Basics of Criminology
What is the term for crimes subject to punishments of a year or more in prison or to capital punishment?
Felonies.
Which theory states that a criminal act must be accompanied by an equally criminal mind?
The guilty mind requirement (Mens Rea).
What is defined at common law as the intentional killing of another person with malice aforethought?
Murder.
Which drug was identified as the major problem in the United States during the 1980s?
Cocaine.
What is the Sherman Antitrust Act and what does it authorize?
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed to prohibit monopolistic business practices.
Who is known as the "father of modern criminology"?
Cesare Lombroso.
What does Merton's theory of anomie emphasize about society's structure and crime?
Merton emphasizes the disjunction between socially approved goals and the institutional means available to achieve these goals.
What term is used for the most prevalent property crime in the United States?
Burglary.
Describe the mixture known as "speed ball."
A speed ball is a mixture of crack cocaine and heroin.
What is the goal of conflict gangs as identified in criminological studies?
The primary goal of conflict gangs is to gain a reputation for toughness and destructive violence.
What does the classical school of criminology suggest about individuals' motivations to commit crimes?
Individuals choose to commit crimes after weighing the consequences of their actions.
Which social bond, according to Travis Hirschi, consists of assent (agreement) to the society's value system?
Belief.
Describe the type of homicide that is committed intentionally but without malice.
Voluntary manslaughter.
What term is used to describe crimes that violate the laws of more than one country?
Transnational crime.
Explain the legal difference between murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Murder involves the intentional killing with malice aforethought, whereas voluntary manslaughter involves intentional killing but without premeditation or malice.
Explain Emile Durkheim's concept that has had a significant impact on contemporary sociology.
Anomie — the lack of normal ethical or social standards.
Explain the basic assumption of environmental criminology regarding criminal motivation.
Environmental criminology starts with the assumption that most people are not criminally motivated but become so due to specific environmental factors.
What is the term for a person who regularly buys stolen property for resale?
A fence.
Explain the concept of a transnational crime and give an example.
Transnational crime involves criminal activities that violate the laws of more than one country, like human trafficking or international drug smuggling.
What practice involves trading a client's shares of stock frequently to generate large commissions?
Churning.
Describe the theory that posits that criminals are distinguishable from noncriminals by physical features known as atavistic stigmata.
Atavistic stigmata theory posits that criminals can be identified by certain physical features that hark back to earlier stages of human evolution.
Discuss the implications of rational-choice theory on the decision-making process of committing a crime.
Rational-choice theory assumes that offenders choose to commit crimes after considering both the potential rewards and the risks involved.
Explain the primary characteristics of a "fence" in the context of property crimes.
A fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen goods in order to resell them for profit.
What role did marijuana play among anti-establishment young people in the 1960s?
Marijuana became a symbol of rebellion against societal norms and was popular among the youth who identified themselves as part of the anti-establishment movement.
Discuss the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on corporate practices.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act aims to protect investors from fraudulent accounting activities by corporations, enhancing financial disclosures and creating penalties for corporate fraud.