Definitions
Crime Myths
Collective definitions society applies to certain problems and their solutions; social products of telling & re-telling crime-related fictions and sensational stories are known as.
How, according to Reiman’s argument, does our society consider the SOURCES of crime? (AKA, the underlying factors that lead to crime)
Refuses to address the sources of crime
Does Reiman consider the long-time policy prescription of “More Police and More Prisons” and the “War on Drugs” as successes or failures?
Failures
What is an example of the “carnival mirror” effect in CJ?
The emphasis placed in our society on gang warfare rather than corporate fraud
“typical historic evolution of deviant behavior”
Sin -> crime -> illness
relative deprivation
The concept underlying of many ideas in this section is relative deprivation, which is the difference between the rich and the poor. The idea of Crime and the American Dream is that the ideas of success depicted in the mass media encourage ever greater levels of consumption can be a source of crime for both poor and the wealthy
Reiman’s four (4) known sources of crime.
inequality
prisons
guns
drug policy
What two issues does welfare money help with (HINT: think of one individual-level, and one macro-economic issue)?
Allows poor people to survive
Bolsters the economy as a whole through increased buying power
Concerning injuries and deaths due to unsafe work conditions, ‘Defenders’ say that by accepting that job, you ‘consent’ to the risks of that job. Reiman replies that ‘free consent’ is overestimated because:
You can consent to risk ONLY IF you KNOW about the risk.
Between white-collar crime and street crimes, which kill more people, injure more people, and steal more money and property from people?
white-collar crime
Recidivism
habitual relapse into crime
Remain claims that in the US criminal justice system based on empirical data showing disproportionate numbers of Poor people who are arrested, charged, convicted, and sentenced to longer terms in prison is an example of what type of bias?
Class Bias
What characteristics of capitalist society increase the pressure to commit crimes? (3)
1. no guarantee of decent living conditions
2. degradation and humiliation of poor people
3. encourages greedy behavior
What is the bonus of bias?
the idea that: If people are poor, it’s their fault, not the fault of the system; The individual is the one who needs to be reformed, not our social institutions; The greatest threat comes from the poor, not from corporate crime
Which country has the highest incarceration rate (imprisonment) in the world?
US
The "social construction" of crime refers to:
The active creation of our criminal justice system, including definitions of what is criminal.
According to Reiman, the high rates of crime in society can be mostly attributed to:
Inequality in society
What are three “Excuses for Failure” of our Criminal Justice system?
1. “laws are too lenient;”
2. urbanization, population, youth
3. “we don’t know how”
Functionalism is a concept from Emile Durkheim, which suggests that ____
Crime is an essential part of any society and cannot be entirely eliminated
Some argue that mining companies should not be held for responsible for any deaths of their employees because miners had "free consent" when choosing to accept the occupation. What would Reiman's response to this be?
You can consent to risk only if you know about the risk.
Reiman argues that the prison system should promote _______ and prepare inmates for ________
Promote personal responsibility and prepare them for post-release life
According to Reiman, what might be the BEST approach to truly reducing crime:
Reducing poverty
What are three major excuses for high rates of crime:
1. We’re too soft on crime
2. It’s inevitable due to modern life
3. We don’t know enough to stop it
Ideology play(s) a critical role in upholding the criminal justice system making biases in the system________ and institutions appear to be _____
Invisible, neutral
5 elements of a crime myth
Problem portrayed as ‘epidemic.’
Distant, deviant population identified/targeted.
Victims as ‘innocent’ or ‘helpless’
Brave, virtuous heroes to combat crime, and
Threat to values, norms, and traditional lifestyles