Criminological Foundations, Theories, and Contemporary Approaches

All flashcards

What is criminology?

Criminology is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behavior, their causes, social responses, and the institutions involved in justice.

What are criminology’s three broad lines of inquiry?

The field examines criminal law and its administration; the causes of crime and the circumstances or characteristics of offenders; and crime control and offender rehabilitation.

Why does criminology use multiple disciplines?

Crime involves individual behavior, social conditions, law, institutions, and public health, so insights from several disciplines can help explain different parts of the problem.

Who is most often credited with coining the term criminology, and when?

Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo most likely coined the term in 1885. Paul Topinard later used the analogous French term Criminologie.

What were the three phases of U.S. criminology from 1900 to 2000?

The Golden Age of Research (1900–1930), the Golden Age of Theory (1930–1960), and the period from 1960 to 2000, marked by expansion and institutional change.

Quiz questions

1. According to the classical school, what can make punishment an effective deterrent?Answer: Prompt, legally established, proportionate punishment that discourages rational choices to offend.
2. Which approach best characterizes the positivist school?Answer: It uses scientific inquiry to examine factors that may influence behavior beyond individual control.
3. Which three elements must converge for a crime opportunity in routine activity theory?Answer: A motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian.
4. How can labeling contribute to continued offending, according to labeling theory?Answer: Stigma may disrupt conventional roles and relationships, and sometimes encourage acceptance of a deviant identity.
5. How do legal definitions of crime relate to broader concepts of social harm?Answer: They are related, but some harmful acts or conditions may not be legally classified as crimes.