1. Crime and Punishment

2. Crime – acts committed in violation of the law A.Over 2800 acts classified as federal crimes B.Violent crimes are higher in the U.S. than most industrialized countries C.United States locks up more of its own citizens at a higher rate than any other country  Amnesty International lists the U.S. with countries that violate basic human rights because it uses the death penalty

3. Criminal Justice System system comprising institutions and processes responsible for enforcing criminal statutes  A. Includes police, courts, and correctional institutes  B. 4 approaches to control and punish lawbreakers  1. Deterrence  2. Retribution  3. Incarceration  4. Rehabilitation

4. A.Deterrence  A.discouraging criminal acts by threatening punishment  1. The threat of punishment does deter if two things exist  a. They are likely to get caught  b. Punishment is severe  c. Does capital punishment work  -Most death penalty crime are crimes of passion and are irrational  -Murder rate stays the same regardless of use of the death penalty  -3/4 of Americans believe it is a deterrent

5. Retribution A.punishment intended to make people pay compensation for their acts  1.Stems from the idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth  2. Officials can exact retribution, however, individuals may not

6. Incarceration  A. A method of protecting society from criminals by keeping them in prison  1.This stance has gained favor in the U.S. (Three Strikes laws_  2.From 1990 to 2000, prisoners in U.S. increased by 700,000

7. Rehabilitation – process of changing or reforming criminal through socialization  1.30 to 60% of people released from penal institutes return within 2 to 5 years  2.Recidivism – a repetition of or return to criminal behavior  3.Why does this occur  a. Basic nature of the offender  b. Influences of more hardened criminals  c. Stigma of being ex-convict  d. The inmate code stress loyalty among inmates and opposition to correction authorities

8. Alternatives to Prison  1.A combination of prison and probation  2.Community based program  -Re-introduce criminals into society  -Gets convicts for at least part of the day  -Allows inmates to participate in society  -Breaks inmate code

9. Alternatives to Prison  1. Diversion strategy  a.Referral to community based program instead of formal system  b.Offenders will not acquire stigmatizing label  2. Effectiveness of alternative programs  a.Most have not been evaluated long enough to prove effectiveness  b.Only applies to rehabilitation approach  c.Americans have taken a harsher view towards criminal so support may be eroding