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CHAPTER
13
WHAT IS CRIME? 228
a violation of norms that have been written into law
WHY DOES CRIME EXIST?
235
positivists: people are social and are not prone to act criminally unless some biological, psychological, or social factor is involved
classicalists: people make rational choices to commit crimes based on
pleasure/pain calculations
HOW DO WE DEAL WITH CRIME?
240
through a three-part criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections
get the topic: WHAT IS A CRIME?
Deviance vs. Crime 228
Historical Roots of Deviance and
Crime Theories 235
Functional Explanations of Crime
and Deviance 236
Social Interaction Theories 237
Symbolic Interactionist Theory 238
Social Conflict Theory 238
General Theories of Crime Causation
Crime Control: The Criminal Justice
System 240
238
Chapter 13
242
Theory
FUNCTIONALISM
236
• crime is a response to some social factor
• Durkheim’s three functions of crime and deviance: they mark the
•
•
boundaries of morality, promote social solidarity, and bring about
needed change
theory of anomie: social instability caused by a wearing away of
standards and ethics
Merton: crime results because the pursuit of the American dream is
blocked for some people
CONFLICT THEORY
238
• capitalism teaches people to be selfish and competitive, resulting
in inequality
• the wealthy create the laws that punish the poor, while many illegal
•
acts committed by the wealthy are often not considered crimes
“the rich get rich, the poor get prison”
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
238
• labeling theory
• people react to how others view them
• people learn criminality through social interactions
Key Terms
deviance 228
crime 228
criminology 228
street crime 229
Uniform Crime Reports
(UCRs) 230
National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) 230
crime index 230
consensus model of law 232
conflict model of law 232
shaming 232
stigmatized shame 233
reintegrative shaming 233
deterrence 233
general deterrence 233
specific deterrence 233
recidivism 233
differential association
theory 237
containment theory 237
attachment 238
commitment 238
involvement 238
belief 238
primary deviance 238
secondary deviance 238
discretion 240
plea bargain 240
mandatory minimums 240
MY SEARCH LAB
1. The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Reiman, Jeffrey,
The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class and
Criminal Justice, 5th Edition, © 1998, pp. 101–148. Adapted by
permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.
INTRODUCTION
In this excerpt from his 1998 book, Reiman provides compelling evidence that demonstrates the inequities in the criminal justice system.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In general, how are white-collar criminals treated by the justice
system? How does this compare to blue-collar criminals?
2. What steps would you recommend to make the criminal justice
system more equitable?
2. Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System by
David Cole. Reprinted by permission of The New Press.
INTRODUCTION
In this selection from his 1999 book No Equal Justice, David Cole
summarizes his findings on inequality within the American criminal
justice system.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The author claims that the U.S. criminal justice system “affirmatively depends on inequality.” What does he mean by this?
Do you agree?
2. Explain how inequality is built into every stage of the criminal
justice process. How can this be fixed?
THE THINKSPOT
City Journal is an urban-policy
magazine, called the “Bible of
New Urbanism” by London’s Daily
Telegraph. Go to the ThinkSpot to
www.thethinkspot.com
read Heather MacDonald’s take
on crime and race, in which she
asks, “Is the criminal justice system racist?” You might be surprised
to find out what she thinks. While you’re reading the essay, think
about MacDonald’s argument and whether she has included
enough facts to support her position. After reading the essay, do
the
THINK SPOT
you still feel the same way about crime, race, and the justice
system?
Change.org’s article, titled “Rehabilitation, not Incarceration,” ties in
with what we discussed in the section “Societal Responses to Crime
and Deviance.” Read this article on the Youth PROMISE Act and take
some time to read the comments that come after it. Do you think the
Youth PROMISE Act is the answer to address the root causes of crime
and delinquency? What is one specific thing that can be done, in your
opinion, to cut down on crime and delinquency in communities?
Sample Test Questions
These multiple-choice questions are similar to those found in the test bank that accompanies this textbook.
3. Which of the following is an alternative punishment?
a. Prison
b. Death
c. Torture
d. Shaming
4. What is the last resort in the criminal justice system?
a. Counseling
b. Probation
c. Parole
d. Prison
5. According to Robert Merton, which type of lower-class person
obeys social rules and works with little chance of advancement?
a. Conformist
b. Innovator
c. Retreatist
d. Ritualist
1. How are police shows different than real-life police work?
2. Do the poor commit more crimes than other members of society?
3. Why is it difficult to make international comparisons about
crime statistics?
4. Why are only certain things illegal?
5. What is wrong with the U.S. prison system?
WHERE TO START YOUR RESEARCH PAPER
To learn more about crime in the United States, go to
http://www.fbi.gov/
http://www.usdoj.gov/
To learn more about positive deviance, go to
http://www.positivedeviance.org/
To see Uniform Crime Reports, go to
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
To see National Crime Victimization Survey information, go to
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/NCVS/
To learn more about international police organizations, go to
http://www.interpol.int/Default.asp
To learn more about the prison system, go to
http://www.bop.gov/
ANSWERS: 1 c; 2. b; 3. d; 4. d; 5. a
2. Which type of crime is most common?
a. Violent crime
b. Property crime
c. White-collar crime
d. Drug-related crime
ESSAY
Crime and the Legal System
b. society.
c. legal norms.
d. cultural values.
243
1. Deviance is not linked to
a. time.