Criminal Acts

Chapters 1 and 2

Part I

The following are some key terms from Chapters 1 and 2.Remember that there are many more in those two chapters that could appear on an exam.

Define the following:

1. Penology- the study of the use of punishment for criminal acts.

2. Hedonistic calculus- the idea that the main objective of an intelligent person is to achieve the most pleasure and the least pain and the individuals are constantly calculating the pluses and minuses of their potential actions.

3. Specific deterrence- the effect of punishment on an individual offender that prevents that person from committing future crimes.

4. General deterrence-the recognition that criminals acts result in punishment, and the effect of that recognition on society that prevents future crimes.

5. recidivism-the state of relapse that occurs when offenders complete their criminal punishment and then continue to commit crimes

6. test of proportionality- the result of the 1983 case of Solem v. Helm; a test used to guide sentencing based on the gravity of the offense and consistency of the severity of punishment.

7. Irish system- four stage system of graduated release from prison and return to the community; the stage were solitary confinement, special prison, open intuitions, and tickets to leave.

8. Hands-off doctrine-avoidance by the U.S. Supreme Court of judicial intervention in the operations of prisons and the judgment of correctional administers.

9. Walnut Street jail- the first penitentiary in the United States.

10. Preventive detention- detaining an accused person in jail to protect the community from crimes they are likely to commit if set free from pending trial.

11. Release on recognizance- release from jail based only on the defendant's promise to appear for further court procedures.

12. Felony- crime that is punishable by a year or more incarceration.

13. Misdemeanor- crimes that are punishable by less than a year of incarceration.

14. Indeterminate sentences- sentences that have minimum and maximum time to serve; a decision by a release authority determines the actual time served within that range.

15. Determinate sentences-sentences of fixed terms.

16. Intermediate sanctions- midrange dispositions that fall between probation and imprisonment.

17. Concurrent sentence- sentences that run at the same time.

18. Consecutive sentence- sentences that run on after the other one.

19. Presentence investigation- a report used during the sentencing process that details the background of a convicted offender, to include criminal, social, education, employment, mental and physical health, and other significant factors.

20. drug courts- an alternative traditional court model to deal with the underlying drug problems of the offenders' criminality

Part II

Who were Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham? Be sure to include what they