Download Ch. 8 S. 2

Ch. 8 Section 2: Crime
Obj: Identify the principal types of _____________ in the US; Explain the _________________________ of the
American criminal-justice system.
Crime affects everyone in the US. Some people are _______________. Some people are criminals. Some
people are __________. However, the majority of Americans are affected by crime as
______________________. Newspapers, radio, television, and movies bombard us every day with
information about and images of crime. As a result of our own experiences and exposure through the
mass media, most of us consider crime a serious social problem.
A _____________ is any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law, and is punishable
by the government. For example, a person who robs a bank – an act that is labeled criminal, is prohibited
by law, and is _____________________ by the government – has committed a crime. On the other hand,
a champion swimmer who stands by and watches a friend drown instead of attempting a rescue has not
necessarily committed a crime. The swimmer may have violated a ____________ code but not
necessarily a law.
Who commits crimes? Men are more likely than ________________ to be arrested. In terms of race, more
than two thirds of all people arrested are ______________. However, African Americans, who make up
approximately 12 percent of the population, account for nearly 30 percent of the arrests. Even so, many
factors lead an individual to commit a crime, and there is no causal link between race and crime. The
percentages for age are particularly dramatic. Almost half of all arrests involve people under the age of
______. Moreover, people younger than 35 account for nearly three quarters of all arrests.
Crime Statistics
These statistics are taken from the Uniform Crime Reports (_______). Published annually by the FBI, the UCR is
one of the major sources of information concerning crime in the US. The FBI uses data provided by local
police departments to compile nationwide _______________________. However, these statistics have
certain __________________. Sociologist Donald Black identified the following characteristics that limit
the filing of formal crime reports.
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Not all of the ____________________ that citizens make to the police find their way into the official
statistics. The responding officer decides whether or not to file a formal report. Officers are more likely to
file reports in the case of ________________ offenses.
Individuals are less likely to report a crime if __________________ or friends are involved.
The police are more likely to file formal reports on serious crimes when the injured parties are members
of the higher social classes.
Whether an officer files a formal complaint is influenced by the ____________ of the individual making
the complaint. An officer is more likely to file a formal complaint when the person making the complaint
shows __________________ and respect toward the officer.
In addition, certain types of crime – such as _______________ assault – are more likely to go unreported by
the victims. Crime figures can also be affected by changes in the way that statistics are reported or by
incorrect reporting.
Types of Crime
The FBI ______________________ the crimes reported in the UCR into 29 offense classifications. In this
discussion, crimes are grouped into ____________ broad categories: violent crimes, crimes against
property, victimless crimes, white-collar crime, and organized crime.
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Violent crime – murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault; make up a very _____________
percentage of all crimes committed. Nonetheless, ____________ crime statistics are quite alarming.
According to UCR statistics, a violent crime occurs every 22 seconds in the US. An _________________
assault occurs every 35 seconds, a robbery every 1 minute and 18 seconds, a forcible rape every 5
minutes and 48 seconds, and a murder every 33 minutes and 54 seconds.
The majority of murders are committed with __________ and other weapons. Guns are used in about 65 % of
all murders, with handguns being the weapon used in about 51% of the cases. Another 13% of murders
are committed with _______________. The rate of handgun use in homicides is higher in the US than it is
in any other ______________________________ country in the world.
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Crime against property – crimes against ________________ - burglary, larceny (theft other than auto),
motor vehicle theft, and arson – are much more ________________ than crimes of violence. All property
crimes involve either ___________________ someone else’s property or intentionally damaging it. FBI
estimates suggest that a property crime is committed every three seconds in the US.
Sociologists generally tie variations in the crime rate to ______________ in the ____________________.
People under the age of 25 commit a large percentage of crimes. As the size of this segment of the
population changes, the crime rate varies in the same direction. Therefore, as the younger population
decreases, the crime rate should decrease as well. However, in the 1980s and 1990s increases in the
crime rate appeared to be partially the result of illegal drug use. Expensive ____________ habits are
often financed through crime. In addition, many serious crimes are committed while people are under
the influence of drugs.
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Victimless crime – crimes such as _________________________, illegal gambling, illegal drug use, and
vagrancy are classified as victimless crimes. Such offenses are termed victimless because they supposedly
_____________ no one but the person committing the act. This classification may be somewhat
misleading in some of these crimes, however. While people other than the offenders may not suffer
directly, the ___________________________ for society of crimes such as drug abuse can be significant.
White-Collar Crime – Edwin Sutherland coined the term ____________________________________ to
describe offenses committed by individuals of high social status in the course of their professional lives.
Politicians, employees of corporations, and corporations themselves sometimes commit crimes of these
types. Misrepresentation, fraud, __________ evasion, embezzlement, price fixing, toxic pollution, insider
trading, and political corruption are examples of white-collar crime.
Traditionally, the _______________ and the _______________ have played down white-collar crime even
though it is a serious social problem. Yet in recent years crimes such as insider trading on ___________
Street, political corruption, corporate crimes, and computer-related crimes have received much
attention.
It may seem _________ that a corporation can be charged with a white-collar crime when ________________
within the corporations can be charged with offenses because, under the laws of incorporation, they are
considered “legal persons.” once incorporated, a business becomes subject to the same laws as any
individual in the US.
Conservative estimates suggest that white-collar crimes cost the US more than $300 billion each year. Some
people feel that the nonfinancial costs of such crimes are far greater. When political and corporate
leaders engage in activities that fall outside the law, they _____________ the trust and confidence of the
American people. This abuse threatens the very structure of American society.
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Organized Crime – for many criminals, crime is an individual enterprise. However, some criminals are part
of organized crime syndicates. A crime _________________ is a large-scale organization of professional
criminals that controls some vice or business through violence or the threat of violence. These
organizations pursue crime as a big business.
Such syndicates operate in many areas of business, many of them legal. They often use legitimate businesses
as “_________________” for their criminal activities. This enables the syndicates to reinvest their money
through legal channels. By suing such methods as drug trafficking, etc; organized crime syndicates make
huge __________________.
The Criminal-Justice System
Once a crime has been committed and ___________________, it falls under the jurisdiction of the criminaljustice system. The most important components of the criminal-justice system are police, courts, and
corrections. In most states, a special section of the _________________________________ - the
juvenile-justice system - deals with young offenders.
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Police – the police hold the most immediate control over who is _________________ for a criminal act. It
might seem reasonable to assume that the police arrest everyone who is accused of committing a crime.
In reality the police have considerable power to decide who is actually arrested. This power is referred to
as police ______________________. The size of the US population, the _________________ of criminal
offenses, and the number of full-time police officers make it necessary for the police to employ discretion
in their decisions involving arrest.
Research has indicated that several ________________ are considered by a police officer when deciding
whether to make an arrest. First, the seriousness of the offense is considered. Less-serious offenses are
more likely to be __________________. Second, the wishes of the victim are taken into consideration. If
the offense is serious or if the suspect is a male, victims generally press for an arrest. Third, the attitude
of the suspect is considered. An _______________________________ suspect is more likely to be
arrested than one who is polite or apologetic.
Fourth, if bystanders are present, the police are more likely to make an arrest. In doing so, the police reinforce
the point that they are in ________________ of the situation. Finally, police are more likely to arrest –
and use ______________ against – African Americans than white Americans. Many people charge that
the high rate of arrests among African Americans is a result of police use of _____________ profiling.
This is the practice of assuming that nonwhite Americans are more likely to commit crime than white
Americans.
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Courts – once a person is arrested, the responsibility shifts to the courts. The courts’ role is a twofold
process. First, a ________________ determines the guilt or innocence of an accused person by means of
a trial. Second, if there is a guilty finding, the court assigns some form of punishment. In reality, however,
more than 90% of all criminal cases are settled through plea bargaining before going to trial.
____________________________ is the process of legal negotiation that allows an accused person to plead
guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentence. This process allows courts to reduce their huge
volume of _____________________ while avoiding many expensive and time-consuming jury trials.
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Corrections – people who are found guilty of crimes are punished. The ______________ – such as
imprisonment, parole, and probation – used to punish criminals are called ______________________.
These sanctions serve four basic functions.
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Retribution. The punishing of a criminal serves as an act of revenge for the victim and society.
______________________. Corrections are intended to discourage offenders from committing future
crimes and to make the rest of society think twice before breaking laws.
________________________. during the 1800s, prisons emerged as places in which to reform criminals
so that they could return to society as law-abiding citizens.
Social protection. By liming the ________________ of offenders, society prevents them from committing
additional crimes. In the case of the death penalty, the threat of an offender committing future criminal
acts is ___________________________.
The _______________________ of corrections is a topic of heated debate. One indication that corrections are
not always effective is the rate of recidivism among convicted criminals. _______________________ is
the term for repeated criminal behavior. According to a US Department of Justice study, 62% of released
prisoners will be charged with new crimes and 41% will return to prison within three years of release.
Courts can assign punishment ranging from fines to probation to imprisonment. The majority of convicted
criminals are ____________________ through fines and probation. However, in the case of serious
crimes – particularly murder, rape, and robbery – prison sentences are common.
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Juvenile-Justice System – the ____________ largest category of criminals in the US consists of juvenile
offenders – offenders younger than 18. Until the 1960s, juveniles charged with crimes had __________
rights and were not protected by the same legal safeguards provided for adult offenders. Laws that
pertain to adult offenders refer to well-defined offenses, carry specific punishments, and apply more of
less equally to all offenders. However, the laws for juvenile offenses were much ___________ specific.
For example, they contained _______________ provisions about “incorrigible, ungovernable” children who
associate with “immoral or vicious person.” A juvenile offender could, and sometimes did, remain in
custody for a longer period of time than an adult convicted of the same offense.
The reasoning behind separate regulations was that juvenile offenders, because of their age, could not be
expected to be as _________________________ as adults. Thus, it was thought that they needed a
special, more ________________________ kind of treatment.
Sometimes the result was that juveniles were denied _______________ protection under the law, however.
Consequently, they were not usually granted any special care or attention.
To guard against such abuses, the courts now must __________________________ juvenile defendants the
same legal rights and privileges as adult defendants. At the same time, juvenile delinquents are still
regarded as a special kind of offender. Juvenile courts try, in principle at least, to provide many more
services for offenders than do adult criminal courts. Yet in some areas of the country, particularly in large
cities, ______________________ juvenile laws are being established. For example, in some places
juveniles – even very young suspects – can be tried as adults for certain serious offenses.