Understanding Crime and Deviance: Elements, Types, and Statistics - Prof. Kristina Childs, Study notes of Criminal Justice

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Relationship between deviance and crime  Crime – an intentional violation of the criminal law or penal code committed without defense or excuse and penalized by the state  Deviance – behavior that violates the norms of society. o Not all criminal behaviors are considered deviant and not all deviant behaviors are considered criminal.
Elements of Crime  Harm  Legality o Harm must be legally forbidden  Actus Reus o The act was committed by the person  Mens Rea o Criminal intent or criminally negligent action  Causation o Causal relationship between actus reus and harm  Concurrence o Mens Rea and actus reas must occur together  Punishment
Felony vs Misdemeanor  Felony is any crime punishable by more than one year in prison or by death  Misdemeanor is any crime that has a sentence of only a fine or confinement in a local jail for less than a year
Mala in se vs mala prohibita  Serious crime vs victimless crime o Murder vs trespassing
Information collected by the Uniform Crime Reports  Compiled by the FBI o Crimes Reported o Arrests made o Crimes cleared o Characteristics of individuals arrested o
Clearance Rate  Number of cases that are solved by a law enforcement agency either when an arrest is made or when the suspect has died.
Number of total arrests made in 2009  13 million arrests
Percent of Index Crimes Cleared in 2009  20% of reported index crimes cleared
Trends on Crime  Crimes reported to the police are decreasing  Violent crimes -41%  Property crimes -40%
Limitations of UCR Data o Adolescence is a time of increased independence, autonomy, and decision-making responsibilities o Peer group is the primary support system o Experimentation is nearly universal
Victimology  Study of the victim’s role in crime o Understand the nature and extent of victimization o Calculating economic and societal costs of victimization o Identify factors that lead to victimization o Understanding the effects of victimization
Total number of criminal victimization  21.3 million victimization
Different types of costs of victimization  Economic o Medical bills, wages, replacement of property, counseling or psychiatric services  Physical/Mental/Personal o Reduced quality of life, strain on personal relationships, metal health/psychological problems, antisocial behavior, victim blame  Fear  Long term consequences o PTSD, adolescent trauma can lead to adult problems, financial problems
Relationship btw victimization and offending  Cycle of violence o Victims of crime are more likely to commit crimes themselves o Victims of physical or sexual abuse o Brutalization effect – violence is not a severe act o Revenge
Victim offender relationships  Males are more likely to be victims of strangers o 63%  Females are more likely to be victims of non strangers o 36%  Crimes tend to be interracial o Black individual are more likely to victimize black individuals
Victimization theories  Victim Precipitation Theory o Victims, actively or passively initiate the confrontation that leads to their victimization o Impulsivity can lead to precipitation  Focus  Victim’s role  Victim-offender relationship  Strengths – explains repeat victimization  Deviant Place Theory o Victimization is primary function of where people live  Deviant places  High crime, socially disorganize areas  Commercial areas adjacent to residential areas  Strengths – explains why people who lead conventional lifestyles are victimized  Focus – victimization in high crime areas  Lifestyle theories o Crimes are not a random occurrence o Victimization is a function of one’s lifestyle choices o Risky lifestyles increase the risk of victimization  Strengths – explains victimization patters  Focus – personal activities of the victim  Routine Activities Theory o Victimization is due to the interactions of  Availability of suitable targets  Absence of capable guardians  Presence of a motivated offender o Explains criminal opportunity o Strengths – explains crime rate trends
Victim – witness assistance programs and victims bill of rights  Victim-witness assistance programs o Funded by the government

CJS Decision Makers  Law Enforcement Officer (gate keepers)  Prosecutor – required to prove guilt  Defense Attorney – protect the right of the accused  Court / Judge  Corrections
Concepts of Justice  Crime Control Model – the purpose of CJS is deterrence (punishment) o Increase police force o Harsh punishments & death penalty o Maximizing discretion  Due Process Model o All people deserve due process o Preserving American ideals is more important than punishment  Monitoring police practices  Review of sentencing policies  Prisoners rights  Competent representation  Procedural safeguards  Equal Justice o All people deserve same treatment o Decision making should be standardized and structuralized o Based solely on present behavior  Rehabilitation Model o Given the proper treatment criminals can be rehabilitated o Criminals are societies victims o Reducing crime means attacking the root causes of crime
Victim Impact statement  Is a written or oral statement which allows a victim of a crime to speak during the sentencing of their attacker. Taken by Florida law.
Dating violence now treated as domestic violence.  Changed due to the death of a UCF student
01/25/2012