Criminology

1. Criminology Crime Profiles Chapter 1 Taking Sides pp2-16

2. Legal-Based Typologies Misdemeanor (minor) and Felony (more serious) 3 general classes of crimes Crimes against the person (murder, rape, assault) Crimes against property (theft, burglary, embezzlement) Crimes against public order (disturbing the peace, drug possession, prostitution

3. Offender-Based Typologies Classifications based on motivations or mental states, such as the insane, the born, the habitual, the occasional, the passionate Have been used for over 100 years but often times are too vague to apply to individual situational crimes An individual criminal may cross many of these categories throughout their career

4. Victim-Based Typologies Classifies victims on categories like: Level of shared responsibility (those who have an active or passive role in the crime that leads to their victimization) Behavioral patterns (those who make it easier for crime to occur, those increasing their chance of victimization) Structural position (an individual may be more susceptible to crime because they are rich or because they are poor Extensiveness of the victimization career (how often the victim has been victimized)

5. Situational Context-Based Typologies Contexts for crime include work, school, home, leisure Useful because different types of crimes tend to located in these different scenes Also people tend to occupy different roles and perhaps different behavior patterns in these setting

6. Multi-Trait Typologies Combines two or more of the previous to make for more explanatory categories Examples of categories include: Violent personal criminal behavior Occasional property criminal behavior Political criminal behavior Occupational criminal behavior Organized criminal behavior

7. Sources of Crime Data UCR�the Uniform Crime Report Strength�relatively standardized and objective Weakness---all jurisdictions may not label or identify all crimes in exactly the same way or with the same effectiveness. Also, does not include crimes that do not come to the authorities attention.

8. Other sources of crime data National Crime Victimization Surveys---People do not report all crimes with the same completeness or honesty. On the plus side, this measure attempts to account for crimes that are not reported to the police. Interviews with Offenders---If you get honest, forthcoming offenders you can get a richness of detail not always possible with other methods.

9. Is Crime Beneficial To Society? Durkheim---Yes(Structural-Functionalist) Helps to establish social boundaries The rest of us know what not to do, by avoiding the examples of criminals Crime bonds the majority of society together in indignation and condemnation of the law-breakers Crime allows for social change�we avoid becoming to attached to our social norms

10. Is Crime Beneficial to Society? Moynihan�NO Argues that while that a functionalist approach may have made sense in Durkheim�s time, NOW the increases in violence crime have led to: Society becoming desensitized to violent crime Society�s moral and ethical boundaries have become too flexible