Is the death penalty a fair sentence? Starter Question Is the death penalty a fair sentence? Who should receive the death penalty? What purpose does the death penalty serve?

CRIME

UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) Statistics Nine types of crimes Murder Rape Robbery Aggravated assault Burglary Larceny-theft Motor vehicle theft Arson Hate crimes

One CRIME INDEX OFFENSE Every 3 seconds One VIOLENT CRIME Every 22 seconds One PROPERTY CRIME One MURDER Every 34 min. One FORCIBLE RAPE Every 6 min. One ROBBERY Every 60 sec. One AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Every 34 sec. One BURGLARY Every 15 sec. One LARCENY-THEFT Every 5 sec. One MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT Every 27 sec.

Crimes in the U.S. 1990-1999 Type of Crime Number of Crimes Crime Rate per 100,000 residents Percent Change in Crime Rate Percent Change in the Number of Crimes Violent Crime 1,430,690 524.7 -28.3 -21.4 Murder 15,530 5.7 -39.4 -33.7 Forcible Rape 89,110 32.7 -20.6 -13.1 Robbery 409,670 150.2 -41.6 -35.9 Aggravated Assault 916,380 336.1 -20.7 Property Crime 10,284,500 3,742.1 -26.5 -19.4 Burglary 2,099,700 770.0 -37.7 -31.7 Larceny-Theft 6,957,400 2,551.4 -20.1 -12.4 Motor Vehicle Theft 1,147,300 420.7 -36.0 -29.9

A deeper look…. Because murder rate receives the most publicity, it can be used to highlight the general, across the board reduction in crime One major reason for the downward crime trend is a recent reduction in juvenile crime

Reliability of UCR Statistics Provide considerable information Major strength: experienced police officers can decide if the incident should be reported as a crime Limitations Tends to over represent the lower classes and undercount the middle and upper classes Some crimes (amateur thefts, minor assaults) are not as likely to be reported as murder and auto theft About 2/3 of crimes are not reported at all White collar offenders are seldom included

Juvenile Crime Legal violations among those under 18 years of age Includes deviance only the young can commit Failing to attend school, underage drinking and smoking

Trends in Juvenile Crime Juvenile Crime on a downward decline….. Arrest rate dropped by 68% Arrests for weapons violations dropped 33% Rape arrest rate dropped 31% Reasons: Decline in the demand for drugs Remaining crack gangs that provided guns have reached truces Repeat juvenile offenders have been given stiffer sentences Police are cracking down on illegal guns in the street

Approaches to Crime Control Criminal Justice System- system comprising institutions and processes responsible for enforcing criminal statuses Includes police, courts, and the correctional system 4 Different approaches Deterrence Retribution Incarceration Rehabilitation

1) Deterrence Discouraging criminal acts by threatening punishment Punishing convicted criminals will serve as an example to keep other people from committing crimes Considerable debate over its effectiveness Can work if potential lawbreakers know: 1) they are likely to get caught 2) punishment will be severe In the U.S., punishment is not usually certain or severe, so deterrence does not have the effect that it could have Special Case: Death penalty Murder is extremely emotional and irrational, so capital punishment is not a deterrent

Do Americans believe that capital punishment deters criminals? 75% believe the death penalty can act as a deterrent to murder Of those who favor the death penalty, over 75% indicate they would continue to favor it even if confronted with evidence that it did not act as a deterrent and therefore did not lower the murder rate Revenge and a desire for retribution seem to contribute more to the support of capital punishment 2001: 66% of Americans support the death penalty (Gallup Poll)

Why does the attitude toward the death penalty vary? Race and ethnicity Over ¾ of whites 40% of African Americans 52% of Latinos Due in part to the fact that they are more likely to receive the death penalty African Americans comprise 13% of the population but make up 43% of death row inmates Racial minorities make up half of all inmates in U.S. prisons.

2) Retribution Punishment intended to make criminals pay compensation for their acts “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” Designated officials exact retribution Does not take personal vengeance into account, where people “take the law into their own hands”. The mother who shoots her son’s killer must also answer to society for her action

3) Incarceration A method of protecting society from criminals by keeping them in prisons U.S. has taken a tougher stance with the three strikes law- prison population greatly increased since 1990 Prison camps in other countries

4) Rehabilitation Process of changing or reforming a criminal through socialization Most prisons have programs aimed at giving prisoners both social and work skills 30-60% of those released from penal institutions are sent back to prison in 2- 5 years Recidivism- a repetition of or return of criminal behavior Reasons: Basic nature of the offenders Influences of more hardened criminals The stigma of being an ex-convict

Current Research in Sociology Death Penalty: The Ultimate Sanction This sanction has been used since ancient times to punish murderers and other criminals. Its morality is debated today. Many nations have banned the death penalty, though the United States still allows it. Opposition to the death penalty arose during the Enlightenment, which resulted in limiting its use. Venezuela became the first country to ban the practice. By 2007, two-thirds of nations had banned the practice. Critics claim the practice is immoral and ineffective, and cannot be administered fairly. Support for the death penalty remains strong. –