Criminal justice – chapter 3
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anomie
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Emile Durkheim's concept of normlessness and social isolation as symptoms of a dysfunctional society and causes of deviant behavior
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atavistic stigmata
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physical characteristics, representing earlier or pre-human stages of evolution, that were believed to distinguish criminals from others
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biocriminology
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a new field in criminology encompassing modern biological approaches (such as neurochemistry and neuroendocrinology) to explaining criminal behavior
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classical school
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theories of crime causation based on Cesare Beccaria's assumption that criminal behavior is a matter of free-will choice
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conflict theories
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theories of crime causation based on Marxian theory or the assumption that the sources of criminal behavior are class conflict and social inequality
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containment theory
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Walter Reckless's theory that people are deterred from deviant behavior because of the influence on individuals of both internal and external social control factors
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crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)
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theory that crime can be prevented through environmental design, particularly urban housing design
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criminal personality
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theories from psychology that identify personality traits and habits of mind believed to be associated with criminality
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cultural deviance theories
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theories of crime causation based on the assumption that criminal behavior is learned through participation in deviant subcultures or countercultures within a society
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deviance
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behavior that violates social norms ; deviance becomes crime when the behavior violates social norms that are expressed as criminal laws
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differential association theory
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Edwin Sutherland's theory that criminal behavior is learned through association with a peer group that engages in criminal behavior
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differential opportunity theory
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Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin's theory that criminality stems from blocked opportunities based on where one lives, who one knows, and what skills, talents, and resources one has
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felicitic calculus
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in classical and neoclassical theory, such as Jeremy Bentham's, the pain-pleasure principle by which people decide whether or not to commit a crime
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feminist criminology
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field based on the assumption that gender inequality lies at the heart of crimes in which women are the victims or the perpetrators
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labeling theory
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Frank Tannenbaum and Howard Becker's theory that people are strongly influenced by society's expectations of them, such that juveniles labeled as criminals are more likely to become criminals
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minimal brain dysfunction (MBD)
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a biological explanation of crime, suggesting that small disruptions of normal brain functioning are responsible for violent behavior
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neoclassical school
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a later version of classical theory in which children under the age of 7 and offenders suffering mental disease should be exempt from criminal liability because their conditions interfere with the exercise of free will
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neutralization theory
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Gresham Sykes and David Matza's theory that criminals learn techniques that allow them to rationalize their behavior, deny responsibility for harm, and avoid being guilt-ridden
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phrenology
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Franz Joseph Gall's science of reading bumps on the skull to identify character traits such as criminality
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positive school
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school of thought that emphasizes the importance of the scientific method to determine the factors that contribute to criminal behavior
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psychoanalytic theory
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Sigmund Freud's theory that behavior is not a free-will choice but is controlled by subconscious desires
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reaction formation
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Albert Cohen's term for his cultural deviance theory in which lower-class youths reject middle-class values that they cannot attain and instead join countercultures that express the opposite values
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social bond theory
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Travis Hirschi's theory that strong social and emotional ties to social values and norms lessen the likelihood of deviant behavior
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social control theory
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theories of crime causation based on the assumptions that people's belief in and identification with the values of their society and cultural influence their behavior
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social determinism
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the assumption that criminal behavior is caused by social factors and social forces rather than by moral, environmental, psychological, or biological causes
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social disorganization theory
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theories of crime causation based on the assumption that social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, poor schools, and substandard housing are significant factors contributing to delinquency and crime
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somatotype school
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theories of crime causation based on the assumption that there is a link between the mind and the body and that this link is expressed in body types, and based on Cesare Lombroso's theory that a criminal can be identified by physical appearance
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strain theory
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Robert Merton's theory that people are naturally law abiding but resort to crime when frustrated in finding legitimate means to economic success
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theories
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statements of relationship or of cause and effect that attempt to explain or predict behavior or events : theories are macro, middle range, or micro depending on the number of cases and level of generalization
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XYY chromosome theory
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biological theory of crime causation that an extra Y chromosome may lead to criminal behavior in males
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zone theory
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environmental theory of crime causation based on the belief that structural elements of society such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of schooling, unemployment, and illegitimacy are powerful forces that influenced human interaction
