Crime Punishment Sociology Mrs Furbush Lesson Outcomes Examine

Crime & Punishment Sociology Mrs. Furbush

Lesson Outcomes • Examine inequalities of race, gender, and age within American society. • Examine the level of violence in selected sample of large cities and identify potential common contributing factors. • Examine the prison system and prisoners’ rights. • Discuss how crime and violence are both economic and social issues. • Examine the death penalty and develop a personal position statement as to whether it is “right or wrong. ”

Warm-up Think/Pair/Share • What crimes today do people consider the most severe? • Make a list of the 5 crimes you consider to be the most deviant? • Next assign a punishment for each crime

What is crime? • Acts committed in violation of the law • Crime has increased greatly in the US from the 1960 s to the 1990 s • Violent crime rates are considerably higher in the US than in most other industrialized countries

Interesting Stats on US Crime • Rate of homicide in • In 1995, handguns US is 23 times greater used to murder # of than in England people: • 2 in New Zealand • 15 in Japan • 30 in Great Britain • 106 in Canada • 213 in Germany • 9, 390 in US

Juvenile Crime • Refers to legal violations among those under 18 years of age • 3 rd largest group of criminals in US • Teen crimes include: theft, murder, rape, robbery, assault, and the sale of illegal substances • Specific juvenile crimes include: failing to attend school, fighting in school, and underage drinking and smoking

Juvenile Crimes have Gone Down • • Reached lowest levels in 1999 Why? Decline in demand for crack cocaine Remaining Crack Gangs stopped providing guns to juveniles because of truces • Stiffer penalties for repeat offenders • Police are cracking down on illegal guns

Crime Control • 1. 2. 3. 4. Four approaches Deterrence Retribution Incarceration Rehabilitation

Deterrence • Uses the threat of punishment to discourage criminal actions • Research shows that deterrence works well only if people know 2 things---they will get caught and punishment will be severe. • In the US, punishment is not always certain, swift, or severe so it is not as effective as it could be

What about the Death Penalty? • Research does not show a decline of murders as a result of the death penalty • However, ¾ of Americans believe that it is a deterrent to murder • Of the Americans that favored the Death Penalty, ¾ of those people said that they would still favor it even if stolid evidence showed it was not a deterrent—feelings of revenge & retribution fuel this belief

What about the Death Penalty? • Attitudes vary by ethnic groups • 75% of whites favor it while only 40% of African American do and 52% of Latinos • Statistics show that after conviction, both African Americans & Latinos are more likely than whites to receive the death penalty • African Americans comprise 13% of population but make up 43% of death row inmates in US

What is the relationship between Race, Ethnicity, & Crime? • Conflict Perspective supporters cite these statistics that show that minorities receive unequal treatment—African Americans & Latinos dealt with more harshly than whites • More likely to be convicted, serve more time, more likely to be on death row • Nearly ½ of all homicide victims are African American; however, the majority of people on death row are there for killing whites

How could this happen? ? ? • Minorities have less money for legal services • Victim Discounting---process of reducing the seriousness of the crimes that injure people of lower status

Retribution • Punishment intended to make criminals pay compensation for their actions • “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” • The law allows designed officials to exact retribution • However, private individuals may not take personal revenge

Incarceration • Keeping criminals in prisons & not out on the streets to commit more crimes is the purpose of incarceration • US recently took a tougher stance with the Three Strikes Law that has led to an increase in the number of people in prision

Rehabilitation • The goal of rehabilitation is to resocialize criminals • Most prisons have programs aimed at giving prisoners the work & social skills needed to help them adjust to life when they get out of prison • 30 -60% of released prisoners go back to jail in 2 -5 years; this is called Recidivism • Why Recidivism? ü Basic nature of the offenders ü Influences of more harden criminals ü The stigma of being an ex -convict

Alternatives to Prison Read page 231 and write an explanation for each of these programs: • Combo of Prison & Probation- • Community-based Program- • Diversion Strategy-

Let’s Practice. . Indicate which form of punishment applies… ______Imprisonment without parole ______Longer prison sentences ______Extremely harsh conditions ______Psychological counseling in prison ______Swift Justice ______Payment for Damages ______Boot Camp ______Community Service ______Three Strikes Law

Video: “The Killing Fields of America” • CBS Special • Centers on different cities around the country • Illustrates why crime is both an economic and social problem • Take notes as you view on the provided note sheet