...STANLEY ASUMANU 33371253 WHAT GUIDANCE CAN ECONOMIC MODELS OF CRIME AND AVAILABLE STATISTICAL EVIDENCE OFFER TO POLICYMAKERS TRYING TO REDUCE CRIME? The study of the causes and effects of crime was predominant in sociology and psychology. Economic analysis of crime did not take effect until the late 1960s when Gary Becker gave thought into the rationality of crime: “Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach”. Becker’s work was then followed by George Stigler’s “The Optimum Enforcement of Laws” and Isaac Ehrlich’s “Participation of Illegitimate Activities: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation” in 1970 and 1973, respectively (Merlo, 2004). Since then, the separation between economics and criminology has broken down as theoretical and empirical economic research on crime has increased (Machin et al. 2014). The issue to be discussed is how these economic models can guide policy makers to reduce crime. Gary Becker (1968) focused his attention to question “how many resources and how much punishment should be used to enforce different kinds of legislation?” Criminals are rational (Becker 1986). They considered the costs and benefits of committing a crime. Essentially, crime should be made unprofitable rather than incurring costs to eliminate it. Becker (1968) considered the economic importance of crime despite several economists neglecting it due to the immoral aspect of crime. Crime incurs costs; tangible such as medical cost, lost output, cost of creating...
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...Introduction Capital punishment in the United States is largely viewed as retaliation and compensation against society's most malicious criminals. The federal government rarely imposes capital punishment for crimes. The majority of capital sanctions are imposed on the state level for murder. Currently, thirty-two states have death penalty statutes. Of those thirty-two, only seven states carried out executions in 2014 (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2015). Those executions total 35 (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2015). As a result of the low number of executions carried out, experts in the United States have examined the efficiency of the death penalty. To accurately assess the economic costs of the death penalty, the difference between the costs...
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...There are a variety of factors which play a role in determining what is considered criminal activity. Several factors within social, political, and economic inequities have had a roll in creating conflict within society which has led to criminal activities. As a part of the human development process, failed self-direction, an absence of “normal” opportunities, association with defective individuals, inadequate social roles as well as social organization and disorganization are a variety of factors which have led to individuals engaging in what is considered criminal activities. Some theorists say that criminal behavior derives from psychobiological factors such as hormones and human DNA; while others point to inappropriate behavioral conditioning as a contributing factor to criminal activity. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries a classical school of crime causation dominated criminology. Prior to classical theories, superstitious beliefs and mysticism explained the reasoning for deviance. The classical school recognized rationality and the ability to exercise informed choice in human social life. In other words, people make choices and most human behaviors are a result of free will. The majority of the classical theories on crime causation share basic characteristics. Both new and old theories hold that crime is caused by the combination of rational choice and an individual’s free will. Additionally the concepts of...
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...Criminolgy Fall 2013 3 Major Sources of Crime Data Uniform Crime Report Officially reported crime Counts the # of offences known to police . (Doesn’t count the onest that are not reported (For example, Police Arrests) Crimes Reported Voluntary Participation Self Report UCR Part I Violent Crimes: Homicide, aggravated assault, property crimes, larceny, theft “serious crimes” Sean.007@umb.edu 9/10/13 Risk and Personal Safety Crime isn’t exploding The polls say it’s America’s #1 concern , new prisons, longer sentences. Film: Are we scaring ourselves to Death? What are some of the crime myths identified in the film. Crime Surge Particulary violent crime Old, white, women as victims of crime Stranger homicide Violenct Crime Facts National Commission on the causes and prevention of Violence Primarily an urban phenomenon Offenders are primarily males, youth ages 15-24 years minority, low SES individuals - Victims “...” Perpertartors are most likely to be acquantances Primarily committed by repeat offenders 6% for between 53% and 71% of violent crime. What year was this report published? 1969. Victimolgy Emergence: 1940’s Hans Von Hentig First person to really bring the idea of victim’s role in criminal events Victims precipitaton - idea that the victim brings on the criminal act Who is more likely to be victimized Victim- Offender Link Likelihood of vicitimization ...
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...Preventive Measures towards crime against women Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. Similar to a hate crime, this type of violence targets a specific group with the victim's gender as a primary motive. The United Nations General Assembly defines "violence against women" as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women noted that this violence could be perpetrated by assailants of either gender, family members and even the "State" itself. Worldwide governments and organizations actively work to combat violence against women through a variety of programs. A UN resolution designated 25 November as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Although Women may be victims of any of the general crimes such as ‘Murder’, ‘Robbery’, ‘Cheating’, etc, only the crimes which are directed specifically against Women are characterised as ‘Crimes Against Women’. Various new legislations have been brought and amendments have been made in existing laws with a view to handle these crimes effectively. These are broadly classified under two categories. (1) The Crimes under the Indian Penal Code...
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..."Theory" is best described as: a. Fact b. Providing justifications for criminal behavior c. Useful for making sense of otherwise isolated, seemingly random facts d. Useful in locating the one key that will explain all criminological behavior 2. The view that criminal behavior is ultimately driven by supernatural forces is known as: a. Classicalism b. Demonology c. Marxism d. Victimology 3. "Women accused of witchcraft were tied up and thrown in the water. If they survived, they were innocent." This type of practice is known as: a. Capital punishment b. Neoclassicalism c. Torture d. Trial by ordeal 4. The earliest theories of crime causation were: a. Demonological b. Ecological c. Economic d. Classical 5. Beccaria's work can be summarized as arguing that: a. Crime is the result of forces outside of an individual's control. b. Capitalism is at the root of most crimes. c. The punishment should fit the crime. d. Crime rates are related to geography. 6. Jeremy Bentham advocated for "the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number." The term that refers to this approach is: a. Demonism b. Ecological determinism c. Marxism d. Utilitarianism 7. Which of the following theoretical perspectives is based on the premise that human behavior is primarily hedonistic in nature? a. Classicalism/Neoclassicalism b. Demonism c. Ecological determinism d. Marxism 8. Which of the following would an adherent of the neoclassical school propose? a. Three strikes legislation ...
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...theories on crime deterrence and punishment have changed throughout history. Beccaria, Lombroso and Durkheim are three theorists who have changed the way deterrence, punishment and crime generally is viewed within society. This research paper will first explore each of the theorists’ ideas separately. It will then examine the similarities and differences between each theory. Cesare Beccaria, born in 1738, focused on deterrence as the means of crime prevention. Beccaria fits into the Classical School of thinking, and wrote in a time when torture was used regularly to obtain information from people, and where capital punishment could be used for any type of offence. Punishment was based on a retributive means, where the punishment, or harm, given was equal to the harm caused by the perpetrator. In 1764, Beccaria published a book called “On crimes and Punishments”, where he theorised that this approach did not discourage determined criminals from committing crimes. He suggested, however, by taking away their liberty through incarceration that this would deter other would-be criminals not to commit similar crimes, and would also prevent the perpetrator to recommit the crime again. He based this theory on the utilitarian ideals: “the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number” (Beccaria 1764/1994, p. 227). In his book, Beccaria theorised the deterrence to a crime would increase in effectiveness the faster the punishment was delivered. He also argued that the punishment should be...
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...criminal sanctions (Punishments) Prof. Dr. Ayman Elzeiny A - Introduction : "Punishment, "is a concept; criminal punishment is a legal fact." At the heart of all attempts to handle offenders are systematic images of human life and culture, including knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding the human condition and the meanings, purposes, and ethical foundation and rationale of punishment. These ideologies or philosophical approaches provide explanations for the past behavior of the offender, guidelines as to what ought to be done with or to him, and bases for predicting his future after return to the free world. A sentence is an authorized judicial decision that places some degree of penalty on a guilty person. The responsibility for administering this judicial decision is placed with corrections. (1) If we take a historical and global view, the philosophy of punishment has been embodied in four major theoretical positions: vengeance, deterrence, rehabilitation ,and prevention. These positions overlap and intertwine with each other, but a degree of evolution is also evident. The comments made below on these four positions must be understood simply as broad generalizations. ___________________ (1) Gregory Zilboorg, M.D., The Psychology of the Criminal Act and Punishment, Greenwood Press, New York, 1968 , p. 97. - Ernest van den Haag, Punishing Criminals ,New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, U.S.A, 1975 , pp. 14-15. When punishment is justified on...
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...Crime, Punishment and Poverty Name 21 December 2015 Social Problems SOC 203 Ramel Oliphant Crime, Punishment and Poverty Many people do not believe that crime and poverty go hand and hand, but both are a permanent fixture within our society. While reading this you will learn more about crime, punishment and poverty. Throughout this paper we will cover such topics as; criminal sanctions and victimization and how they work to form a system of disadvantage that continues the cycle of stratification and poverty; how families, neighborhoods and other racial groups become impacted by the criminal incarceration of any individual; the disproportionate rate at which African Americans are incarcerated at a greater rate than their Whites counterparts and how economic deprivation plays a factor in criminal punishment. Persons convicted of crimes are faced with another battle due to the criminal sanctions they will face once released. It is sad that factors such as racial, geographical and social status of both the criminal and victim are used to decide the punishment. Both the criminal and the victim face hardships in the future and they must both learn to overcome such injustices. Things such as financial, physical, emotional and mental stability will eventually have an impact of both the criminal and the victim at different times and different capacities. Studies has shown that quality education is not widely available to people living in poverty which ultimately...
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...Jin Law Professor Moss ENGL 1301 April 21, 2009 Should capital punishment be abolished or retained? Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been using for thousands of years. In the last two centuries, as people have realized the importance of human rights, debates over capital punishment have never stopped. More and more people join the campaign against capital punishment, while the others defend it. However, either abolishing the death penalty or retaining it has inextricable problems. The writer’s opinion is that capital punishment will vanish from this planet someday in the future, but for a long span of time from now, to abolish it or not depends on the social situations of different countries. People who are against capital punishment, and advocate replacing it with lifetime imprisonment, list five reasons why they condemn it. Right to life is the first punch. In The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3 says, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” (1). Among all the human rights, right to life is the cornerstone and the carrier of all the other human rights. Deprivation of the right to life is equivalent to deprivation of all the rights, which is inhumane in modern society. On the other hand, capital punishment is a product of the old barbaric concept “an eye for an eye, a life for a life;” and it is actually vengeance killing. Nowadays, most societies do not agree with vengeance killing. Such a brute act...
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...19th Century Crime and Punishment From 1880 to 1895, the number of offenders in a state prison jumped from 30,659 to a whopping 54,244. In just 15 years, there were 23,585 more offenders. During the 19th century, there were many different crimes committed for different reasons. With those different crimes, jails were overcrowded and punishments were needing to be reconsidered and changed to fit the modernizing time. In order to understand crime and punishment in the 19th century one should analyze the newer crimes, a rough economy, law enforcement, and mental health. One element that affected crime and punishment were the different crimes being committed. In Mark J. Collins analysis, “A Daily Life in the 1800’s United States”, he describes...
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...problem of economic, class and racial inequality has been a great issue of concern for many in the United States because inequality goes against America’s cores values of upward mobility economic wise and in social class (Korgan, 2012). These social problems of inequality have been linked to disparities in quality of life and psychological and social well-being. The problem of social inequality has been found to be linked with other social problems such as crime and victimization. The problem of social inequality can even be seen in the criminal justice system in how it treats people of various races, ethnic groups and socioeconomic classes who are processed through the system (Wheelock, 2006). In essence, there exists a disparity amongst race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class in criminal victimization and how people are processed through the criminal justice system that exacerbates the social problem of inequality in numerous social institutions and complicates many individual’s efforts to escape from poverty and achieve upward mobility (Wheelock, 2006). The disparity in criminal punishment is due to various factors such as laws that were implemented to reduce crime, race, and low economic status (Wheelock, 2006). The factors that have a tremendous impact on victimization are demography and socioeconomic status (Raphael, 2006). While violent crimes are not exclusive to poor metropolitan areas, consistent patterns have been observed which reveal lower rates of crime in neighborhoods...
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...For the capital punishment The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. While there are many supporters of it, there is also a large amount of opposition. Currently, there are thirty-three states in which the death penalty is legal and seventeen states that have abolished it (Death Penalty Information Center). I believe the death penalty should be legal throughout the nation. There are many reasons as to why I believe the death penalty should be legalized in all states, including deterrence, retribution, and morality; and because opposing arguments do not hold up, I will refute the ideas that the death penalty is unconstitutional, irrevocable mistakes are made, and that there is a huge gap of race and income level. Putting people to death, judged to have committed certain crimes, is a practice that’s been around for a long time. In the later half of the twentieth century, it has become a controversial issue. Statistics prove consisted application of the death penalty deter crime. No executed murdered has ever killed again. For many years, Criminologists have thought to believe the death penalty has no affect as deterrence to homicides. From 1972-1976, a suspension was place on capital punishment. The United States had 9,140 murders in 1960 where 56 people were executed. Nine years later in 1969 where the United States had zero executions, there were 14,590 murders. After only 2 executions since 1976, murders raised to 23,040. If murderers are sentenced...
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...Crime and Society Throughout history the study of crime has existed. There are a variety of crimes that exists today and as technology advances so does crimes. In order to combat these crimes law enforcement has came up with a variety of techniques. There are a variety of sources as to why people commit these crimes, such as: society, culture, and economics. The criminal justice system has came up with a variety of punishments so that the offender can learn his lesson and become a productive member of society by deterrence, incapacitation, retribution and rehabilitation. In order to combat crime law enforcement must remain ethical and work alongside of society to put a stop to crime. Through the history of social origins of social control have existed and without them we would have chaos. Religion has played a role on how laws were written as most laws are based on morals, ethics, and values. “The Ten Commandments or Decalogue (1200 B.C.), an important influence on American criminal law, prohibits murder, theft, and perjury” (Conklin, 2007, p. 6). English common law is another system that laws in the United States base most of their laws on. Today in states such as California only obey by written law, which are known as statutes. Crimes have evolved throughout time as technology advances. There are a variety of crimes that exists today such as: violent crimes, crimes against children, crimes against elders, property crimes, animal crimes, victimless crimes, white...
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...Asharin 1 Asharin, Justin 4/12/10 Gardner Philosophy Why Capital Punishment Works: Concepts of An Ideal Model Throughout the history of capital punishment, there have always been many criticisms of the penalty questioning everything from racial motivations to give the penalty, to why or why not juveniles should be exempt from the penalty, to the economic efficiency of it. Economically, many believe that the death penalty is a too long and drawn out process, and that giving life in prison is a more efficient process, and saves tax-payer money. In terms of discrimination, there has always been a subliminal sense against certain groups; with those being minorities and juveniles. The death penalty is supposed to only be given as a punishment based on the nature of a crime. However, certain statutes such as the minimum age law for the death penalty attempt to prevent true justice. If a juvenile is deemed competent, and their crime is heinous enough to incur the death penalty, then there is no reason as to why they should not be given it. As for minorities, there have always been questions as to why the majority of inmates on death row are African American. Although racism seems to be the easy answer, it is clear that the true reason is because many African Americans live in higher poverty areas were crime is rampant, thus making them more susceptible to committing heinous crimes. The death penalty should defend certain peoples, and should be used more often against...
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