Transcript Department of Criminal Justice California State University - Bakersfield CRJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice Dr.

Department of Criminal Justice
California State University - Bakersfield
CRJU 100
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Dr. Abu-Lughod, Reem Ali
The Problem of
Social Control
Intro:

Herculean Task: order versus preservation of human rights. The
controversy

Rousseau: “man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”

CRIME: definition. What is criminal versus non-criminal

Example in book.

Acts that are not necessarily criminal but harmful to society. Rosa Parks

Espionage

The rationality of crime; Herbert Simon on human’s rational minds


An organic/heterogeneous society and the complications that lie within
the CJ system. A complex system: crime..> trial…> punishment…> …..
Example of a pilot



The truth behind CJ. Is it a science? Can it be falsified?. C.
Wright Mills “The Sociological Imagination”…..let us step away
from our personal experiences and examine issues while being
divorced from our social location.
As a result we attempt to look at crime and CJ policy from a
more objective position. But what about extralegal factors and
their influences on human behavior and judgment.
Fuller: looks at conventional versus non-conventional ways in
analyzing views towards CJ. He therefore concludes that what
we know about crime is often based on incomplete and
inaccurate info because:
1.
We tend to personalize
2.
All crime is local crime
3.
Crime stats do not tell the whole story
4.
Prejudices
5.
What we “label” as serious and criminal versus
overlooked acts
 Social
 Our
Control versus Chaotic Societies?
institutions of social control
 Socialization
takes place in different degrees.
Socialization in a democratic society and those who
deviate to committing extreme acts
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF CRIME:
1.
Sensational crimes. O.J. Simpson
2.
Street crimes
3.
Corporate crimes
4.
White collar crimes
5.
Organized crimes
ROLE & RESPONSE OF CJ SYSTEM


Different agencies working in conjunction. But is it
really a system? Clear goals (centralized) versus nonclear (decentralized)….more discretion.
How decisions made by prosecutors/attorneys may
affect the system?
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT





Local level: e.g. L.E.
Local jails of 2 types: those awaiting trial and those sentenced
to one year or less. The problem?
State level: e.g. state highway patrol unit, crime labs, criminal
codes, court action, responsible for inmates in prison
Federal level: e.g. FBI, customs, DEA, ATFE
Also appellate courts handling cases from state or federal,
fewer in U.S. Supreme Ct. feds have their own prison,
probation and parole agencies
CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS



Scarcity of resources and effectiveness of the process
Levels of discretion
CJ system as a funnel:
















Crime
Crimes known to the police
Investigation
Arrests
Charges filed by prosecutors
Grand Jury
Initial appearance, preliminary hearing and arraignment
Bail/bail bonding
Plea bargaining
Trial
Sentencing
Probation
Appeal
Prison
Parole
Capital punishment
CRIMES THAT DO NOT ENTER THE CJ
system:
1.
Cost
2.
Discretion
3.
Errors
Problem with the system metaphor?
Goals of the CJ system
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Deterrence
Incapacitation
Retribution
Rehabilitation
Restoration
1. It all begins with the family


How do we make children conform
Love discipline mirrored with the “get tough on
crime” approach
2. Religion
3. Schools
HOW THE MEDIA INFLUENCES MEASURES
OF SOCIAL CONTROL
1.
THE NEWS
2.
HOLLYWOOD
3.
INTERNET
SYSTEM OF LAST RESORT

Why people commit crimes?

The role of the CJ system in dealing with
challenges:
1. Offenders
2. Resources
3. Structure
Individual versus societal responsibility for crime.
Crime as a natural result of a progressive
society