Crime and Punishment

Lesson 7-5

Measurement of Crime
Crime- acts in violation of the law

How much crime is there in the U.S.?

Increased sharply between 1960 and 1990s Violent crimes are considerably higher in the U.S. than in most other industrialized countries

How are Crime Statistics Collected?

FBIs uniform crime reports Reports are submitted from departments across the nation
Reports are voluntary

Nine types of crimes are tracked Murder rate in the U.S. has declined more than 27% since 1980s

How reliable are UCR statistics?

Overrepresent the lower class Some crimes are not reported Some are subject to arrest in public places, but not private places 2/3 of all U.S. crimes are not reported White collar crime is seldom included

Other Crime Statistics

National Crime Victimization Survey
Helps to make up for unreported crime Surveys are more scientifically sound

Juvenile Crime
Crime of those under 18 3rd largest category of criminals in the U.S. Teenage criminal activity includes theft, murder, rape, Juvenile delinquent behavior is deviance that only the young can commit.
Failing to attend school Underage drinking and smoking

Juvenile Crime
The trend in juvenile crime is that it is decreasing Why has it decreased?

Approaches to Crime Control

Criminal justice system- comprised of institutions and processes responsible for enforcing criminal statues Draws on 4 approaches Deterrence Retribution Incarceration rehabilitation

Does Punishment Discourage Crime?

Deterrence- discouraging criminal acts by threatening punishment Works if two things are present
They know they are likely to get caught They know the punishment will be severe

Does Punishment Discourage Crime?

Capital punishment is a special case 4,000 people have been executed in the United States If it were a deterrent, you should see a decline in the murder rate

American Attitudes and Death Penalty

of Americans believe that the death penalty is a deterrent Feelings of revenge and a desire for retribution tend to fuel the support for the death penalty,

American Attitudes and Death Penalty

Attitudes about the death penalty vary according ro race and ethnicity.

Retribution
Retribution- a type of punishment intended to make criminals pay compensation for their acts. An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is an approach to change or reform a criminal through socialization Recidivism- Repetition or return to criminal behavior.

Recidivism
Recidivism occurs due to
Basic nature of offenders Influences from hardened criminals Stigma of being an ex-convict

Alternatives to Prisons
Combination of Prison and Probation Community based programs Designed to reintroduce criminals into society Diversion strategy- aimed at preventing or greatly reducing the offenders involvement in the criminal justice system

Identity Theft
New crime Steals a persons credit information and commits fraud with it.

Incarceration
Incarceration- a method of protecting society from criminals by keeping them in prisons.