Criminology Theories

Alloplastic Adaptation
Form of adjustment results from change in

the environment surrounding an
individual
Antisocial personality
Term used to describe individuals who are

basically unsocialized and whose behavior patterns
bring them repeatedly into conflict with society
Autoplastic Adaptation
Form of adjustment resulting from

changes within an individual
Beccaria
Claimed that punishment should be based on the degree of injury

caused by the offender. The purpose of punishment should be
deterrence rather than retribution and punishment should be
imposed to prevent offenders from committing new crimes
Behavioral Conditioning
The frequency of any behavior can be

increased or decreased through reward or
punishment
Behavioral Genetics
The study of genetic and environmental

contributions to individual variations in
human behavior
Bentham
Pain associated with crime must outweigh

derived from the criminal activity
Biological Theories
Focus on the mind as the center of the

personality and the major determinant in
controlling human behavior
Biopsychology Criminology
Examines how brain chemistry influences

our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.
Biosocial Criminality
Emphasizes the interaction of biology and

the environment in the formation of
behavioral responses to given situations.
Broken Windows Thesis
Physical deterioration in an area leads to increased

concerns for personal safety among area residents
and to higher crime rates in that area.
Burglary
Unlawful entry into a structure for the

purpose of felony commission, generally a
theft.
Criminal Anthropology
Scientific Study of the Relationship

between human physical characteristics
and criminality
Criminalist
One who is a specialist in the collection

and examination of the physical evidence
of a crime
Criminal Justice Professional
Police officers, corrections professionals, probation and

parole officers, criminal defense attorneys, and others
whose day to day work is within the criminal justice
system.
Criminaloids
A term used to describe occasional

criminals who were pulled into criminality
by environment factors
Criminologist
One Who studies crime, criminals, and

criminal behavior- reserved for academics,
researchers, and policy analysts
Culture Conflict Theory
Suggests that the root cause of criminality can be

found in clash of values between variously socialized
groups over what is acceptable or proper behavior
Dark Figure of Crime
Refers to the large number of unreported

crimes that never make it into official
crime statistics
Delinquency
Violation of criminal law

committed by young people
Deviant Behavior
Human Activity that violates

social norms
Environmental Pollution
Brain chemistry is altered by exposure to heavy

metals and other toxins make people lose the natural
restraint that holds their violent tendencies in check
Five Factors for Biosocial

Theory
Gender- male, age-younger, body typemesomorphic, intelligence- low, personalityaggressive, impulsive and cruel
Four types of self control
Impulse control, control over contends of

mind, control over emotions and moods,
control over performance
Frontal Brain Hypothesis
People who suffer damage to the prefrontal cortex

of the brain tend to be more aggressive than others,
impulsive, and uninhibited
Frustration Aggression Theory
Everyone suffers from frustration in life,

bug aggression can be manifested in
socially acceptable and unacceptable ways
Gall
Phrenology- Hypothesizes that the shape of the

human skull was indicative of the personality and
could be used to predict criminality
Gender Differences in
Criminality
Men crimes are far higher than women, when

women commit crime, they are far more likely to
assume the role of followers than leaders.
Genetics and Crime
Argument that the tendency to commit

crime may be inherited and that criminal
tendencies are genetically based
Guility but Mentally Ill
Held responsible for a specific act, even

though a degree of mental incompetence
may be present
Hedonistic Calculus
Behavior holds value to any individual undertaking

it and according to the amount of pleasure or pain
that it can produce for that person
Homicide vs. Murder
Murder- unlawful homicide, homicidewillful killing of one human being by

another
Hormones and Criminality
High testosterone can produce

aggressive behavior
Hypoglycemia and Diet
Low Blood sugar, hyperglycemiahigh blood sugar
Identity Theft
The misuse of another individual's

personal information to commit fraud.
Irresistible Impulse Test
Not guilty by virtue of mental state, was

not able to resist committing the crime
Just Deserts
People deserve the punishment they receive at the hands

of the law and that punishment should be appropriate to
the type of severity of the crime committed.
Labeling Theory
When someone becomes labeled, they

start to act in that "labeled" manner
Larceny
Unlawful ta`king of someone's property.

Most frequent occurring property offense.
Lombroso
Atavism- Suggests that criminals are

physiological throwbacks to early stages in
evolution. Father of modern criminology
M'Naughten Rule
Standard for judging legal insanity that requires

that offenders did not know what they were doing,
or if they did, didn't know it was wrong
Modeling Theory
Social learning theory that asserts that

people learn how to act by observing
others and by imitating their behavior
Neoclassical Criminology
Focuses on the importance of character, the dynamics of

character development, and the rational choices that
people make as they are faced with opportunities for
crime
NVCS
National Crime Victimization Survey. Regarded as

more accurate measure of crime than
UCR/NIBRS. More inclusive than police reports
Positivism
Based upon the belief that much of human

behavior, and therefore crime, results from forces
that are beyond the control of the individual
Psychopathy
Individuals who have a personality disorder,

especially one manifested in aggressive antisocial
behavior, and who are lacking in empathy
Psychosocial Theory
Psychoticism
Rape
Rational Choice Theory
Explains crime as the result of the

relationship between fundamental
personality dimensions and social factors.
Most likely to be criminals because they combine high
degrees of emotionalism with similar high levels of
extroversion. Difficult to socialize and train and do not
respond well to the external environment.
The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or
anus with anybody part of object, or oral penetration by a
sex organ of another person with out consent of the victim
Mirrors many principles of Classical Criminology. Holds

that criminals make a conscious, rational, and at least
partially informed choice to commit crime. benefit of the
crime outweighs the costs of disobeying the law
Recidivism
Offender reoffending
Robbery
The taking or attempt to take anything of value by

putting the victim in fear of immediate harm. Fire
arm is the weapon most often used in robbery
Routine Activities Theory
Motivated Offender, Lack of a Capable

Guardian, and also a Suitable Target
Schzoid
Allot, withdrawn, unresponsive, dull,

solitary to an abnormal degree
Seduction of Crime
The idea that crime is often pleasurable for those

committing it and pleasure of one sort or another is
the major motivation behind crime
Situational Choice Theory
View Criminal Behavior as a function of choices and

decisions made within a context of situation
constraints and opportunities (Anomie and Strain?)
Social Conflict Theory
Theory with clashes of classes that

forces crime
Social Disorganization Theory
Breakdown of social institutions such as

the family, economy, education, and
religion force crime
Social Learning/ Differential

Association Theory
All behavior, including crime, is

learned
Sociobiology
The systematic study of biological basis of all social

behavior, Territorially explains much of the human
conflict among human. Also for survival. Stupid theory.
Sociopath
Specific, General Deterrence
Personality disorder results more from

environmental factors than from innate
personality characteristics
A goal of criminal sentencing that seeks to prevent a
particular offender from engaging in criminality. Goal
that seeks to prevent others from committing crimes
similar to the one that was just committed
Strain Theory
Disjuncture between socially and subculturally sanction

means and goals as the cause of criminal behavior. Can be
thought to pressure individuals to reach socially
determined goals
UCR- Uniform Crime Report
Based on goal on developing a set of

uniform crime statistics for use by police
agencies and policy makers
Violent Crimes
Murder, Rape, Robbery,

Aggravated Assault
What is a crime
Why prison population are

rising
Human conduct that violates the criminal laws of a

state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction
that has the power to make and enforce the laws.
Determinate Sentencing, Truth in

sentencing, Three Strikes Law

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Alloplastic Adaptation

Form of adjustment results from change in

Term used to describe individuals who are

Form of adjustment resulting from

Claimed that punishment should be based on the degree of injury

The frequency of any behavior can be

The study of genetic and environmental

Pain associated with crime must outweigh

Focus on the mind as the center of the

Examines how brain chemistry influences

Emphasizes the interaction of biology and

Broken Windows Thesis

Physical deterioration in an area leads to increased

Unlawful entry into a structure for the

Scientific Study of the Relationship

One who is a specialist in the collection

Criminal Justice Professional

Police officers, corrections professionals, probation and

A term used to describe occasional

One Who studies crime, criminals, and

Culture Conflict Theory

Suggests that the root cause of criminality can be

Dark Figure of Crime

Refers to the large number of unreported

Violation of criminal law

Human Activity that violates

Brain chemistry is altered by exposure to heavy

Five Factors for Biosocial

Four types of self control

Impulse control, control over contends of

Frontal Brain Hypothesis

People who suffer damage to the prefrontal cortex

Frustration Aggression Theory

Everyone suffers from frustration in life,

Phrenology- Hypothesizes that the shape of the

Men crimes are far higher than women, when

Genetics and Crime

Argument that the tendency to commit

Guility but Mentally Ill

Held responsible for a specific act, even

Behavior holds value to any individual undertaking

Homicide vs. Murder

Murder- unlawful homicide, homicidewillful killing of one human being by

Hormones and Criminality

High testosterone can produce

Hypoglycemia and Diet

Low Blood sugar, hyperglycemiahigh blood sugar

The misuse of another individual's

Irresistible Impulse Test

Not guilty by virtue of mental state, was

People deserve the punishment they receive at the hands

When someone becomes labeled, they

Unlawful ta`king of someone's property.

Atavism- Suggests that criminals are

Standard for judging legal insanity that requires

Social learning theory that asserts that

Focuses on the importance of character, the dynamics of

National Crime Victimization Survey. Regarded as

Based upon the belief that much of human