Social Process Theories
A theory designed to explain how people learn criminal behavior using the psychological principles of operant conditioning.
Social Learning Theory
A system of mediation and conflict resolution oriented toward justice by repairing the harm caused by the crime using a face-to-face confrontation between victim and perpetrator.
Restorative Justice
A legal term that distinguishes between youthful (juvenile) offenders and adult offenders. Acts forbidden by law are called delinquent acts when committed by juveniles.
Delinquency
The pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who are differently abled, including differences in mental, cognitive, emotional, and/or physical abilities, through attitudes, actions, or institutional policies.
Ableism
The use of force exercised without excuse or justification to achieve a goal at the expense of a victim.
Violent Crime
A perspective in sociology that focuses on how people interpret and define their social reality and the meanings they attach to it in the process of interacting with one another via language.
Symbolic Interactionism
In Marxism, the owners of the means of production.
Bourgeoisie
Something in individuals’ personal characteristics or their environment that increases the probability of offending.
Risk Factor
An adjective used to describe a person who is not autistic and is often used to emphasize the privilege of people who are not on the autism spectrum.
Allistic
The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.
Murder
Term used by Edwin Sutherland to refer to the meanings our experiences have for us and our attitudes, values, and habitual ways of viewing the world.
Definitions
A condition that describes the estrangement or distancing of individuals from something, such as another person or from society in general.
Alienation
The statistical count of the number of known crimes committed in a population over a given period mapped according to age.
Age-Crime Curve
The pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses asexual people built out of the assumption that everyone does and should experience sexual attraction.
Allosexism
A criminal homicide where an unintentional killing results from a reckless act.
Involuntary Manslaughter
The balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that follow or are consequences of behavior.
Differential Reinforcement
Any social system that is male dominated at all levels from the family to the highest reaches of government and supported by the belief of male superiority.
Patriarchy
A chronic neurological condition manifested as constant restlessness, impulsiveness, difficulty with peers, disruptive behavior, short attention span, academic underachievement, risk-taking behavior, and extreme boredom.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The pervasive system of prejudice and discrimination that marginalizes people based on their age.
Ageism
A killer who kills for the pure thrill and joy of it.
Hedonistic Serial Killer
A perspective on learning asserting that behavior is governed and shaped by its consequences (reward or punishment).
Operant Psychology
An issue in feminist criminology asking if traditional theories based on male offender samples apply to women offenders.
Generalizability Problem
The persistent display of serious antisocial actions that are extreme given the child’s developmental level and have a significant impact on the rights of others.
Conduct Disorder
A broad spectrum of sexual orientations generally characterized by feeling varying degrees of sexual attraction or a desires for partnered sexuality.
Asexual
The taking or attempted taking of anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or putting the victim in fear.