The Nature and Extent of Crime Chapter 2 The Nature and Extent of Crime

Thinking Point In 2011 Casey Anthony was tried and found not guilty for the murder of her daughter Caylee. Find several newspaper articles that address this case. How was the crime covered by the media? How was the crime defined? What was the general consensus by the public in terms of guilt or innocence? AP Photo/Joe Burbank, Pool

How Crime is Defined Consensus View Conflict View The criminal law is a set of rules, codified by state authorities, that expresses the norms, goals, and values of the vast majority of society Conflict View The law is the instrument that enables the wealthy to maintain their position of power and control the behavior of those who oppose their ideas and values or who might rebel against the unequal distribution of wealth Learning Objective One

How Crime is Defined Interactionist View Criminal law is structured to reflect the preferences and opinions of people who hold social power in a particular legal jurisdiction According to the interactionist view of crime, acts are illegal because they are defined that way by law. A billboard erected on top of a liquor store in Denver promotes legalizing marijuana. The issue: should the state legalize marijuana for recreational use, regulating it like alcohol products? Why is smoking pot illegal and the consumption of alcohol legal? Are they really so different? Is it merely a matter of definition and labeling?

How Crime is Defined Though consensus, conflict, and interactionist views of crime differ, they generally agree that: Criminal law defines crime The definition of crime is constantly changing and evolving Social forces mold the definition of crimes Criminal law has a social control function Learning Objective One

How Crime is Defined

What are the Different Categories of Crime? Violent Crime Gang violence Multiple murder Mass murders Spree killers Serial killers Intimate violence Hate crimes Learning Objective Two

Thinking Point In December 2012, 26 people were killed at an elementary school in Newtown, CT, yet again shocking people of this quiet community. Read several newspaper articles about this incident. How does this incident compare with your understanding of other school shootings? How is it different? Who should be responsible for the safety of students and teachers at school?

What are the Different Categories of Crime? Public Order Crimes Prostitution Substance abuse Economic Crimes Amateur and professional thieves White collar crime Organized crime Learning Objective Two - Alcohol, legal and easily obtained, is related to half of all U.S. murders, suicides, and accidental deaths. Alcohol-related deaths number 100,000 a year - far more than deaths related to all illegal drugs combined. Should pot be legalized and alcohol banned? Before you answer, remember they tried to do that once before.

Sources of Crime Data The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Compiled by the FBI, this national survey compiles criminal acts reported to local police The acts are called Part I crimes: Murder Rape Burglary Robbery Assault Larceny-theft Motor vehicle theft Learning Objective Three & Five - Organized crime is now a transnational phenomenon. Here, British and U.S. agents watch the search of a car that was seized with marijuana at the Paso del Norte Bridge, in El Paso, Texas. Three undercover agents from the U.K. Serious Organised Crime Agency visited the Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations Office in El Paso to learn about techniques for fighting drug cartels.

Percentage of Crimes Cleared by Arrest Figure 2.1 Percentage of Crimes Cleared by Arrest

Sources of Crime Data National Incident-Based Reporting System Program that collects data on each reported crime incident Requires local police agencies to provide at least a brief account of each incident and arrest, including the incident, victim, and offender information There are expanded crime categories, such as blackmail, embezzlement, drug offenses, and bribery

Sources of Crime Data National Crime Victimization Survey Asks people about their experiences with crime Self-Report Surveys Asks offenders themselves to report about their criminal behaviors

Victimization Figure 2.2 Total Violent and Serious Violent Victimizations

Victimization Figure 2.3 Property Crime Victimizations

Monitoring the Future Survey of Criminal Activity of High School Seniors

Crime Trends Trends in Violent Crime and Property Crime Trends in Victimization Trends in Self-Reporting Learning Objectives Six & Seven - Camden, New Jersey, police officer Bill Reed confronts a suspected drug dealer loitering in a convenience store. “You here to buy something?” asked Officer Reed. He said that he recognized the teenager from South Camden and that his red clothing indicated he was affiliated with the Bloods, a gang. Some areas of the city have high crime profiles, prompting local police to take a more proactive approach to crime prevention.

Crime Patterns The Ecology of Crime Day, season, and climate Regional differences Social Class, Socioeconomic Conditions, and Crime Explaining the class-crime relationship Instrumental crimes Inner city, high poverty areas Learning Objective Nine

Crime Patterns Age and Crime Gender and Crime Young people commit more crime Gender and Crime Men commit more crime Explaining Gender Differences in the Crime Rate Physical strength, hormonal influences Socialization and development Cognitive differences Feminist views Learning Objective Nine - Robyn Ramsey, 25, is arrested after a police chase in Lancaster, California. Ramsey, detained in a car theft case, stole a sheriff’s sport utility vehicle and led deputies on a two-hour pursuit through the Antelope Valley before being captured. Bonnie Ramsey, Robyn’s mother, said her daughter had been addicted to methamphetamine but was trying to recover. Some experts say hormonal differences explain the gender gap in the crime rate, but when either males or females take drugs, their decision-making skills are impaired, and more crime ensues.

Crime Patterns Race and Crime Minority group members involved in a disproportionate share of crime True differences? Bias? System bias Cultural bias Structural bias Is convergence possible? Learning Objective Nine - President Barack Obama serves lunch to the homeless and disadvantaged at So Others Might Eat, a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 18, 2010. There is a link between social structure and crime, so efforts to reduce the effects of poverty may result in a reduced crime rate.

Crime Patterns Chronic Offending and Crime What causes chronicity? Policy implications Three-strikes Truth-in-sentencing Learning Objective Nine - Career criminals are responsible for a significant portion of the total crime rate. Here, George Hyatte appears in a courtroom for an extradition hearing in Columbus, Ohio. George and his wife, Jennifer Hyatte, were arrested at the America’s Best Value Inn in Columbus after a cab driver tipped off authorities that he had driven them there. Hyatte, a career-criminal inmate who was serving a 41-year sentence for robbery and related charges, killed a guard in the course of a daring escape attempt - a crime that brought him a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.