Crime & An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

Crime Defined Why do we have a criminal justice system? Crime defined: A wrong committed against society which has been proclaimed by law and when the action is committed in certain circumstances, it is punishable by society as a whole. CONSENSUS & CONFLICT MODELS

Consensus & Conflict Models Consensus Model Majority agreement People gather as a group, form a society together Agree to what is right and wrong Conflict Model Larger societies Diverse segments of society, different value systems/norms Constant struggle between separated segments

The Purpose of the System Three main goals Control crime, prevent crime, provide/maintain justice How does the system control crime? Arrest, prosecute, punish How does the system try to prevent crime? Harsh punishment prevents others from committing a similar crime How does the system provide and maintain justice? Fairness All people are equal before the law

The System Structure Federalism- division of government: Federal, State, & Local Local level Crime is a local problem Law enforcement: Local, State, Federal – all have their own structures The Courts: dual court system, Federal/State courts Federal: District, Circuit, Appellate, & Supreme Courts State: Trial, Intermediate Appellate, & Supreme Courts Corrections: State prisons, local jails, Federal prisons Probation, strict sentences, incarceration, community corrections, parole

TV v. Reality Informal v. Formal Process of Justice (Herbert Packer) Formal – THE IDEAL Informal – THE REALITY Why? Discretion Discretion: 3 main reasons it is used Resources not available to focus on every case Remove pressures, time constraints Cut down large caseloads

Due Process v. Crime Control The battle between the two models. Crime Control Punish and stop criminal conduct – most important function Conservative, tough on crime Due Process Protect rights of accused through legal constraints on police, courts and corrections Liberal, open minded Fairness should be the ultimate goal

Types of Crimes Crimes separated based on seriousness – 6 groups Violent – crimes against persons Murder, sexual assault, robbery, etc. Property – most common form Goal is economic gain Shoplifting, theft w/out force Public Order Crime Public values and morals – public intoxication, gambling, victimless White Collar Crime Business world – economic/personal/business advantage (ex: embezzlement) Organized Crime Use of legal business facilities/employees to commit illegal acts High Tech Crime Latest type to emerge – cyber crimes, getting worse

Student Assessment Review the following slides of current Criminal Justice Statistics in the United States. Write your interpretation of the status of crime and punishment in the United States. Write your interpretation of the status of crime and punishment in Florida: refer to the following web site http://www.sentencingproject.org/the-facts/#map

Florida Statistics http://www.sentencingproject.org/the-facts/#map

Sources https://www.census.gov/govs/cj/ https://www.justice.gov/agencies/chart https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=3 http://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/