Accountable
held responsible for the impact of one’s actions
Closure
a feeling of completion that helps a person to move on from a situation
Community policing
an approach to law enforcement that focuses on officers getting to know the local community and partnering with local organizations
Crime awareness
being knowledgeable about crime and conscious of its presence in our society
Crime prevention
the actions we can take to reduce criminal activity
Critical criminology
a theoretic way of looking at crime that focuses on how concepts of crime and criminal justice come from people in power
Deterrence
preventing crime through assigning negative consequences to that crime
Deterrent
anything that discourages a person from taking a criminal action
Disintegrative shaming
punishments that emphasize disapproval of the person rather
than just the criminal behavior
Emotionally intelligent
able to manage one’s emotions and respond appropriately to
the emotions of others
Environmental design
the way a structure is created, inside and out
Evidence-based program
programs that are shown to be effective through research
Family group conference
a group meeting in which a facilitator, victim, offender, and
family members participate
just deserts
a punishment or reward given to a person based on a belief about what
that person deserves
Left realism
the view that crime is primarily caused by the way society is structured
and criminology should focus on practical improvements to society
Mandatory minimums
laws that determine the lowest allowable sentence for certain
offenses
National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C)
a nonprofit organization that provides resources and training to law enforcement and other related agencies
Nonpunitive
not focused on punishment
Oppression
long-lasting and often systemic treatment of a person or group
Peacemaking criminology
a theoretic way of looking at crime that focuses on the inherent value of each human being
Personal safety
action taken by an individual to protect him or herself from harm
Punitive
involving punishment
Recidivism
the tendency for a convicted person to commit additional crimes
Reconciliation
progress in a relationship in which one of the parties has been harmed in the past
Rehabilitation
efforts to return the individual back into society while reducing the likelihood of future criminal behavior
Reintegrative shaming
punishments that emphasize society’s disapproval for the criminal behavior rather disapproval of the actual person
Restorative justice
a process used to address the harm committed by a crime through interactions between victim and offender
Self-defense
defending oneself through physical means
Sentencing circle
a community-based approach to reaching an agreement about what sentence an offender should serve
Shaming
involves acts of disapproval towards another person
Social justice
the balancing of the needs of individuals in society so that people do not live under oppression
Three strikes law
laws that increase penalties after two or more serious offenses
Tough on crime
a punitive approach to crime focused on harsher penalties
Victim-Offender Reconciliation Programs (VORP)
programs in which a victim and offender meet at the same time with a mediator
Zero tolerance policy
a punishment in school systems that is given for certain offenses regardless of the situation surrounding the event