SOC 4410 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Jeremy Bentham, Homo Economicus, Ancient Law
Document Summary
Crime & law: social harm, functions of laws. Where do laws come from: schools of thought, consensus, conflict, perspective. Theory & theory construction: elements/definition, empirical testing, evaluating theory. Measuring crime: primary data, experiments, direct observations, case studies, surveys, secondary data, ucr/nibrs, ncvs, surveys. Criminology: scientific study/body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomena, concerned with the process of making laws/breaking laws/reacting to the breaking of laws, objective: development of principles about the process of law/crime/treatment/prevention. Crime: violation/breaking of law, subject to punishment by the state or government, varies by jurisdiction, varies over time, varies by individuals. Law: written statements/regulations/rules/statutes/prohibitions about what is unacceptable behavior/the associate punishment, put in place by the state. Functions of law: maintain social order, enforce social control, punish wrongdoing, discourage revenge, deter criminal behavior, express public opinion/morality (reflects the norms of society): mala in se vs mala prohibita. Arises out of disagreement who by the most powerful. Arises out from powerful people"s behavior is criminalized.
