CRIME AND CRIME CAUSATION - CHAPTER 2

Visible

least profitable, hardest to hide -> property, public order, and violent crime

Occupational

illegal business practices, costly -> tax fraud/evasion, laundering money

Organized

cross state or national borders, network of illegality -> mafia, cartel, mob

Transnational

 crosses international borders, illicit goods or services, infiltration of business or government -> espionage, spies?

Victimless:

 both agreed to do the action (technically victimless cause consent?) -> drugs, sex work

Political:

by government, against government -> work crimes, gov is harming citizens, soldiers attacking civilians, perpetrating crime onto people

Cyber:

 use of computers & internet for criminal acts

Types of Crime

Visible, Occupational, Organize, Transnational, Victimless, Political, Cyber

Variable

concept that varies or that can take on different numerical values -> measure by age, months, labeling college years by 1 or 2

Operationalization:

describing how a concept is measured -> violent crime can be labeled differently (counting murders, see suicide? New section…) the count is a very descriptive count set

Part 1 Crimes

Murder, Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Forcible Rape (Violent Crime)

Part 2 Crimes:

Burglary, Larceny Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft, Arson (Property Crime)

Demonological Theory

assumes supernatural forces cause and control crime commissions -> violators' actions controlled by forces beyond their control (possessed) 

• To remove the “spirit” -> Trial by battle (fight a dragon? survive /die possessed), trial by ordeal (Salem witch trial -> human if drown, drown is possessed)

Classical Theory:

assumes actors exercise free will and act rationally weighing the pain and pleasure of behavior 

On Crimes & Punishment (1764)

Opposed arbitrary judicial system in Europe, the unpredictability of the system decreased the potential deterrent power of sanctioning -> “ Let the punishment fit the crime”

Neoclassical Theory:

New classical theories that view crime as influenced by criminal opportunities to commit crime

Rational Choice Theory:

weigh the benefit is greater than the cost will pursue the crime -> Propose a specific approach to crime control

Many offenders act impulsively and fail to consider negative possibilities fully

Deterrence Theory

 get caught, going to get punishment equal to the severity of your crime, perhaps it will deter crime -> just deserts, three-strike laws (EX: 3rd felony = life sentence), mandatory sentencing 

Specific deterrence

it will deter specific individual behavior 

General deterrence

watching someone else get punished cause you to deter behavior