The Mythology of Crime and Criminal Justice: Contributing Factors of C

Myths in the Criminal Justice system have plagued the public for years, and can be detrimental, even on a State level. In New York State, the myth that the state is more dangerous than it has ever been can lead to other myths being believed which can turn into poor policy such as the “get tough” approach. By comparing New York State data to data from Canada, the effectiveness of this myth can be debunked and disproven.

Myths are stories giving an explanation of a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon. It is a popular viewpoint, embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society. Although myths are regarded as fictional representations, they often reveal underlying principles. Myths are often able to illustrate an enormous amount of information of social and cultural values. While myths seem to explain events, many times they teach integrating an event into an individual’s belief system. The phrase crime myths does not stray too far from these definitions (Kappeler and Potter, 2005). These types of myths are usually created non-scientifically through the telling of sensational stories. These crime myths often take on new meanings

This book shows viewpoints that contradict one another about crime related issues. In showing that there is two side to looking at crime, such as saying poverty causes crime verses poverty does not cause crime. There can be different ways and theories and trends relating to poverty causing crime but there also is evidence that not all poverty causes crime. This book shows both viewpoints of how one angle of an issue could cause crime but does not always. Looking at crime this way shows that people think it is a stereotype of who commits crimes.

The criminal justice system and the process have molded the laws of the United States to its current existence. The judicial system is designed to punish those who commit crimes against one another and for those who break the laws in other ways. According to Pearson (2012), crime can be defined as conduct in violation of the state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction for which there is no legally acceptable justification or excuse. Pearson (2012) also states, that “crime” depends on where you are, which means it is a daily routine for society and directly affects a person, place, and any witnesses associated with it. The American criminal justice system has many elements with crime as the

Along with the legal definition of crime there are many elements to it such as Harm, Legality, Punishment, Concurrence, Causation, Mens Rea, and Actus reus. Harm is when you do an action during a crime that diminishes the safety of that person or others. Legality has two sides , first the action that the criminal chose that initiated harm must be illegal for it to be a crime. Second, the criminal law must not be declared that the act was not illegal when it was

Since the beginning of civilized society there has always been a need to have a system in place in order to ensure that the laws of the land are followed by all. This system, today, is called the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system is very important in serving the individual needs and society’s needs by making individuals feel safe and secure and by fulfilling societal requirements of punishing that criminal element that infringes on those needs of individuals. The role that the criminal justice professional is vital when it comes to ensuring that individual and societal needs are being met which will in fact keep a certain amount of balance within the system itself.

Community Courts could very well be one of the best things to happen to not only the criminal justice system in the past 10 years or so but for the community also. Rather than sending people for mild offenses to prison for their crimes, such as minor drug crimes, they get the opportunity to rehabilitate back into society and contribute to society as a citizen. Personally, community courts are a fantastic attribute of the criminal justice system. They keep people that shouldn’t be in prison (people addicted to drugs, people who made mistakes in life such as vandalizing or burglarizing a home) out of prison and give them a second chance. Regional treatment courts (drug courts) often play a large role in getting people off of drugs and out of prison. People shouldn’t be in prison for petty things such as having a small amount of marijuana, or any drug at that. Drug addiction is a psychological issue, not physical issues, and drug courts help bring a realization to this to the criminal justice system.

As far as them working all together. We know that myths of crime and criminal justice, for the most part, will revolve around the main themes. We know that there are criminal act or behavior. Though as it shows in the book that the behavior is seized and upon by the media, law enforcement bureaucracies, and politicians as a way to attract people from the public in. They also want to win support for policy issues related to crime. Though we know as they all work together that the crime myths are often hard to pinpoint. From the text I think Green wants us to perceive this idea in always passing helpful information to one another through either public opinion or threw media. We also know that when crime is covered more frequently in local newspapers

on programme decisions relating to operational activity within law enforcement and in judicial sentencing. Nevertheless, there can be and indeed often is, an unpredictability between the public’s awareness of the likelihood of crime in our society and the actual risk of crime. In most cases there is public concern regarding the increase in crime even though, the crime rate is decreasing.

With any criminal offence there are two elements to the crime; the Mens Rea and the Actus Reus. The Mens Rea element is the mental part of the crime and requires proof that the defendant was in a guilty state of mind before the defendant can be convicted of a crime. There are three different types of Mens Rea; direct and oblique intention, recklessness and negligence. Intention is differs from motive or desire.

Causation means that „In order for a crime to be a legal crime, there must be a causal relationship between the legally

The cause of crime, like many societal phenomena, is a source of global contention. Theorists throughout history have repeatedly attempted to deconstruct criminal minds to understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of crime. Not only can criminological theory explore the motivations of criminals living and dead; but it can also be a lens through which to examine fictional crime. Animal Kingdom (2010) introduces a criminal family in Sydney—largely responsible for armed robberies and drug crimes—from the perspective of 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody. He moves in with his grandmother, “Smurf”, when his mother dies from a drug overdose. As he spends more time with his mother’s family, he becomes an unwilling participant in the family’s criminal exploits

My definition of crime is that it is an action or behavior that goes against traditional values and norms and is done out of malice, spite, or personal gain. It is an illegal act unacceptable in the society that deserves punishment. The way in which crime is defined stems from the values and standards that the corporation has developed over time, including what we as humans agree on as acceptable and unacceptable. For instance, it is accepted that stealing is wrong because it can cause financial, emotional, and other problems from the victim and results in the only personal gain for the thief. The contemporary Trait theory comes from the idea of biological positivism and states that criminality is essentially the result of chemical alterations

Different criminology theories explain the origin of crime and factors influencing offenders to commit a crime. Sociological and social control theories state that every person has the ability and chance to commit criminal offenses, but they choose not to due to social constraints and fear. Through the social strain and learning concepts, people of all ages including the youth engage in criminal activities due to Therefore, juvenile delinquency is viewed as a reflection of an inadequate external control and internal values among children, hence providing an opportunity for them to become delinquents (Flowers, 2002).

Crime choice theory, often referred to as environmental criminology or ecological criminology, is a branch of criminology that was supposedly started by the classical school’s Cesare Beccaria. As with many theories, it has evolved with time, but the basics of it have stayed much the same throughout time. Crime choice theory can relate through other theories such as; routine activity theory, environmental criminology, situational crime prevention and crime prevention through environmental design. In addition, it has helped to provide explanations as to how, when, and why crime occurs; as well as provide potential crime prevention strategies. Crime choice theory has had a lasting impact on criminology, and crime theories from its conception, and continues to impact areas of criminology theory today.