Criminology - Unit 4: Violent Crimes & Crimes Against Property

Briefly describe the notorious crimes in history:

• April 14, 1865: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

  As the Civil War was coming to an end, John Wilkes Booth shot the president during a night at the theater. No sitting president had been purposefully killed until this night

• February 14, 1929: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

  During this culmination of a rivalry between the gang led by Al Capone and that of Bugs Moran, seven men were gunned down in a Chicago garage by 70 rounds of ammunition. This event shocked the public and spurred police into action against the mobsters

• March 1, 1932: The Kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby

  The ‘crime of the century,’ newspapers around the country reported the story of famous pilot Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son who was taken from his sleeping crib in a second-floor bedroom. A ransom was demanded, but the child’s body was later found

• August 8, 1969: The Manson Family Murders

  Charles Manson and a group of his followers, known as the ‘Manson Family,’ shocked the nation when they invaded the home of famous director Roman Polanski, killing his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, along with four other people in the house. The idea that these cult members, which included several young women, could carry out Manson’s instructions was beyond the belief of many

• March 18, 1990: The Gardner Museum Heist

  In the early morning hours just after St Patrick’s Day in Boston, Massachusetts, two men dressed as police officers gained access to the Gardner Museum, tied up the security guards, and then left with 13 precious works of art, valued at over $500 million. The men have never been caught, and none of the paintings have ever been recovered

• June 12, 1994: The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman

  It could’ve been the extensive media coverage or the fact that the defendant was a famous sports icon, but the arrest and trial of O.J. Simpson for the crime of killing his ex-wife and her friend occupied the minds of nearly every American. When Simpson was found not guilty, there were polarizing reactions from those who felt he was innocent to those who believed he had committed the murder

What do “Crimes Against Persons” focus on?

They focus on interpersonal violence or the use (including threat of) physical violence that results in harm (can be physical or nonphysical) to another person

What does the law separate homicide by?

They depend on the intent of the offender and nature of the physical act

Interpersonal Violence

The use (including threat of) physical violence that results in harm (can be physical or nonphysical) to another person

Homicide

The willful killing of another person

What are the categories of homicide?

First and second-degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter

First-Degree Murder

In which the offender planned to kill another person and then carried out the act. The person acted with “malice aforethought.” Also referred to as premeditated murders. Felony murders (those that happen during the commission of another crime) also fall into this category (if someone intentionally set a building on fire (arson) and individuals died in the fire, the deaths are considered felony murders).

Second-Degree Murder

In which the offender wanted to physically hurt the victim but did not mean to kill the victim

Manslaughter

Homicide that is considered less blameworthy than the other categories

Voluntary Manslaughter

A murder committed during intense emotion like anger or fear

Involuntary Manslaughter

A killing that happens because someone acts recklessly (driving too fast or a parent shaking a baby)

What happens when prosecutors are unable to prove a crime fits one category?

While a few cases obviously fit into one category, it can be difficult to decide where many homicides fit. Prosecutors often have to decide if they have enough evidence to show a person’s intent, the nature of the crime, and the amount of violence used. Even if they feel that someone premeditated a murder, they may not be able to prove so without a reasonable doubt. In these cases, the prosecutor may charge the person with a lesser crime, knowing that the evidence more clearly fits the crime

Why might a prosecutor convict someone of multiple charges?

T ensure that a person is convicted of the crime, the prosecutor may attempt to offer multiple charges. For example, a prosecutor might feel that a murder was premeditated but thinks it may be difficult to convince a jury of that fact. They may present the jury with not only the first-degree murder charge but also charge the defendant with second-degree murder or manslaughter. This is in case the jury feels that the defendant committed the crime but does not believe that the prosecutor proved they had intent. Then the jury has the option of choosing the lesser charge, which still ensures a conviction

Primary Homicide

In which the victim and perpetrator knew each other as friends, family, or other acquaintances. Primary homicides are often expressive crimes

Nonprimary Homicide

In which the victim and perpetrator did not know each other or have a relationship prior to the homicide. Nonprimary homicides are often instrumental crimes

Expressive Crimes

Those committed due to hostility in the relationship and feelings like jealousy and anger

Instrumental Crimes

Involve some premeditation but no victim precipitation. Victim precipitation refers to situations in which the victim has some role in the crime

Serial Murders

Homicides that involve the murder of several individuals in at least three separate events

Mass Murders

Involve killing more than three people at a time

Aggravated Assault

An unlawful attack on another person with the intent of severe injury, usually involve a weapon of some type that can inflict harm

What are the most common of all violent crimes?

Assaults are the most common of all violent crimes and they can be the starting point for other types of crime, such as homicide

Simple Assault

An unlawful attack without a weapon in which the victim is not seriously harmed

What is the difference between a homicide and an aggravated assault?

In general, the only difference is whether the victim dies or not

Intimate-Partner assault

Assault between individuals in an intimate relationship, previously was spousal assault but researchers have said that using the idea of spouses in the definition limits our understanding, because it wouldn’t include individuals in dating relationships or cohabitating individuals

What does intimate-partner violence usually include?

Includes not only physical violence, which may include things like pushing, shoving, and grabbing more frequently than assaults with weapons, but also stalking and sexual violence

What genders are targeted in intimate-partner violence?

Affects both genders, with women twice as likely to face sexual violence. Nearly every ethnicity is equally represented

What is the difference between the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report or the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey?

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (or UCR) keeps track of crimes that have been reported to authorities. Since intimate-partner violence is complicated in that the victim has feelings for the perpetrator, many of these incidents are not reported to police. That is why the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey is so important as people might be more willing to volunteer information to a survey than they would to press criminal charges

Robbery

The action of taking property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force

What makes robbery a crime against persons?

What makes robbery a violent crime and one considered to be against the victim is the presence of a weapon. However, robbery is also like a property crime in that the goal of the crime is to take the property of another

Personal Robbery

Includes muggings and robberies in private residences

Institutional Robbery

Includes robberies that occurs at businesses and commercial settings, such as banks or convenience stores

Third-Degree Armed Robbery

Indicates that a weapon was used to threaten the victim

Second-Degree Armed Robbery

Occurs when there is an accomplice present. It can also mean the perpetrator used a deadly weapon, like a gun, or a bystander was injured in the course of a robbery

First-Degree Armed Robbery

When a victim or bystander is seriously injured in the course of a robbery where a perpetrator has used a deadly weapon, this qualifies as robbery in the first degree

What do crimes against property have in common?

In contrast to crimes against persons, these do not involve bodily harm to individuals. While we are certainly affected by property crime, the largest effect is financial

Professional Thieves

Defined as individuals who have acquired a degree of skill, plan their crimes, generate relatively good amounts of money, and spend little time incarcerated

Persistent Thieves

Those who continue stealing, but at an ordinary skill level. They may engage in a number of similar crimes, such as stealing cars and robbing homes

Occasional Offenders

Those who commit crimes when the occasion is favorable for the crime. The term, then, does not refer to how often someone commits a crime but to the nature of the crime

Larceny

The most frequent property crime, the unlawful taking away of another’s property from their possession, does not involve the use of force or illegal entry in order for the property to be taken

Shoplifting is also a type of larceny. Larceny can be thought of as a crime of opportunity. The individual committing larceny has to see or find something that can be taken without getting caught

What are a few statistics on larceny?

The biggest number of stolen items are taken from cars and other motor vehicles, with theft from stores (shoplifting) and buildings following

Larceny from buildings is more likely to include higher value items

Larceny in businesses costs billions of dollars each year

Burglary

The unlawful entry to a residence or business in order to commit a theft or felony, force is generally not a part of burglary

Low-level Burglars

Often young adults who participate in unskilled burglary as an impulse, will generally only spend a few moments in the place that they break into and take small amounts of money or other goods that are popular with their age group

Middle-range Burglars

Spend more time looking for a good place to rob and they are typically a bit older, often have more skills, like being able to get past a home security system, and spend more time in the building looking for higher value items

High-level Burglars

Tend to be highly skilled, tend to work in groups of two or more, plan quite a bit for their thefts, and possibly travel long distances to commit the crime

Tipsters

Individuals who let burglars know about attractive targets, may be criminals, but they may also be individuals working in legitimate jobs who pass on information about what they see

Fences

Help burglars sell stolen goods, making a profit for themselves in the process, they find and sell to individuals who are willing to buy the stolen goods

Arson

A willful burning (or attempt to burn) a residential building, motor vehicle, commercial property, or personal property