Crime

Types of Crime Part I Offenses –Violent –Property (e.g. car theft)car theft Part II Crimes –Everything else –E.g. public drunkeness

What the UCR does not Measure Unreported Crimes Poor Reporting/discretion The Number rather than the rate

Crime and Law Crime: behavior that violates the criminal law and is punishable by a fine, jail term, or other negative sanctions 2 categories of criminal law: Misdemeanors: minor crime, punishment is fine or <1 year in jail (ex: public drunkenness) Felonies: serious crimes, punishment is >1 year in jail or even death. (ex: murder, rape)

The Crime Rate Between 1970 and 1980, the crime rate rose by 40% It has declined by 36% since 1991 Despite this, crime is still higher than in previous decades Crime at St. Edward’s UniversitySt. Edward’s University

Four Measures of Crime

Property Crime

Juvenile Crime Difficult to Deter Children Young People commit 20% of all crimes We try to give them a clean slate

Crime By Region

Who Commits Crimes (Individual Level Theories) Internal Factors cause people to Commit Crimes Biology Psychological Theories Solution is to Lock up people with these traits

Sociological Theories of Crime Criminal Activity derives from social and economic conditions of society (functionalism) Otherwise normal people are changed by the conditions in which they live Solution is macro-societal change

Crime And Deterrence For Deterrence to work, threats must be made credible –The GodfatherGodfather –Certain –Swift –Severe If Benefits from Crime outweigh the costs, we have crime

The Police and Deterrence Community Policing Broken Window Theory

Guns and Gun Laws A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. 30,000 gun deaths per year

Federal Gun Laws Bans on interstate commerce involving guns The Brady Law The Impact of Gun Laws

The Courts and Guns U.S. vs Miller (1939) DC vs Heller (2008)

Who are our criminals Men- the biggest predictor of whether someone commits a crime Age Economics

Who commits Crime Race Location Most WantedWanted

Who are the Victims Race Plays a role Gender Plays a role

Race and Victimization

Hate Crimes Must show that crime is bias motivated. There has to be an actual crime committed Hurt Feelings are not protected under Hate Crime legislation

CRIME AND THE COURTS The Judicial Process

The Bill of Rights Provides Basic Criminal Protections ½ of all felonies are dismissed Unreasonable search and seizures Self Incrimination Exclusionary Rule

So you have been arrested step 1 Read your rights Booked

Arrested Part 2 Taken before a judge before trial –Bail –Who is denied Bail? –Recognizance

Arraignment The charges are read against you Plea of guilty or not guilty

Plea bargaining 90% of cases are plea bargained Cuts down on costs and system overload Critics argue that it disadvantages the poor

Sentencing Duty of the judge to decide who gets what States differ in maximum and minimums This has lead to an increase in incarceration

Where you go Jails- run by county or city Prisons- usually run by state for sentences of 1 year or more Federal PrisonsFederal

Incarceration Rates 750 Americans per 100,000 1 in 30 between 20 and 34 1 in 5 black males 1 in 36 Hispanic Males 1 in 99 adults were in prison or jails

The Growth in the Prison Population It has increased by 4x since 1975 Why the Increase?

Prison Overcrowding Locking people up leads to crowded Prisons Why is this a problem?

Probation and Prison

Race and Ethnicity

Goals of corrections Incapacitation Restitution

Goals of Corrections Part 2 Deterrence Rehabilitation

Costs of Corrections How much do we spend –6.8% of state budgets –$49 Billion nationwide –3.3. Billion in Texas Why so Costly?

Costs

The Problem of Recidivism The Repeat of an Offense 2/3-3/4 are RecidivistsRecidivists –Parole, Probation and Rehabilitation do not seem to work.

The Growth of the Prison Population

Drug Arrests

What can We do? Broad Social Reform More Money for Rehabilitation These are unlikely

Legalizing/Decriminalizing Victimless Crimes Minor Drug offenses It sends a message that society tolerates and supports such activities

Alternatives to prisons Current system is very expensive More unconditional releases More House arrests

Make people less of a target Better home/personal security More cameras Decrease environmental opportunities.

Links to More Info Pew Center on the StatesStates University of MichiganMichigan