Focus Question

Explain the difference between Burglary and Robbery.

Burglary refers to the unlawful entry of a structure with the intent of committing a theft

Robbery is the act of taking property from a person with the use of force or threat and with the intent of keeping that property.

Learning Objective 1 Identify the six different main

categories of crime

Types of Crime

Violent Crime: Crimes against

persons Four categories

① Murder

② Sexual assault/rape

③ Assault/battery

④ Robbery

Property Crime: Crimes of economic

gain or property damage Four categories

① Burglary

② Larceny/theft

③ Motor vehicle theft

④ Arson

Types of Crime

Public Order Crime: Behaviors considered

contrary to public values and morals

Sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as “victim-less” crimes

White Collar Crime: Illegal acts committed

by an individual or business entity

Difficult to measure

Types of Crime

High-Tech Crime Crimes directly related

to the increased use of computers and technology by society

Organized Crime Illegal crimes by illegal

organizations, geared towards satisfying the public’s need for illegal goods and services

Fla. Statute 784.046Action by victim of repeat violence, sexual violence, or

dating violence for protective injunction; dating violence investigations, notice to victims, and reporting; pretrial release violations; public records exemption.—(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Violence” means any assault, aggravated assault,

battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, or false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death, by a person against any other person.) “Sexual violence” means any one incident of:1. Sexual battery, as defined in chapter 794;2. A lewd or lascivious act, as defined in chapter 800,

committed upon or in the presence of a person younger than 16 years of age;3. Luring or enticing a child, as described in chapter

787;4. Sexual performance by a child, as described in

chapter 827; or5. Any other forcible felony wherein a sexual act is

committed or attempted,

regardless of whether criminal charges based on the incident

Learning Objective 2 Distinguish between Part I and Part

II offenses as defined in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

The Uniform Crime Report One major data source for criminologists

17,500 policing agencies participate - send annual data on Arrests Crimes reported Officers and support specialists

The data is the reported as a Rate per 100,000 persons Percent change from previous years

Divides criminal offenses into two categories Part I Index Offenses Part II Index Offenses

Part I Offenses Crimes considered to be the most serious

Information collected on “known” offenses:

Part II Offenses All other crimes recorded by the FBI

Measured only by “arrest” data:

Learning Objective 3 Distinguish between the National

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and self-reported surveys

Victim Surveys Second major data source for criminologists

Annual survey of households that collects

information about victimization experiences Advantages over UCR data:

Measures reported and unreported crime

Unaffected by police bias and distortions in

reporting crime to the FBI

Does not rely on victims reporting crime to

police

Self-Reported Surveys Third major data source for criminologists

Participants report their criminal behaviors Research suggests they are forthcoming and

honest

Compared to UCR and NCVS, self-report data offers

the best measure for the dark figure of crime

Crime Trends in the United States Crime in the 1990s and 2000s

Dropped steadily throughout mid 1990s Leveled off for a few years Has begun to decrease again

Not all societal groups benefited equally from this positive crime trend Race Class Ethnicity Gender

Bill Quigley, the Legal Director for the Center for Constitutional Rights, recently made the argument that “the biggest crime in the CJS is that it is a race-based institution…” He cites thirteen examples to support his opinion, including; (1) the police stop and frisk blacks and Latinos at a much higher rate than whites; (2) blacks are arrested for drug offenses at rates 2 to 11 times higher than for whites; (3) once arrests, blacks are more likely than whites to remain in jail pending trials; (4) blacks are frequently excluded from criminal jury service (especially on death penalty cases); (5) black men are 5 times and Latino men are 3 times as likely as white men to go to jail. Are Quigley’s examples illustrative of racism in the CJS? What other factors might account for these statistics? Assuming these examples are illustrative of racism, what are

the implications for the CJS? Is it that these are mistakes of an otherwise “good” system, or is it that the system is working exactly how it should – as a system to marginalize and control minorities?

Learning Objective 4 Discuss the prevailing explanation

for the rising number of women incarcerated in the United States

Women and Crime Over the past few decades, the rate of arrests for

women increased more rapidly compared to men Explanations:

The life circumstances and behavior of women dramatically changed in the past 40 years

The criminal justice system’s attitude toward women has changed over the past 40 years

Learning Objective 5 Discuss the difference between a

hypothesis and a theory in the context of criminology

The Role of Theory Criminology:

The scientific study of crime and the causes of criminal behavior

Hypothesis: A possible explanation for an observed occurrence

that can be tested by further investigation

Theory: An explanation of a happening or circumstance that

is based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning

Types of Theories

Choice Theories Behavior is the result of

free will Criminals find crime

more attractive than law abiding behavior

Threat of punishment is the only deterrent to crime

Trait Theories Behavior is the result

of biological, social, and psychological forces

Criminals are driven to crime by external factors

Rehabilitation is the only deterrent to crime

Sociological Theories Social Disorganization Theory:

Crime is more likely in communities where social institutions fail to exert control over the population

Strain Theory: Crime is the result of frustration felt by those who

can’t reach their goals through legitimate means

Conflict Theory: Crime is the result of the unequal structure of

society and the resulting class conflict

Social Process Theories The “Abandoned Car Experiment”

Potential for criminal behavior exists in everyone

Considers criminal behavior to be the predictable result of a person’s interaction with his or her environment

Learning Objective 6 List and briefly explain two

important branches of social process theory

Social Process Theories

Learning Theory Criminals must be

taught both the practical and emotional skills necessary to participate in illegal activity

Positive/negative reinforcement from family, peers, and media

Control Theory All individuals have

potential for criminality, but are restrained because it would damage their bonds to society

Attachment to, commitment to, involvement with and belief in societal values

Learning Objective 7 Explain the theory of the chronic

offender and its importance for the criminal justice system

Criminology and the Chronic Offender Individual who commits multiple offenses

Responsible for a disproportionately large percentage of all crimes

The notion of a “chronic 6%”

Have strategies and laws to identify and convict chronic offenders Goal is to reduce overall crime rates

One of the most controversial laws passed geared toward chronic offenders is the “three-strikes law,” which mandates life in prison for offenders convicted of their third felony. Critics point to high profile cases (such as the man sentenced to life for stealing a slice of pizza) to illustrate the flaws in the application of the law. A group of Stanford University Professors garnered enough signatures to have a measure on the November 2012 ballot in California to scale back the law’s scope. In particular, the “third-strike” must be a violent crime and those already convicted under the current law for a minor crime can seek re-sentencing If endorsed by the voters, what are the benefits and

consequences of modifying the three-strikes law in California?

Should citizens have a role in changing laws? What are some of the implications of this role?

Learning Objective 8 Discuss the connection between

learning theory and the start of an individual’s drug use

The Criminology of Drug Use Why do first-time drug users become habitual

users? They learn:

The techniques of drug use

To perceive the pleasurable effects of drug use

To enjoy the social experience of drug use

Pop culture and media have been heavily criticized for glamorizing various forms of drug use

Criminology and the CJS Debate continues as to whether or not

criminology has done enough for the criminal justice system

Research must be accessible to practitioners and policymakers

Even when research findings are accessible to policymakers, they are sometimes ignored. For example, for the last three decades criminologists have argued that massive incarceration is not a sensible response to crime – yet policymakers proceeded to increase the prison populations seven-fold anyway. Another example is the War on Drugs. Research consistently finds it has not significantly reduced drug crimes, but has plenty of collateral consequences – yet the war on drugs remains popular with policymakers. Why do you think this is the case? What factors might contribute to policymakers enacting

policies that are inconsistent with research? What are some potential solutions to ensuring

criminological research influences policy? What are some of the impediments to implementing such

solutions?