Crime

Crime And Deterrence

• For Deterrence to work, threats must be made credible– The Godfather– Certain– Swift– Severe

• If Benefits from Crime outweigh the costs, we have crime

The Police and Deterrence

• Community Policing

• Broken Window Theory

Guns and Gun Laws

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

30,000 gun deaths per year

Federal Gun Laws

• Bans on interstate commerce involving guns

• The Brady Law

• The Impact of Gun Laws

The Courts and Guns

• U.S. vs Miller (1939)

• DC vs Heller (2008)

Who are our criminals

• Men- the biggest predictor of whether someone commits a crime

• Age

• Economics

Who commits Crime

• Race

• Location

• Most Wanted

Who are the Victims

• Race Plays a role

• Gender Plays a role

Race and Victimization

Hate Crimes

• Must show that crime is bias motivated.

• There has to be an actual crime committed

• Hurt Feelings are not protected under Hate Crime legislation

CRIME AND THE COURTSThe Judicial Process

The Bill of Rights Provides Basic Criminal Protections

• ½ of all felonies are dismissed

• Unreasonable search and seizures

• Self Incrimination

• Exclusionary Rule

So you have been arrested step 1

• Read your rights

• Booked

Arrested Part 2

• Taken before a judge before trial– Bail

– Who is denied Bail?

– Recognizance

Arraignment

• The charges are read against you

• Plea of guilty or not guilty

Plea bargaining

• 90% of cases are plea bargained

• Cuts down on costs and system overload

• Critics argue that it disadvantages the poor

Sentencing

• Duty of the judge to decide who gets what

• States differ in maximum and minimums

• This has lead to an increase in incarceration

Where you go

• Jails- run by county or city

• Prisons- usually run by state for sentences of 1 year or more

• Federal Prisons

Incarceration Rates

• 750 Americans per 100,000

• 1 in 30 between 20 and 34

• 1 in 5 black males

• 1 in 36 Hispanic Males

• 1 in 99 adults were in prison or jails

The Growth in the Prison Population

• It has increased by 4x since 1975

• Why the Increase?

Prison Overcrowding

• Locking people up leads to crowded Prisons

• Why is this a problem?

Probation and Prison

Race and Ethnicity

Goals of corrections

• Incapacitation

• Restitution

Goals of Corrections Part 2

• Deterrence

• Rehabilitation

Costs of Corrections

• How much do we spend– 6.8% of state budgets– $49 Billion nationwide– 3.3. Billion in Texas

• Why so Costly?

Costs

The Problem of Recidivism

• The Repeat of an Offense

• 2/3-3/4 are Recidivists

– Parole, Probation and Rehabilitation do not seem to work.

The Growth of the Prison Population

Drug Arrests

What can We do?

• Broad Social Reform

• More Money for Rehabilitation

These are unlikely

Legalizing/Decriminalizing

• Victimless Crimes

• Minor Drug offenses

It sends a message that society tolerates and supports such activities

Alternatives to prisons

• Current system is very expensive

• More unconditional releases

• More House arrests

Make people less of a target

• Better home/personal security

• More cameras

• Decrease environmental opportunities.

Links to More Info

• Pew Center on the States

• University of Michigan

Health Care

Is it a Legal Right

• No– Not Mentioned in the Constitution

– Not wanted by the States

– It therefore belongs to the people

How Much do We Spend

• 2.2 Trillion Dollars

• 8000 Per person

• 16.2% of the GDP

A Hybrid System of Public and Private

• 46% is paid for by the government

• The Rest is from employers, and individuals

Where the Money Comes From

What the Government Covers

• Medicaid

• Medicare

• SCHIP

• Veterans Administration

• Government Employees

Private Insurance

• Fee For Service

• Managed Care- 90% of all private insurance

Terms of Health Care

• Premium

• Deductable

• Copayment

How We Get our Health Care

Strengths of the System

• Best Doctors and Hospitals

• Most Advanced Treatment

• Most Research and Development

• People with Health Care are satisfied With it.

The Problems of the System

• Access

• Cost

• Quality

The Problem of Access

The Problem of Access

• It is not “46 Million Americans”, but 46 Million in America

The Problem of Access

The Problem of Access

The Problem of Access

Why People do not have insurance

• Who are they?

• Health Care is an opportunity cost

Options for the Uninsured

• E.R.

• Self Medicate

• Do Nothing

Problem 2 Quality

• Quality is maldistributed

• We focus on sickness, not health

• We are overspecialized

Problem 3: Cost

• Outpacing Inflation

• Why

Cost- Technology

• MRI’s

• Bypass surgery

• Fake Knees and Hips

• These help us live longer

Cost- Labor

• 5.5 People per patient

• Jobs that require skill and education

• Recession Proof

Cost- Malpractice

• Actually not the suits themselves

• Defensive medicine

• High Insurance- just in calse

Cost- Greedy people

• We want to get our benefits back

• We do not realize the actual costs

• A “Tragedy of the Commons”

Cost- An Older Population

• Our last years of life consume much of our health care dollar

• We are living longer and there are more of us

• More Care means more $

Cost and Prescription Drugs

• Average cost is $2400

• 9 in 10 Seniors use a drug

• Direct to Consumer Ads