Chapter 2 all notes

Understanding Crime

Definitions of Crime

• Crime can be understood through three different perspectives:

  • Consensus View:

    • Crime is defined as behavior that is harmful to the majority of citizens.

    • Represents the norms, goals, and values of society’s vast majority.

    • Society generally agrees on what behaviors should be criminal, though the level of agreement may vary.

  • Conflict View:

    • Criminal laws reflect the ongoing struggles between different social classes.

    • Laws are created to control the behavior of the masses and primarily benefit the wealthy.

    • Example: Social constraints that make it illegal to be homeless, highlighting the disparity in power.

  • Interactionist View:

    • Law reflects the preferences and opinions of those who hold social power.

    • Socially empowered individuals use the law to shape legal processes that serve their interests.

The Relativity of Crime

• The definition of crime is not static; it evolves with changing social contexts.

• Social forces, political influences, and prevailing social conditions shape what is defined as crime.

• Laws serve a social control function, guiding societal norms and behaviors.

Measuring Crime

Crime Measurement Methods

• Uniform Crime Reports (UCR):

  • Traditional method measuring reported crimes.

  • Limitations: Many crimes remain unreported; accuracy is questionable; influence of law enforcement practices can skew data.

• National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS):

  • Redesigned for detailed incident-based data, requiring local agencies to report specific information.

  • Limitations: As a new system, there is limited historical data to establish trends.

• National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS):

  • Surveys a large sample of households twice a year regarding victimization experiences, regardless of reporting to authorities.

  • Provides estimates of total crime, including unreported cases, considered more unbiased and valid.

  • Limitations: Possibility of over- or under-reporting; may involve sampling errors.

Self-Report Surveys

• Focus on self-reported criminal behavior, mainly targeting adolescent delinquency.

• Limitations: Unreliable admissions; respondents may forget or misrepresent their behaviors.

• Various sources of data show consistent patterns of crime and decline, particularly in violent crime since the 1990s.

Crime Patterns

Ecological Patterns

• Crime rates vary significantly across different geographic areas:

  • Rural and suburban areas generally have lower crime rates.

  • Higher crime rates are often observed during the summer months.

  • Regions like the West and South tend to report higher crime rates.

Gender Patterns

• Males are disproportionately arrested, comprising about 80% of serious violent crimes and 60% of serious property crimes.

Racial Patterns

• Minority communities are often involved in a higher proportion of reported crimes, often influenced by:

  • Institutional racism

  • Racial profiling

  • Social control efforts responding to perceived threats.

Social Class Patterns

• Limited opportunities often contribute to stress and increase crime rates, linked to:

  • Poverty

  • Relative deprivation in deteriorating neighborhoods.

  • An absence of informal social controls results in higher law enforcement visibility and more arrests.

Age Patterns

• Youths are arrested at significantly higher rates; involvement in crime peaks in young adulthood and declines by age 26.

• Chronic offenders often start early and maintain high crime rates over their life, resilient to punitive measures and rehabilitation efforts.

• Victim patterns correlated with:

  • Gender

  • Age

  • Income

  • Marital status

  • Race

  • Ecological factors affecting relationships between victims and offenders.

Causes of Crime

Theories Explaining Crime

• Victimization Theory: Focuses on the role of victims in the crime process.

• Rational Choice Theory: Suggests crime is a decision made by weighing risks and rewards based on personal and situational factors, including:

  • Risk of apprehension, seriousness of expected punishment, potential value gained, emotional state, and immediate needs.

• Social Structure Theory: Emphasizes the impact of community deterioration and concentrated poverty on crime rates, creating environments of fear and hopelessness.

• Strain Theory: Attributes crime to social conditions, suggesting that accepted societal goals often clash with accessible means to achieve them, resulting in adaptations such as crime.

• Cultural Deviance Theory: Proposes specific lower-class subcultures have unique values, conflicting with mainstream culture, affecting societal compliance.

• Labeling Theory: Details how societal labels contribute to criminal identities, suggesting that individuals internalize these labels leading to more deviance.

• Social Conflict Theory: Examines discrepancies between social classes and the advantages the ruling class has in defining criminal behavior. Highlights the broader societal impacts of crime and the labeling process.