Crime Chapter 8 Section 2

Crime Prohibited by law Punishable by the government

Demographics of Crime Men are more likely to be arrested More than 2/3 of all people arrested are white

African-American Crime Make up 12% of the population 30% of all arrests What assumptions can you make from this data?

Age and Crime Half of all arrests involve people under the age of and younger account for 75% of all arrests

Problems with Crime Statistics Individuals less likely to report crime if it involves a family member or friend Police more likely to file charge when injured parties are of higher social class

Crime Chart Page 188

Violent Crime Murder, rape, robbery, assault Makes up small percentage of crimes African Americans are most common victims

Violent Crime Occurs every 22 seconds in the U.S. Assault every 35 seconds Rape every 5 minutes Murder every 33:54

Property Crimes Burglary, larceny, auto theft, arson More common than violent crimes Every 3 seconds in the U.S.

Victimless Crimes Prostitution, illegal gambling, drug use Considered victimless since it only harms the one committing the crime Often misleading

White Collar Crime Fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, insider trading Committed by individuals of high social status

Organized Crime Professional criminals Use legitimate business as “fronts”

Criminal Justice System

Police Hold most control over who is arrested for a criminal act Police discretion

Police Discretion Size of population, number of criminal offenses, and number of full time police officers make it necessary for the police to employ discretion

Racial Profiling Practice of assuming that nonwhite Americans are more likely to commit crime than white Americans

Courts

Do two things: Determine innocence Assign punishment

Plea Bargaining Process of negotiation that allows an accused person to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentence More than 90% of cases settled this way

Corrections

Serves 4 functions Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, and Social Protection

Recidivism Term for repeated criminal behavior 62% of released prisoners will be charged with new crimes 41% will return to prison within 3 years of release