DO NOW

Crime or No Crime?Serious or Less Serious?

Complete problem 7.1

CRIME IN AMERICAChapter 7

Objectives

Be able to define the term crime Be able to classify crimes according to

several categories Evaluate the seriousness of different

types of crimes Learn about several theories on the

causes of crime Assess trends in criminal activity and

ways of preventing or reducing crime

A crime is the violation of a law established to protect people & maintain an orderly society People everywhere are affected by crime;

however, certain factors such as age, gender, & location influence the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime

Criminals in the U.S. wear many faces, from the teen who steals DVD’s from the electronics store to the career thief planning an armed bank robbery

Ways to Classify Crimes

Crimes against Person vs. Crimes against Property

Felony vs. Misdemeanor

Violent vs. Nonviolent Acts vs. Omissions Crimes against

Individuals vs. Crimes against Society

Adult vs. Juvenile

Statistics on Crime

Urban areas tend to have more crime than suburban/rural areas

Ages 15-24 commit more violent crimes than other age groups

Males—4x more likely than females Alcohol and drugs are often factors Gangs contribute to crime in many areas Problem 7.2 page 73 (Ch 7 Answer Sheet)

What Causes Crime? Authorities disagree over the causes of crime &

what can be done about it Poverty Unemployment Lack of education Alcohol/drugs Lack of police Increasing population Lack of parental guidance Moral breakdown Lack of deterrence Ineffective correctional system Violence on TV/films Some people believe that working to end these

problems would lead to a decrease in crime rates

Chapter 7 Answer Sheet

The National Council on Crime & Delinquency recommends alternatives to incarceration as one strategy for reducing crimePage 76 problem 7.4

In recent years, crime on high school & college campuses has become a serious problem Hate crimes, violent assaults, property crime

College Campus Crime Rate Increases [1:48] Violent crimes are up on college campuses in Tennessee

[1:01] College Safety – National Campus Safety Awareness Mont

h [3:51]

Crime is costly—in addition to the loss of life & property, it costs the government a great amount of money to prevent, investigate, & prosecute crime

Trends in Crime in America U.S. Crime Clock: http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/about/crime_clock.html Bureau of Justice statistics: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=daaSearch/Crime/Crime.cfm Recent trend highlights: The rate of total violent crime victimizations declined by 13% in 2010,

which was about three times the average annual decrease observed from 2001 through 2009 (4%).

The decline in the rate of simple assault accounted for about 82% of the total decrease in the rate of violent victimization in 2010.

In 2010 the property victimization rate declined by 6%, compared to the average annual decrease of 3% observed from 2001 through 2009.

Strangers perpetrated 39% of violent victimizations in 2010, down from 44% in 2001.

About 50% of all violent victimizations and nearly 40% of property crimes were reported to the police in 2010. These percentages have remained stable over the past 10 years.

Ch 7 Answer Sheet

Page 75 problem 7.3

Gun Laws in America

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held in McDonald v. City of Chicago that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to own firearms (not just the state’s right to maintain a militia)

Applies to both federal government and state/local governments

Gun Control Act (1968)—serial numbers; prohibits felons from owning guns

Brady Act (1993)—background checks—blocked more than 1 million attempted firearms purchases

For Your Information – page 86 volunteer please read aloud

Ch 7 answer sheet Problem 7.7 – page 87 Problem 7.8 – page 82

Law in Action:Child Access Prevention (CAP) Laws

Substance Abuse and Crime

Alcohol—most abused substance in America

DUI—BAC (blood-alcohol content) of .08 or greater

Implied Consent—must give a breath sample when requested or your license will be suspended

Why is this not an illegal search?

Substance Abuse & Crime  

Implied Consent Law: the driver agrees to submit to a BAC test in exchange for the privilege of driving

Page 86 Problem 7.9

Substance Abuse & Crime  

Problem 7.10 – page 88Is the best way to handle the drug problem to legalize some or all drugs?

Would legalization allow the government to better regulate drugs & eliminate the problems that are associated with illegal distribution of drugs?

Law in Action: Drug Courts Offer treatment instead of punishment for

individuals who commit crimes & have problems with controlled substances

Problem 7.11 – page 93

Victims of Crime  

Every person is at risk to be a victim of crime However, teens & young adults are more likely than

any other age groups to be victims In 2011, 9,878 people were killed and approximately

315,000 were injured Each crash, each death, each injury impacts not only

the person in the crash, but family, friends, classmates, coworkers and more

Even those who have not been directly touched help pay the $132 billion yearly price tag of drunk driving

But together we can eliminate drunk driving [MADD]

Problem 7.12 – page 90

Victims of Crime  

Victim advocacy groups [MADD] work to protect victims by promoting the concerns & rights of victims

Victims are not a party to the criminal case & their rights & needs are too often ignored

Victims of Crime  

Problem 7.13 – page 93Figure 7.3: Violent Crime Rates

Law in Action:Victim’s Rights: Megan’s Law as Advocacy Passed as a result of victim’s advocacy groups Requires the registration of all convicted sex

offenders in a community

Recidivist (Repeat Offender) Law Require long sentences—including sentences of

life in prison w/o parole—for persons who are repeatedly convicted of the same crime, even relatively minor ones

Preventing & Reporting Crime  

You can help fight crime by learning how to protect yourself Also, reporting crime can help to prevent

others from being victims There are many organizations & programs

that exist to assist victims of crime & prevent future crime

Problem 7.14 – page 95

Ex Post Facto An ex post facto law (from the Latin for "from after the action") or

retroactive law is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions committed or relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law – In reference to criminal law, it may criminalize actions that were legal when committed; or aggravate a crime by bringing it into a more severe category than it was in

at the time it was committed; or change or increase the punishment prescribed for a crime, such as by adding

new penalties or extending terms; or alter the rules of evidence in order to make conviction for a crime more likely

than it would have been at the time of the action for which a defendant is prosecuted

Conversely, a form of ex post facto law commonly known as an amnesty law may decriminalize certain acts or alleviate possible punishments Example: replacing the death sentence with lifelong imprisonment)

retroactively