Deterrence: Examines the influence of increased severity, certainty, or swiftness of punishment on crime rates.

    Miscellaneous

    • Neoclassical theories do not focus on biology as a primary cause of crime.
    • Criminal Justice System: High crime rates correlate with low arrest rates due to system capacity constraints.
    • Routine activities theory emphasizes the importance of guardianship in crime prevention.

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    Test your knowledge on classical and neoclassical theories with these flashcards. Learn essential concepts such as Deterrence Theory and Specific Deterrence, which explore how legal punishment influences criminal behavior. Master these key terms to enhance your understanding of criminal justice principles.

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