Term
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Definition
The study of the victim’s role in criminal events
Victims can play an active or indirect role in a criminal incident |
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Term
| What is the toll of victimization on society? |
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Definition
Pain and suffering to victims
Damaged property
Costs of police and other justice system agents
Further victimization by the justice system
Fear of re-victimization
Victims may be more likely to engage in a criminal act themselves (termed the cycle of violence) |
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Term
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Definition
Of all crimes committed in 2006*:
76 percent involved property
23 percent were violent
Nearly 1 percent were purse snatching and pocket picking.
** Patterns of victimization survey findings are stable and repetitive, suggesting victimization is not random but is a function of personal and ecological factors.** |
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Term
| The Social Ecology of Victimization |
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Definition
Violent crimes are slightly more likely to occur in a public area during daytime or early evening hours
More serious violent crimes (rape and aggravated assault) typically occur after 6 pm
The risk of murder is highest in disorganized inner-city areas
Rural areas have significantly lower victimization rates than urban areas |
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Term
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Definition
In the U.S., larger, African American, western, and urban homes are most vulnerable to crime
Renters are more vulnerable than home owners |
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Term
| What are some important victim characteristics? |
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Definition
Gender
Age
Social status
Race
Marital status
Repeat victimization |
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Term
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Definition
With the exception of rape and sexual
assault, men are more likely to be the
victims of violent crime
Two thirds of women are victimized by someone they know or live with, compared to one half of men
As economic inequality decreases, so do women’s victimization rates |
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Term
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Definition
Young people have a much higher
victimization rate
Victim risk rapidly diminishes after age 25 |
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Term
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Definition
Across all gender, age, and racial groups,the poorest Americans are the most likely victims of violent and property crime
The homeless have very high rates of assault victimization |
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Term
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Definition
African Americans are more likely than
European Americans to be victims of violent crime
Due to income inequality, many racial and ethnic minorities live in deteriorated urban areas with high rates of violence |
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Term
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Definition
Never-married men and women have higher
victimization rates than married/domestic partnerships
The relationship between marital status and victimization is probably influenced by gender, age, and lifestyle |
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Term
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Definition
Individuals who have been crime victims
have a significantly higher chance of future victimization than non-victims |
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Term
| Victims and Their Criminals |
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Definition
Men are more likely to be violently
victimized by a stranger, and women by a known person
Most crimes are committed by a single offender over the age of 20
Crime is usually intra-racial (i.e. white on white crime)
Substance abuse is involved in about one third of violent crime incidents |
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Term
| Victim Precipitation Theory |
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Definition
| The view that victims may initiate, either actively or passively, the confrontation that leads to their victimization |
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Term
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Definition
Some criminologists believe that people may become crime victims because their lifestyle increases their exposure to criminal offenders
• Victimization risk is increased by such behaviors as associating with young men, going out in public places late at night, and living in an urban area |
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Term
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Definition
The greater their exposure to dangerous
places, the more likely people will become victims of crime and violence
Victims do not encourage crime but are victim prone because they reside in socially disorganized high-crime areas where they have the greatest risk of coming into contact with criminal offenders, regardless of their own behavior or lifestyle |
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Term
| Routine Activities Theory |
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Definition
The view that victimization results from the interaction of three everyday factors:
• Suitable targets ~ objects of crime that are attractive and readily available
• Absence of capable guardians ~ effective deterrents to crime, such as police
• Presence of motivated offenders ~ people willing and able to commit crimes |
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Term
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Definition
Approximately 2000 programs to assist
crime victims and witnesses have been
developed in the U.S.
Types of assistance include:
• Victim compensation
• Victim advocates
• Victims impact statements
• Public education
• Crisis intervention
• Victim-offender reconciliation programs |
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Term
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Definition
Each state has legal rights for crime victims that generally include the following rights:
• To be notified of proceedings and the status of the defendant
• To be present at criminal justice proceedings
• To make a statement at sentencing and to receive restitution from a convicted offender
• To be consulted before a case is dismissed or a plea agreement entered
• To a speedy trial
• To keep the victim’s contact information confidential |
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Term
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Definition
| . . . a violation of societal rules of behavior as interpreted and expressed by the criminal law, which reflects public opinion, traditional values, and the viewpoint of people currently holding social and political power. Individuals who violate these rules are subject to sanctions by state authority, social stigma, and loss of status. |
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Term
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Definition
An integrated approach to the study of the nature, extent, cause, and control
of criminal behavior |
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Term
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Definition
Criminology is an interdisciplinary science:
Sociology
Criminal justice
Political science
Psychology
Economics
Natural science |
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Term
| Understanding the Crime Problem in America |
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Definition
TWO CRIME PROBLEMS
Affects most white, middle-class Americans
Affects people of color, the poor and young people of color in particular |
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Term
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Definition
TWO DRUG PROBLEMS
One involving the majority of the population
The other concentrated in the inner cities |
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Term
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Definition
Very poor neighborhoods...
Overwhelmed by crime and drugs
Quality of daily life worsened in the
‘80s, despite decrease in crime rate
Drug trade completely takes over the streets
Open drug use and selling |
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Term
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Definition
Many crime policies are advertised as solutions to serious crimes
Murder, armed robbery and rape |
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Term
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Definition
Most serious impacts on less serious crimes
Assault and burglary
In California, 73% of the increase in the prison population between 1980 and
1993 involved persons convicted of nonviolent crimes |
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Term
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Definition
40 Years waging this war
Number of prisoners has increased sevenfold from 196,429 in 1970 to
1,380,776 by mid-2003.
691,301 people in local jails
TWO MILLION BEHIND BARS |
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Term
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Definition
Total number of people on “under correctional supervision” by the end of
2003 is an estimated 7 million
Most of the growth in prison populations is the result of an increase in drug arrests |
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Term
| Race, Ethnicity and The War on Crime |
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Definition
Council on Crime in America
Punitive policy is necessary, morally justified and if used properly effective.
Believe prison is “socially beneficial and cost-effective.” |
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Term
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Definition
National Criminal Justice Commission
“War on Crime” made things worse
Racially biased
Contributed to the destruction of inner-city communities
Increased likelihood of juvenile violence. |
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Term
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Definition
Young Latino men being stereotyped as gang members, drug dealers, and illegal immigrants (war on crime implication)
African Americans represented 13% of the population, but 35% of all people arrested for drug offenses, 55% of those convicted and 74% of those sentenced to prison (war on drugs implication) |
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Term
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Definition
Study by CA legislature
1/6 of African American men over the age of 16 are arrested every year (mainly drug offenses)
Also found 92% of African American men arrested for drugs were released for lack of evidence.
Bottomline: 10% of this population is under correctional supervision at any given moment |
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Term
| Last Thoughts for War on Crime |
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Definition
War”= wrong metaphor
Unrealistic expectations that crime will end
May reduce crime to a tolerable level
Suggests fighting a foreign enemy
Demonizes criminals as apart from the rest of us
“Us versus Them” attitudes encourages suspects as people who do not have the same rights as other American citizens. |
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Term
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Definition
Looking within ourselves
Our social institutions
How well do they serve ALL people?
Our values
Our habits
Need long term solutions with evidence-based practices |
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Term
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Definition
No quick and easy “miracle” cure
1980’s- “selective incapacitation”
1990’s- boot camps and “three strikes” law
Today- offender reentry programs
Reduce crime by making basic changes in all of our social policies |
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Term
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Definition
Fear of crime is like a plague
Affects the way we think, act and respond to one another
Corrosive effect on interpersonal relations
Making us wary of small acts of friendliness toward strangers
Distorts the political process with quick fixes
Leads to frustration and irrational thinking (i.e. reducing crime by 30-50%) |
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Term
| Primary Sources of Crime Data |
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Definition
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Self-report surveys |
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Term
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Definition
A large database compiled by the FBI of crimes reported and arrests made each year throughout the U.S.
Accuracy is somewhat suspect as research indicates less than half of all crime victims report incidents to police |
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Term
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Definition
Not so sure about the accuracy
Surveys indicate fewer than half of all crime victims report incident to the police
“A private matter”, “Nothing could be done”, “Not important enough”
Distrust of police and lack of confidence in their ability to solve crimes
No property insurance useless to report theft
Victims fear reprisal |
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Term
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Definition
Local law enforcement make errors in reporting practice
Reporting an assault on a woman as an attempted rape
Rising crimes rates may be more due to improved police recordkeeping abilities |
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Term
National Incident-Based
Reporting System (NIBRS) |
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Definition
A program begun in 1982 that requires local police agencies to provide a brief account of each incident and arrest, including incident, victim, and offender information
• Will improve the accuracy of official crime data |
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Term
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Definition
General concepts, such as rules, of
collecting and reporting are the same
NIBRS more detailed than UCR
NIBRS includes 46 Group A offenses whereas UCR only has eight offenses (Part One) |
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Term
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Definition
NIBRs- definition of rape has expanded to male victims
UCR does not differentiate between completed and attempted crimes while NIRBs does
NIBRs reports all offenses involved in a particular incident |
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Term
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Definition
NIBRS adds a third category
titled Crimes Against Society for activities such as drug or narcotic offenses and other activities prohibited by society’s rules
UCR=written NIBRS=computer system |
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Term
National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) |
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Definition
Began in 1973
The federal government sponsors this comprehensive, nationwide survey of victims about their experiences with law violation |
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Term
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Definition
A research approach that asks
subjects to describe, in detail, their recent and lifetime participation in criminal activity |
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Term
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Definition
Each source of crime data has strengths and weaknesses
All sources record similar trends regarding personal characteristics of serious offenders, and when and where the crime occurs
Sources are reliable indicators of changes and fluctuations in yearly crime rates |
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Term
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Definition
UCR remains the most used by
criminologists
NCVS finds many crimes go unreported to the police; however, overreporting is also common
Self-Report Surveys can provide information on the personal characteristics of offenders, yet it relies on honesty of criminal offenders and drug abusers, a population not generally known for accuracy |
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Term
| Models of Criminal Justice |
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Definition
Many people believe what they want to believe about how the justice system works
American criminal justice system is very complex
51 separate criminal justice systems (50 states plus the federal system)
Includes 18,769 separate state and local law enforcement agencies |
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Term
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Definition
Criminal codes and the rules of criminal procedure vary in all of these systems
Many important decisions are made in informal, “low-visibility” settings (i.e. arrest on the street, plea bargain negotiated in the court hallway)
Most crime control ideas are based on false assumptions about how the criminal justice system works |
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Term
| CRIMINAL JUSTICE WEDDING CAKE |
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Definition
Celebrated Cases
Heavy-duty Felonies
Lightweight Felonies
Misdemeanors |
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Term
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Definition
Emphasizes two points
There are significant differences between types of cases, based on seriousness and other factors
There are fairly consistent patterns of disposition within each category |
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Term
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Definition
Celebrated Cases: The Top Layer
Scott Peterson, Robert Blake,
O.J. Simpson, Columbine High School |
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Term
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Definition
Involve full criminal process (including criminal trial)
Receive an enormous amount of publicity due to the nature of the crime or the fame of the person involved (as either victim or defendant)
Landmark Supreme Court ruling- Miranda case not so exciting, not so celebrated |
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Term
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Definition
All the publicity, distort public perceptions about criminal justice
People mistakenly assume that they are typical of all cases. |
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Term
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Definition
False beliefs:
Ernesto Miranda (who gave us the Miranda warning) are “beating the system” every day through “technicalities”
O.J. Simpson trial led many people to believe spouse murderers beat the system all the time. Also, led many whites to believe that African American jurors will not convict an African American defendant. |
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Term
| Serious Felonies - 2nd and 3rd Layer |
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Definition
More serious felonies = 2nd layer
Less serious felonies = 3rd layer
Criminal justice officials classify cases on the basis of three factors
1) nature of the crime
2) the suspect’s prior record
3) the relationship between the victim and the offender |
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Term
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Definition
5 factors to distinguish the more serious cases from the less serious cases
The seriousness of the charge
The defendant’s prior record
Whether the victim and the offender were strangers
Whether the victim was injured
Whether the offender used a gun |
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Term
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Definition
Process of classifying cases is informal
No checklist of factors
“heavy cases”, “lightweight”, “real crimes”, “bullshit crimes”, “garbage case” |
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Term
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Definition
Consists of criminal justice officials who work together day in and day out.
Develop shared understandings of how to handle routine cases
One of the most important factors in determining how the system works |
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Term
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Definition
Two important consequences
1) Individual discretion is controlled informally, through understandings and expectations (as opposed to formal rules)
2) It produces a high degree of consistency within each layer of the wedding cake. |
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Term
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Definition
Shared definition of seriousness facilitates rapid disposition of a high volume of cases.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys do not spend a lot of time arguing over particular cases. |
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Term
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Definition
They ask themselves, “How much is this case worth?” “How bad is this offender?”
Can vary from county to county
Depends on the composition and culture of the local courtroom work group |
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Term
| The Lower Depths - The 4th Layer |
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Definition
Lower criminal courts handle all of the misdemeanors in most jurisdictions.
Volume of cases is staggering, far outnumbering felonies.
Due to lack of seriousness there is little concern shown for the formalities of the felony process.
Bottomline:
lower courts are very different than upper courts there are significant differences between courts in different jurisdictions. |
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Term
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Definition
Wedding Cake Model of the criminal justice system
Designed to help make sense of the administration of justice in action
Do not be distracted by celebrated cases
Be very skeptical of any policies that are based on celebrated cases
Primary concern is with controlling serious crime
Must keep our focus on robbery and burglary (2nd layer) |
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