Download Chapter 8, Deviance

Chapter 9
Crime and Criminal
Justice
Chapter Outline
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Crime and Deviance
Types of Crime
Crime and Organization
Race, Class, Gender and Crime
The Criminal Justice System: Police, Courts
and the Law
Terrorism As International Crime: A Global
Perspective
Measuring Crime:
How Much Is There?
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Data show that violent crime peaked in 1990,
but decreased through the 1990s.
Since 2002, assault and robbery have
continued to decrease, although murder and
rape have increased.
Crime is greatly affected by how well the
economy is doing—particularly the level of
unemployment.
Personal and Property Crime
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Personal crimes
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violent or nonviolent crimes directed against people.
(Murder, aggravated assault, forcible rape, and
robbery).
Property crimes
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theft without threat of bodily harm (burglary, larceny,
auto theft, arson).
Personal and Property Crime
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Victimless crimes
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violate laws but are not listed in the FBI’s serious
crime index. (Gambling, illegal drug use,
prostitution)
Hate crimes
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assaults and other malicious acts motivated by bias,
including those based on race, religion, sexual
orientation, ethnic or national origin, or disability.
White-collar or Elite Crime
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Criminal activities by persons of high social
status who commit their crimes in the context
of their occupation
Examples: embezzlement, insider trading, tax
evasion, accounting practices that make the
company appear more wealthy.
In terms of dollars, white-collar crime is much
more consequential for society than street
crimes.
Organized Crime
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Committed by organized groups, typically
involving the provision of illegal goods and
services.
Ethnic and family ties, are the basis for
membership with groups dominating and
replacing each other in different industries.
Industries are organized in the same kind of
hierarchy as legitimate businesses.
State-Organized Crime
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Committed by government officials in their jobs as
representatives of the government .
Example:
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John M. Poindexter lied to Congress about the Iran-Contra
scandal.
The scandal involved the U.S. sale of military weapons to Iran
with the profits used to finance the Contras in Nicaragua.
The U.S. Congress had explicitly forbidden monetary aid to
the Contras.
Organizational Crime and Deviance
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Crime that occurs within the context of a formal
organization and is sanctioned by the norms
and operating principles of the organization.
Can occur within any kind of organization—
corporate, educational, religious, and,
governmental.
Examples of Organizational Crime
and Deviance
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Scandals involving sexual assault by Catholic priests, and
cover-ups by assigning offending priests to different parishes.
In the 1980s, Beech Nut baby foods claimed their “nutritionists
prepare fresh-tasting … fruits, cereals, and juices without
artificial flavoring.” They were found to be selling sugar water
colored brown to resemble apple juice.
Deviant stock trading and accounting practices of the Enron
Corporation of Houston, Texas led to its downfall early in
2002.
Race, Class and Crime
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Arrest data shows a clear pattern of differential
arrest along the lines of race, gender and
class.
Poor are more likely to be arrested for crime.
African Americans are twice as likely to be
arrested for crime than are Whites.
Gender and Crime
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Women’s participation in crime has been
increasing.
Women continue to be disadvantaged in
society are more likely to be in jobs that
present opportunities for crimes.
Rape is one of the most underreported and
highest growing crimes.
The Policing of Minorities
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Minority communities are policed more heavily.
Police are more likely to use force against
minority suspects.
Racial profiling is widely used by police.
Race and Sentencing
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Minority citizens arrested for a crime
experience:
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Higher bails
Less plea bargaining success
More guilty verdicts
Higher sentences
42% percent of death row prisoners are black.
Law and Social Change
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Brown v. Board of Education (1954) - legally
sanctioned segregation.
Supreme Court decisions permitting abortion
under certain conditions.
Terrorism
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Motivated by political, ethnic and religious
conflicts
Linked to other forms of deviance: drug trade
Technology allows new risks: computer viruses
and bio terrorism