8.2 Crime
Introduction Effects everybody in the United States Some are victims, some are criminals, some are both Majority that are effected are bystanders Bombarded everyday by news media of crime: news, magazines, internet etc Think crime is a serious problem Crime: any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law and punishable by government Criminal or not a criminal?: bank robber and a swimmer who stands by and watches someone drown?
Crime Statistics UCR: Uniform Crime Report Published by the FBI Uses data from local police Crime Report Limitations: Not all of the complaints make it to the official reports; officers discretion Less likely to report if involving a family member Police more likely to file report on serious offenses when the injured are members of higher social classes Officer files formal complaint is influenced by attitude of the individual making the complaint Sexual crimes are more likely to go unreported
Types of Crimes Violent Crime: Murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault Occur every 22 seconds: rape- every 5 minutes, assault- 33 seconds, robbery-every 1 minute Most victims are African American Murder- victims are more likely to be African American Males 8 times more likely than women, 8 times more likely than white men Weapons: guns, knives
Types of Crimes Crime Against Property: Burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson Committed every three seconds in the United States Victimless Crimes: Prostitution, gambling, illegal drug use, and vagrancy Supposedly only harm the victim
Types of Crimes White-Collar Crime: Committed by individuals of higher social classes Politicians, employees of corporations Misrepresentations, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, price fixing, toxic pollutions, insider trading Public and press play down white-collar crime Computer-related crimes and insider trading have received more attention
Types of Crimes Organized Crime: Crime syndicate: large0scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or business through violence or the threat of violence Pursue crime as a big business Gambling, drugs, unfair labor practices, hijacking of merchandise, and loan-sharking Use legitimate business as “fronts”
Criminal Justice System Police: Hold the most immediate control over who is arrested Use police discretion: decide who is arrested and who is not Seriousness of crime Wishes of the victims Attitude of the suspect is considered Bystanders are present African American than white Americans (racial profiling)
Criminal Justice System Courts: Once arrested, shifts to the courts Twofold process: Determines guilt or innocence and assign punishment 90% are settled through plea bargaining- process of legal negotiation that allows an accused person to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentence; avoid costs and high case loads
Criminal Justice System Corrections: Imprisonment, parole, probation, and community service Serve four basic functions: Retribution: serves as an act of revenge for society and victims Deterrence: intended to discourage offenders from committing future crimes and make society think twice before committing crimes Rehabilitation: reform criminals so that they can return to society as law- abiding citizens Social Protection: limiting freedom of offenders, society prevents them from committing additional crimes Recidivism: repeated criminal behavior: very high in the United States (62%)
Criminal Justice System Juvenile-Justice System: Third largest category of offenders Until 1960s had few rights and not protected by the same legal safeguards provided for adult offenders Juvenile laws were very unspecific: remained in custody a lot longer than adult criminals Can not be expected to be as responsible as adults Juvenile now have same legal rights as adults and privileges Still regarded as a special type of offender Provide more services than adult criminals Some states have very strict and tough juvenile laws- can be tried as an adult for certain crimes like murder