Crime as Social Problem
Autor: thaldeman32 • February 5, 2017 • Study Guide • 903 Words (4 Pages) • 1,491 Views
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- Crime as a Social Problem
- Crime in America costs $1.7 billion annually ($5,100 per person)
- Crime is seen as one of the biggest problems in America today
- Two Reasons crime is a huge social problem: “Mass Media,” and “Fear”
- Crime: An action that violates a law, and therefore is punishable by law
- It is very tough to come up with an actual definition of crime
- For something to be a crime, it must be forbidden by law, and must be intentional
- Criminal Law: In place to protect members of the public from any wrongdoing
- Mala In Se: acts that are evil in themselves
- Mala Prohibita: acts that are merely prohibited
- Felony: Punishable by death, time in prison for > 1 year
- Misdemeanor: Punishable by fine, probation, or time in a local jail for < 1 year
- Strict Liability: Intent is not a requirement of guilt
- This is because the crime is often times so severe, intent doesn’t really matter at this point
- “Mens Rea”: guilty mind
- Law varies greatly from one culture to another… it is not universal across all borders
- Criminalization: Applying criminal law to social behavior
- Conduct Norms: Everyone has a choice in how they conduct themselves
- Most of the time, the way someone acts is a result of their environment & upbringing
- Measurement of Crime
- Official Source of Data: Collected by government & government agencies
- Unofficial Data: Collected by private or independent agencies
- Official Sources of Data
- Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
- Reports filed from law enforcement… cover 98% of the total population
- 4 Violent Crimes reported: Murder, Aggravated Assault, Rape, Robbery
- 4 Property Crimes reported: Burglary, Larceny, Motor Vehicle Theft, Arson
- Doesn’t provide much about other crimes, nor does it give much information regarding child crime
- Criticisms of UCR: A lot of crimes go unreported, It only reports the most serious crime in a series of crimes, police participation is voluntary
- Conditions for a Crime to get filed: Police are more likely to report a Felony than a Misdemeanor, Police will only take action if the client wants them to, Crimes are reported moreso when the victim and defendant are closely related, and Police may be reluctant to report crimes of high ranking people in the society
- National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
- Self-Victimization surveys that are given to households with a random sample across the country
- Hopes to get stories from victims who didn’t report in the past
- Reveals 2x more crime than the UCR does… Mainly because it accounts for more of the “Dark Crime” that the UCR doesn’t account for
- Problems with the NCVS include underreporting in the surveys, response bias, and sample bias
- Unofficial Data
- Self-Report Data
- Answers to anonymous questionnaires or personal interviews
- National Youth Survey (NYS) is included in Self-Report data… tries to gauge kid’s involvement with crime, however often times the most problematic kids skip school, and therefore don’t participate in the survey
- Life-Course Data
- Tracks patterns and trends of crime over someone’s life
- Tends to show that crime declines with age
- Life-History Data
- Gather information and stories of individuals
- Try to understand why certain crimes were committed
- Observation Research
- Go undercover to gain insights on someone that may be alerted if you weren’t undercover
- Property Crime: Unlawful damage or taking of someone’s property
- Robbery: Taking or attempting to take something from someone with the use of violence, or the threat of violence
- Most often occurs between strangers, and involves direct confrontation
- CAN be considered a property crime, because the violence was only used as a means to an end to acquire the property
- Strong-Armed Robbery: Robbery where no lethal weapon is used… believe it or not, these types of robberies are much more dangerous
- Armed Robbery: Robbery where the robber has a weapon… this type of robbery is much more effective, however it is rare if someone actually gets injured
- Burglary: Unlawful entry into a house or structure with the intent to commit a felony
- Very rarely involves a face-to-face conflict
- Residential & Commercial Burglary
- The main motive for burglary is $$$
- Larceny: Stealing of something without the use of force
- Shoplifting: Stealing from a store ($31b each year in stolen goods)… “Boosters” steal to sell to others, and “Snitches” steal for their own personal good.
- Motor Vehicle Theft: Taking, or the attempt to take a car… this happens due to the high value of cars
- Check Fraud: Deceiving someone for personal economic gain
Fencing: Buying, selling, or dealing in a stolen goods market... always be cautious if a certain item is being sold at a steep discount - Arson: the willful burning of a structure… people commit arson to conceal crime, to gain profit, or for revenge
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