Introduction to Criminal Justice A Personal Narrative Approach Chapter 1 Alissa R Ackerman PhD Meghan Sacks PhD What is Criminology Criminology is the scientific study of the causes of crime Crime is a relative phenomenon ID: 765348
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Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Personal Narrative Approach Chapter 1 Alissa R. Ackerman, PhD Meghan Sacks, PhD
What is Criminology? Criminology is the scientific study of the causes of crime Crime is a relative phenomenon Criminal laws do not remain constantStudying only criminal behavior is not enoughAlso study how certain behaviors become criminalized to begin with. We study what causes crime so that we know how to prevent, reduce or manage crime in its various forms. © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Criminal Justice System Criminology and criminal justice go hand in hand Criminal justice is how we respond to crime as a society The criminal justice system has many different moving parts Usually thought of as three big parts: police, courts and corrections. The police are those tasked with enforcing the law. The courts are the place where legal guilt is decided and sentences are handed down. The correctional system is meant to carry out a sentence handed down by the courts. © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
Herbert Packer’s Two Models of Justice Packer’s models are very helpful in discerning the two larger competing values that often guide justice in our system: crime control and due process. The crime control model is one in which controlling crime for the security of society is the primary purpose of the criminal justice system. The Due Process model focuses on limiting police and prosecutorial powers. © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
Perceptions of Crime and Criminal Justice P erception of crime and justice is quite often driven by politics and media. The effect of sensationalized crimes and trials leads to serious misperceptions about our justice system. The Criminal Justice Wedding Cake© 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
DISCUSSION/ESSAY QUESTIONS What is the difference between criminology and criminal justice? Why is it important that this distinction be made? What exactly do criminologists study? Discuss the major foci of the field. What are the three main “prongs” of the criminal justice system? How are they interrelated? Discuss Herbert Packer’s “Two Models of Justice.” Which one are you more likely to adhere to? What is the “Criminal Justice Wedding Cake”? How does this influence criminal justice case processing. © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Personal Narrative Approach Chapter 2 Alissa R. Ackerman, PhD Meghan Sacks, PhD
Primary Sources of Data It is important to accurately measure the nature and extent of crime in the Unites States We need both lived experiences and crime statistics to understand the true nature of crime and crime trends We have three primary sources for crime statistics in the United StatesThe Uniform Crime Report (UCR) © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Crimes reported to the police Run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation 17,000 law enforcement agencies participateDivided into Part One and Part Two Offenses UCR is national systematic source of crime statistics that is easy data to obtain but there are weaknesses UCR undercounts crime by using hierarchical rule, which only counts the most serious crime if multiple crimes reported Police recording practices may be incorrect or biased Majority of crime goes unreported © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
The National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) Designed to update UCR in 1980s More information about offender, victim and offense More comprehensive list of crimes Approximately 31 states NIBRIS certified © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
The full set of PowerPoint slides is available upon adoption. Please contact Beth at bhall@cap-press.com for more information. © 2016 Carolina Academic Press, LLC. All rights reserved.