Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.



Chapter 13: Crime


Measuring Crime: Crime Statistics

Crime:• Violation of norms written into law

Two basic types of street crime• Violent and nonviolent crimes• Violent crime:

An illegal act committed against another person

• Nonviolent crime: An illegal act committed against property


Continued

Nobody wants crime in their neighborhood, but people like crime in their TV programming

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Bones • May make crime sexy and interesting• Don’t capture complicated process of solving and

preventing crime as done by real-life officers and public officials

Paperwork is one piece of the process rarely seen Paperwork is an important aspect of detective work

• Tracking and analyzing crime statistics


Continued

Criminology:• Scientific study of crime, deviance, and social policies

that the criminal justice system applies Uniform Crime Reports (UCR):

• UCR data comes from official police statistics of reported crimes and is collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

UCR crime index uses eight major offenses to measure crime• Four are violent crimes: homicide, rape, robbery, and

aggravated assault• Other four are property crimes: burglary, larceny-theft,

motor vehicle theft, and arson


Continued

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)• One of nation’s largest ongoing household surveys• Calculates how many violent and nonviolent crimes U.S.

residents aged 12 and older experience each year• Survey reaches nearly 70,000 households in US and

reports higher rates of crime than the UCR• Supports the rule of thumb that about half of the crimes

committed in the United States go unreported


Continued

Criminologists (sociologists who study crime) often use both UCR and NCVS data

UCR data useful as source for reliable and timely statistics on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies nationwide

NCVS data useful as a source for information on the characteristics of criminal victimization and the details behind unreported crimes


Crime Demographics

Age• Majority of criminal behavior occurs between ages of 15

and 25 After age 25, criminal behavior less likely to occur

throughout life• Age/crime relationship important when developing

target audiences for crime prevention programs• This demographic factor most important aspect in

predicting the rise and fall of crime rates in the US• Type of crime correlates to age of those most likely to

commit it


Continued

Gender• Historically, crime’s a male-dominated activity

77% of people arrested are men, as are 90% of inmates in U.S. state and federal prisons

Statistics more startling because men make up less than half the population in the United States

• Differences are fluid Number of female inmates in US growing steadily

• Bureau of Justice statistics 1.2% increase in number of incarcerated women Number of incarcerated males only increased by

0.7%


Continued

Race• Relationship between race and crime very controversial

More so than any other demographic• Due to long history of racial inequality in US

Many questions can be raised regarding legitimacy of statistics

• African Americans represent approximately 12% of population

Yet account for 27% of arrests in the United States


Continued

• Minorities hold more negative views of police and criminal justice system than whites

More likely to be victims of police brutality More likely to perceive police actions as

racially motivated• Criminologists suggest this statistic may be

skewed due to practice of racial profiling Act of using race to determine whether a

person is likely to have committed a crime


Continued

• No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System, author David Cole

Although 95% of residents in Florida County were white, 70% of drivers stopped by the police were African American and Latino

Findings give support to the claim that “driving while black” is considered a criminal offense in some areas

• Minorities tend to be poorer and may live in neighborhoods where crime more frequent

Such areas also attract more police surveillance




Continued

Socioeconomic Status• Social class can be linked to crime• Direct correlation between those caught and lower

social class• Author Jeffrey Reiman

More crimes reported in deprived areas due to fact that poor people are easier to catch and convict and lack access to same resources that the affluent do

• Every step of the criminal justice system wealthy weeded out by a system of:

Bail, public defenders, and plea bargains that all work in their favor


Media and Crime

Crime is sensational• Scares, enrages, and intrigues

NCIS, The Mentalist, CSI: Miami, and CSI: New York• Nielsen’s list of top 10 TV programs• Do not portray accurate depiction of crime or

crime solving• Shows add exaggerated details that make

viewers think most crime is dangerous, tense, and provocative


Continued

Criminologist Marcus Felson• The “dramatic fallacy” of crime

Offenses most publicized by media are far more dramatic than those found in real life

Lead viewers to develop a misperception of crime• Particularly true regarding murder

Murders account for less than 1% of violent crimes and even smaller percentage of overall crime

Offense most commonly portrayed in television shows

• Media use real-life crime as a ratings boost


Psychological Perspectives on Crime

Stanton Samenow• Criminals think differently than non-criminals

Tend to engage in chronic lying (even to themselves) View others’ property as their own Have an inflated self-image

American Psychiatric Association• Criminals are antisocial and unable to conform to the

norms of society• Criminals are impulsive, aggressive, and irritable; they

deceive often and feel no remorse for their actions


Functionalist Theories

French social scientist Emile Durkheim• Crime is always present in society and must

serve some function• Crime provides a clear moral contrast between

what is right and what is wrong Helps unify society

• Crime unites people in the fight against it• Crime can also bring about social revolution


Continued

American sociologist Robert K. Merton• Social factors play a role in criminality• Theory of Anomie

Argues that criminal activity results from an offender’s inability to achieve certain goals

There is a structural problem in America – poor people blocked from achieving goals they believe they should be able to reach

• Social Disorganization Theory Poor neighborhoods with weak social institutions

have higher rates of crime


Symbolic Interactionist Theories

American criminologist Edwin Sutherland• Differential Association Theory

Criminal activity is a learned behavior that stems from the people with whom we interact

The more a person associates with delinquents, the more likely it is that the person will learn criminal behavior


Continued

Criminologist Ronald Akers & Psychologist Albert Bandura• Social Learning Theory

Learning is the key component of criminality People learn all kinds of things, from aggression and

violence to kindness and peace Social learning comes about in the same way as

other types of learning – from being enforced Potential “learning experiences” can come from

those closest to us, and from other interpersonal interactions as well, such as media


Social Control Theories

Social control theories• People are self-interested, and these natural traits can

prompt criminal activity Walter Reckless

• Criminality influenced by both internal and external forces

Internal forces include sense of morality and knowledge of right and wrong

External forces are factors such as police presence• Containment theory

Criminals cannot resist the temptations that surround them


Continued

• Criminologist Travis Hirschi There are four social bonds that affect personal

restraint• Attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief• People who lack these social bonds often become

involved in criminal behavior Attachment, refers to our relationship with others Commitment, refers to our dedication to live a

socially acceptable life Involvement, refers to participating in conventional

activities Belief, refers to a person’s dedication and conviction


Conflict Theory

Social conflict theories• Focus on how issues of social class, power, and

capitalism relate to crime Dutch criminologist Willem Bonger

• Capitalism causes crime because it encourages people to be egoistic and selfish

• Creates a conflict in society that the poor cannot win

Turn to crime as a way to combat social injustice


Continued

Jeffrey Reiman• Capitalism creates a system in which actions of

the rich are not considered criminal, yet actions of the poor are

• Your boss and/or your doctor are more likely to kill you than a stranger, and yet whom do you fear?

• Capitalism creates egoism, whereby people do not care about others, and the ends (obtaining wealth) justify the means


General Theories of Crime Causation

Robert Agnew• General Strain Theory

Strains from society lead people to perform criminal activity

• From individual goals or needs• Strain can result from unpleasant life events• Person might suffer strain from negative

experiences such as abuse and pain


Continued

Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi• Self-control Theory

Criminals simply lack self-control Criminals are not able to delay gratification, so they

seek short-term rewards at the expense of long-term consequences

Most crimes involve spur-of-the-moment decisions Most people learn this form of self-control from their

parents Criminals are raised by people who fail to teach the

importance of rejecting short-term, brief rewards in favor of more pleasurable long-term ones


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