CHAPTER 1: Introduction--"What is Crime?"

FOCUS OF BOOK:   What is Crime?? Their thesis: NO EASY ANSWER
There are many ways of looking at crime, including:

1) Sickness/individual patholology
2) Moral/ethical lapses
3) Social problems
Our text looks at crime as a SOCIAL PROBLEM.

This means that the concern isn't with moral judgments, but with
the impact of unacceptable behaviors on society.

The authors argue that the media shape our view of crime:


1) Crime stories dominate, especially dramatic and violent crime
   (ASK FOR EXTRA CREDIT: What pct of tv (6-10 pm, fox,
    abc, cbs, nbc, is crime or law enforcement related?)


2) Media give the impression that crime is rising

3) Media distort the incidence of nonviolent crime (eg,
non-violent crimes like theft comprise 47 pct of all crimes
report to police, but only 4 pct of all crime items in
newspapers)

WHAT IS "CRIME?"

1) Natural Law v. Positive law definitions

2) Definitions of WHAT is a crime change

3) Legal category: Crime characterizes in two ways:
   a) Mala in se (wrong in itself) or mala prohibita
      (prohibited acts)
   b) Actus reus (an illegal act or ommission)
   c) mens rea - intent/responsiblity

The authors argue: The starting point to explain crime is that
INDIVIDUALS' ACTIONS are "DETERMINED" by their position in society

SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS OF CRIME

1) Crime as violation of norms
   (Thorsten Sellin: One's conduct norms may differ from
   others' conduct norms, based on group belief. Point: Crime
   should not be studied simply as "legal" phenomenon

2) Crime as a social harm or injury
   Donal Sutherland: Expand crime to include social harms/injury

3) Crime as a violation of human rights

   (Authors)
4) Crime as "deviance"

In looking at crime as a social problem, the text looks at the
interplay of economic, political, and other forces to show the
complexity of the concept.

Authors look at the concept of criminal law and social control
(eg, Donald Black: Societies with the MOST laws are those with the
MOST inequality (eg, "behavior of law") - see four styles of
social control on p 24
mechanisms to law "manufactures conformity."