Criminal Justice Today

Crime:

1. Violates criminal law.

2. Is punishable by criminal sanctions.

Describe the two most common models of how society determines which acts are criminal.

Consensus Model: Society, though

diverse, shares the same moral value system.

Crimes violate this value system and are deemed harmful to society.

Conflict Model: Society is diverse

and constantly engaged in a power struggle.

Dominant groups in society codify their values into law.

Define crime and identify the different types of crime.

An Integrated Definition:

Punishable under criminal law as defined by a society.

Considered an offense against society as a whole, and prosecuted by public officials.

Punished by statutorily determined sanctions that bring about the loss of personal freedom.

Violent Crime:◦Murder◦Sexual

assault/rape◦Assault/battery◦Robbery

Property Crime:◦Burglary◦Larceny/theft◦Motor vehicle

theft◦Arson

Public Order Crimes:Behavior that has beenlabeled criminalbecause it is contrary toshared social values,customs and norms(e.g. publicdrunkenness).

White Collar Crimes:Illegal acts committedby an individual orbusiness entity usingsome non-violent

meansto obtain a personal orbusiness advantage(e.g. embezzlement).

Questions:

◦ Was a 5-month sentence lenient or harsh for lying about a stock sale?

◦ Does the media treat white collar crimes differently than street offenses?

◦ Do you think the criminal justice system should treat white collar crime and street offenses similarly or differently?

High Tech Crime: Organized Crime:

Crimes directly related to the increased use ofcomputers andtechnology by society.

Illegal crimes by illegalorganizations, gearedtowards satisfying thepublic’s need for illegalgoods and services.

Goals of the Criminal Justice System:

To control crime

To prevent crime

To provide and maintain justice

Federalism is a form of government in which a written constitution provides for a division of powers between a central government and several regional governments.

Ideals of federalism can be seen in the local, state, and federal levels of law enforcement.

Outline the three levels of law enforcement.

Local and County Law Enforcement

◦ Responsible for the “nuts and bolts” of law enforcement.

State Law Enforcement

◦ Generally, there are both “state police” and “highway patrols.”

Federal Law Enforcement

◦ Operates throughout the U.S.

List the essential elements of the corrections system.

Probation

Jails

Prisons

Community-based corrections

Criminal justice as a “system” – an orderly progression of events through a process comprised of agencies working together.

Herbert Packer compared the idealized criminal justice process to an assembly line.

Each step in the assembly line, which comprises the formal criminal justice system, is the result of a series of decisions that must be made by those who work in the CJS.

When members of the criminal justice system exercise discretion, this produces an informal criminal justice system.

Describe the layers of the “wedding cake” model.

Contrast the crime control and due process models.

Crime Control Model:

A model of criminal justice that placesprimary emphasis onthe rights of society tobe protected from crimeand violent offenders.

Due Process Model:A model of the criminaljustice system thatplaces primaryemphasis on the rightsof the individual to beprotected from thepower of government.

Crime the Bottom Line

◦ The Impact of Law Enforcement

◦ The Scourge of Street Gangs

◦ Gun Sales and Gun Control

◦ The Illegal Drugs Problem

◦ White Collar Crime

Crime and Punishment◦ The Growing Prison Population◦ The Economics of Incarceration

Homeland Security and the Threat of Terrorism◦ The Patriot Act

Technology: Fighting and Fueling Crime