Ch.13: Crime & Criminal Justice

Exam 4

What is Crime?

•       The violation of criminal laws enacted by federal, state, or local governments.

Types of Crime:

1.Felony:

Punishment: at least 1 year in prison, or even death penalty (ex. murder, kidnapping)

2. Misdemeanor:

Punishment: :  < 1 yr., or, by fine, or community service. (ex. trespassing)

·      1/3 of adults -afraid to walk alone at night

Crime Statistics (UCR)

·      Each year, police record more than 14 million serious crimes and sends it to the FBI. This includes both violent and property crimes.

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

·      Include only those known to the police.

·      Include 2 categories of crimes

Two types of Index Crimes:

a. Crimes against persons (Violent Crimes)

b. Crimes against property (Property Crimes)

What are the two types of crime in UCR?

Two types:

1. Index crimes: Murder, rape, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, assault, larceny of $50 or more.

a. Crimes against persons (Violent Crimes): Crimes involving violence or the threat of violence against individuals

· Accounts for 15% of all serious offenses.

b. Crimes against property (Property Crimes): Crimes involving the theft or destruction of someone else’s property.

·       Accounts for 85% of all offenses

 

2. Non-index crimes- Non-aggravated assault, forgery, fraud, embezzlement, prostitution, DUI, drug possession etc. 

a. Crimes against persons (Violent Crimes)

Crimes involving violence or the threat of violence against individuals

·      Accounts for 15% of all serious offenses.

b. Crimes against property (Property Crimes)

·      Crimes involving the theft or destruction of someone else’s property.

·      Accounts for 82% (2025)

Non-index crimes

Non-aggravated assault, forgery, fraud, embezzlement, prostitution, DUI, drug possession etc. 

3 Sources of Crime Statistics:

1. Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) – Includes both index & non-index crimes.

Crime Clock: Graphic display of how often specific offenses - committed

2.  National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS):

•       Provides detailed data about reported crimes.

•       includes information on victims, offenders, time, location, & weapons used.

3. National Crime Victimization Survey:

•       Identifies Crime victims (reported & unreported crimes)

National Crime Victimization Survey Includes:

a.  Information  about the victims and the crimes.

b.  Experiences of the victims w/ the criminal justice system.

c.  Self-protective measures used by victims

d.  Possible substance abuse by offenders.

e.  Offender relationship (stranger or non-stranger)

f.  Impact of crime (the extent of harm

Who are the victims (Violent Crime)? 

—

Gender:

·      Men-  likely to be victimized by a stranger.

·      Women: by someone they know

·      A relationship between the victim & the offender is especially likely when the murder victim is a woman.

Race:

·      African Americans –highest victimization rates

·       Most violent crimes are intraracial: Offender & victims are of the same race.

Age:

Ages 18–24: highest risk

Why are victims from 18-24?

Due to:

·      More time spent in public/social settings

·       Greater peer influence

·       Greater risk-taking behavior

Property Crime:

•     Significant decline in the last few years

•   Occurs frequently (every few seconds)

• In most cases, the victim never sees the offenders, therefore, arrest rate is low: 17%

Burglary

Burglary: 2.5 million burglaries annually & 66% of these are home invasions.

•       Most burglaries are residential rather than commercial

•       Take place during the daytime 

•       Offenders: young males (<25)

Motor vehicle: 

•       Declined trend.

•       Occurs every 37 seconds.

•       Offenders: Males, under age 25. 

Who are the victims (Property Crime)?

Race:

African Americans- higher rates

 

Age:

Older people- higher rates

Urban vs. Rural Crimes:

Higher in metropolitan/urban areas 

Reasoes are linked to:

1. High poverty, unemployment & limited economic opportunities

2. People in cities are less connected → so social bonds & norms have less influence 

Regional Differences

•       Highest crime rates (both violent & property crimes): Southern states

 

Contributing Factors:

1. High levels of poverty and unemployment

2.  Minority concentration

3. A southern “subculture of violence”

4.  High gun ownership

5. A warmer climate-→ more interaction

Who are the criminals?

Age: ~40% of arrests: under 25

Gender: Men

Statistics:  Men accounted for 80% of violent crime ~63% of arrests for property crime.

Women

Lower crime rates overall

Women are more arrested for

More non-violent crimes: larceny-theft, fraud, embezzlement, running away, prostitution

Female crime rates have…

risen sharply over the past decade

Reasons female crime rates have risen:

Economic marginalization : When women have fewer job opportunities, lower wages, and limited access to resources → female crime rises when their financial situation lags behind men.

Among all race and ethnicity, who is the majority of most violent crime arrests overall?

Absolute number involve White suspects

Race & Ethnicity:

Whites: majority of arrests overall

Property Crime: 70% of arrests

Violent Crime:  59% of arrests

African Americans:

Property Crime: 27% of arrests

Violent Crime: 38% of arrests

Violent Crime Arrests:

•       Most involve White suspects, but African Americans (14% of population) are arrested at higher rates relative to their population.

Black males…

•       5 times more likely than white males to spend time in jail (as of 2026)

       -  receive longer sentences

Mass Incarceration / “Missing Black Men”:

•       Study showed: 1 in 3 Black men in their 20s is in jail, on probation, or on parole.

Why Race Matters?

1.Poverty

•       More Black children grow up poor → higher stress, fewer resources.

• Street Code: Crime seen as survival in tough neighborhoods.

•       Distrust: Low trust in police/system fuels the cycle.

2. Prejudice & Racial Profiling: 

•       More policing in poor, Black neighborhoods → higher suspicion.

•       Same drug use → 3× higher incarceration for Black individuals.

•       Racial profiling reinforces disparities. 

3. Family patterns

•       Approximately 70% of Black children are born to unmarried mothers. 66% live in single-parent households

•       Economic Impact: Face higher poverty rates.

•       Less supervision → greater exposure to criminality

Asian Americans:

•       Underrepresented in crime stats

Due to:

a. Higher income levels.

b. Strong family/cultural values

Prison & Incarceration

·      US:  Highest incarceration rate in the world

·      Declining crime rate but prison populations are increasing

·      Increasing in the West, the South and the Midwest.

Why inmate populations have increased?

1. Tough sentencing laws:

•       “Three strikes, you’re out” laws. Convicted of three felonies, you have to face life in prison

•       28 states have "Three Strikes" laws

2.   Mandatory minimum prison sentence especially for nonviolent drug offenders

3.   Probation and parole revocations

Rise of Private Prisons:

•       1980s Growth:  Became popular due to overcrowding and poor conditions in public prisons.

•       Efficiency & Cost: Claim to save taxpayers money by offering more services with fewer resources.

How Savings Happen (3 ways):

1. Come from lower wages &/or benefits

2. Reduced staffing

3. Or more efficient staff use

Death penalty/Capital punishment: 

•       U.S- the only Western industrialized nation in the world to retain the death penalty

•       27 states have death penalty as of 2026

•       Method of execution:  Mostly use the lethal injection

   Majority of execution – in the South

  Lowest execution- Northwest

  Texas- record number of executions.

 

Death Penalty & Murder Rates: •       Does it work?  

Statistics show: States with the death penalty have higher murder rates than those without

•       Evidence shows no deterrent effect.

Death row inmates:

Higher for whites

Policing:

Substantial changes over the past several decades.

Traditional Policing Focus:

a.     High police visibility

b.     Use of forces

c.     Arrests

Methods/ Tactics used:

1.     Police patrols

2.     Rapid response to service calls

3.     Retrospective investigations.

New Policing Strategies:

a.  Community Policing

•       Police officers on foot/bikes

Idea: know local neighborhoods & work with people.

b.   Technology:

•       Dashboard cameras and body cameras

c.   Zero-tolerance policy – respond to any offense, no matter how minor.

1994: Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act

Largest crime bill in history

Prison Litigation Reform Act

  Prisoners must exhaust all internal remedies before filing federal lawsuits to challenge the conditions or report civil rights violations.