Mens rea (Latin for Guilty Mind) awareness of wrongdoing; the intention to

commit a criminal act or behave recklessly

Example: Ms. Lambert moved to Los Angeles and was convicted of an offense
created by the city ordinance of not registering with the police as a person
previously convicted of a crime. No one can be guilty of a crime unless he or she
acted with the knowledge of doing something wrong.
Strict liability Liability for a crime or violation imposed without regard to the
actors guilt; criminal liability without mens rea.
Example: courts require no showing of criminal intent or mens rea. These crimes
can range from distributing food to running a red light.
Torts an injury or wrong committed against another, subject to compensation; an
infringement of the rights of an individual that is not founded on either contract or
criminal law prohibition.
Example: Car accident
Felonies a severe crime, subject to punishment of 1 year or more in prison or to
capital punishment
Example: Murder
Misdemeanors a crime less serious than a felony and subject to a maximum
sentence of one year in jail or a fine
Example: Prostitution
Violations minor criminal offense, usually under a city ordinance, commonly
subject to only a fine
Example: Speeding
Theory a coherent group of propositions used as principals in explaining or
accounting for known facts or phenomenon
Hypothesis a proposition set forth as an explanation for some specified
phenomenon
Data collected facts, observations, and other pertinent information in which
conclusions can be drawn
Primary data facts and observations that researchers gather by conducting their
own measurements for a study
Survey the systematic collection of information by asking questions in
questionnaires or interviews

Population a large group of persons in a study

Sample a selected subset of a population to be studied
Experiments a research technique in which an investigator introduces a change
into a process in order to make measurements or observations that evaluate the
effects if change
Random sample a sample chosen in such a way as to ensure that each person in
the population to be studied has an equal chance of being selected
Field experiment an experiment conducted in a real-world setting, as opposed
to one conducted in a laboratory
Participant observation collection of information through involvement in the
social life of the group a researcher is studying
Nonparticipant observation a study in which investigators observe closely but
do not become participants
Case study an analysis of all pertinent aspects of one unit of study
Index crimes eight major crimes included in Part 1 of the Uniform Crime Reports:
criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny
theft, auto theft and arson
Crimes against the person crimes violative of life or physical integrity
Crimes against property crimes involving the illegal acquisition or destruction
of property
Victimization surveys a survey that measures the extent of crime by
interviewing individuals about their experiences as victims
Self-report surveys a survey in which respondents answer in a confidential
interview or, most often, by completing an anonymous questionnaire
Aging-out phenomenon a concept that holds that offenders commit less crime
as they get older because they have less strength, initiative, stamina, and mobility
Criminal careers a concept that describes the onset of criminal activity, the
types and amount of crime committed, and the termination of such activity
Longitudinal studies an analysis that focuses on studies of a particular group
conducted repeatedly over a period of time
Birth cohort a group consisting of all individuals born in the same year