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Criminal justice
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Geography
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Language & Perception
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3.2 Terminology » Glossary
- clearance rate the frequency at which the police are able to solve cases
- cognitive load the amount of information held in working memory, which inversely impacts the efficiency or accuracy of cognitive processes, i.e. higher cognitive load > decreased cognitive efficiency
- confirmation bias the tendency to believe or incorporate new information that aligns with or supports one's existing beliefs and to disregard new information that counters existing beleifs
- criminal justice the delivery of appropriate punishment against entities that have committed crimes according to the law of the place
- first-mover disadvantage negative effects of being the first to do something; in the case of witness cooperation, there is a first-mover disadvantage in that the witness may be subjected to disbelief and/or retaliation and/or a failed prosecution unless additional corroborating witnesses come forward
- impunity exemption from punishment
- incentives things that encourage a particular action or belief, or benefits derived from taking such action
- preemptive motive (preemption) taking an action in order to prevent an unfavorable action from occuring; especially in the context of policing, preemption is used as a justification of an officer's use of lethal force against a potential assailant
- prejudice negative stereotypes that result in faulty and harmful beliefs about a category of people; may lead to outward discriminatory actions against members of that category
- racial profiling the practice of using race as a predictor of some quality or behavior
- rational behavior actions that maximize gain for the individual, taking into account known facts; purely objective decision-making
- stereotype beliefs individuals hold about categories that are extended to all members of that category; generally applied to groups of people
- stigma the negative associations of particular categories of people due to prejudice and discrimination
- threat perception the estimation of danger in a particular situation; when the potential threat is another person, stereotypes and prejudices inform the perception of danger
- witness cooperation the willingness of a witness to a crime to present themselves to the police and to testify on record against an alleged perpetrator
- victim compliance the likelihood of the victim of a crime to submit to the crime and/or report the crime to police
- victim selection the process by which the potential perpetrator of a crime estimates the wins and losses of potential victim(s) to maximize wins and minimize losses; generally, stereotypes and prejudices about the victim(s) inform the estimation of wins and losses