...township’s, and the federal departments as well. Mostly the major part of these departments handle routine duty’s such as patrolling, investigations of crime and murder, and responding to citizens’ complaints. Small departments employ fewer than 25 full time officers which equates to 81 percent or 11,015, then you have departments that employ approximately 5 full time officers which is 7.5 percent or roughly 1, 022, and the remaining rely heavily on part time or reserve officer’s. Then you have specialty departments that consist of airports, parks, agencies that enforce firearms, alcohol, and game or wildlife. Furthermore, you do have certain departments don’t fit into some of these categories such as county law enforcement (Sheriff). County law enforcement in some states only provide court house security, operate the county jails, serve papers for the courts, and assist other departments when called upon. Due to the different sizes and functions of these departments, it is to establish a standard organizational or management style to any one department. The law enforcement officer plays an extremely important role in society by ensuring that functions in society run smoothly and criminal offenders that cause disruptions through committing what has been deemed a crime are apprehended and made to pay for their offenses. One function of the police officer is to provide...
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...approaches in explaining crime. (21 marks) In reference to Item A functionalism is a consensus theory, stating that in society we are governed by a value consensus that we all share. This means we all are socialised into the shared values, beliefs and norms of society. Functionalism uses this idea of value consensus to explain how crime is the result of not following this. It also explains how crime has functions in society and how it can play and integral part in society. Functionalists believe that crime is the effect of inadequate socialisation. This is because we are all individuals with our own experiences and families which raise us all differently whilst still keeping in with the norms and values of society, the problem lies where families socialise their children poorly and the children feel as sense of anomie or normlessness from their society. Meaning that they do not feel connected to the values they were poorly raised into. For instance, Durkheim argued that people feel anomie for the values and this makes them commit crime because they do not know that they aren’t supposed to, or that it is wrong. To them there is a blurred line between right and wrong. Therefore functionalism is useful at explaining what crime is caused by. Functionalists also feel though crime has a function in society, 1 Boundary maintenance, meaning that public displays of punishment (public courts) are seen by all and the values that were broken by the crime are solidified as people...
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...functionalist explanations of the causes and extent of deviance. (21marks) Functionalism is based on the idea of each members of society sharing a common culture and one value consensus, which provides solidarity and binds individuals together by directing them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves. In order for solidarity to be achieved, society must have two main mechanisms; socialisation which instils the shared into its members and social control mechanisms which include positive sanctions for conformity and negative sanctions for deviance. Functionalists view crime and deviance as a positive feature of society which is inevitable and universal. They argue that every known society has some form of crime and deviance, a crime free society would be a contradiction according to Durkheim ‘crime is normal… an integral part of all healthy societies’. Functionalists maintain that there are two main reasons why crime is found in all societies. Firstly not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values thus some individuals are prone to deviate. In addition to this, in complex modern societies there is a diversity of lifestyle because different groups develop their own cultural norms and values what each subculture see as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant. For example; in parts of Africa polygamy is allowed where as in mainstream western culture it is illegal. Durkheim’s develops this further and maintains that in modern societies there is...
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...Police Roles and Functions The various functions of a police agency is to enforce the law, prevent crime from happening, investigate crimes and apprehend criminals, maintaining order, and providing other emergency services (Samuel Walker, 2010). Police agencies also control the behavior and conduct of individuals who may appear to be a threat to someone’s life or property, they help those who may be in need of assistance or may be in danger dealing with physical harm, through this it will help them gain a feeling of safety and security within the community (Samuel Walker, 2010). The police functions differ at the federal, state, and local levels in many ways, according to the CJI (interactive) the local police agencies are the first line of defense against crime, they functions include traffic duty, patrol, providing public assistance, and responding to certain calls for service (CJI, Interactive). Most of the officers spend more responding to calls and patrolling, local police agencies enforce the law of that specific city or town but are limited by certain jurisdictions (CJI, Interactive). State police functions include calling for service, traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, and controlling crime on the highway (CJI, Interactive), they have a state wide jurisdiction, state officers mainly deal with investigation, training duties and court related duties (CJI, Interactive). Federal police functions are investigations, security and protection, corrections related...
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...Assess sociological explanations of the functions and forms of punishments of offenders. Note- Make sure the points link to the question. Don’t just talk about theory. Write about what it tells you about the forms and purposes of punishment. 1- Define punishment. There are many different forms such as…. There are also many different aims such as…. Punishment is the process that enforces a sentence/ penalty for a crime committed. It is one of the main ways sociologists believe we can prevent and control crime. There are many different forms of punishment such as deterrence that sanction the offender to prevent them to commit crimes. There are also many different aims of punishment such as protecting the interests of the ruling class and preventing the working class from rebelling, as foretold by Marxists. 2- Reduction. Say what it is and what it does, including giving examples… Also, say the three types of reduction, what they are and how they help/ effect Reduction is a sociological explanation for the punishment of offenders. They are carried out to prevent future crimes from occurring. There are three ways in which it can be carried out. Deterrence is punishing the individual to discourage them from future offending. “Making an example” of them may also serve as a deterrent to the public at large. An example of a punishment is Anti Social Behavioural Orders (ASBOs). These help deter others from offending because…. You publicly humiliate them to deter others to avoid...
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...Roles and Functions 1 Police Department Roles and Functions University of Phoenix Introduction to Police Theory and Practices CJA/214 Eloise Brooks Don Redden, PhD, Instructor March 11, 2013 Roles and Functions 2 The Police Department main focus is the safety of the American People and enforcing the laws in which they have sworn too. When crisis and danger arise in our community the first words that come out is call the police. The police are primarily a crime fighter. Therefore they promote most of their time and effort enforcing the law, patrolling to deter crime, investigating crimes committed, and arresting the criminals that committed those crimes. (Walker & Katz, 2011) Policing is the most visible but the least understood profession. Law enforcement is not based on pieces of information and dramatizations as what we see on television, it has much more expectations. The duties of a law enforcement officer are more than protecting lives and properties. The officers’ duties depend solely on the size and type of the establishment. The roles and functions of the law enforcers consist of upholding and enforcing the law without being bias, to protect the civil rights and property of all people, to maintain and keep order among societies, to prevent crime from happening, to promote community safety, to monitor traffic and issue citations, arrest suspected criminals pursue and apprehend law breakers. There also other duties such as writing detailed reports and...
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...members. -insures that people internalise the same norms and values. -so they act in the way that society requires * While functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society, they also see crime as inevitable and universal. * Every known society has some level of crime and deviance – a crime free society is a contradiction in terms. * DURKHEIM: ‘’is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies’’ REASONS WHY CRIME IS FOUND IN ALL SOCIETIES: In complex modern societies, there is a diversity of lifestyles and values. Different groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values, so what a subculture sees as normal may be seen as deviant in mainstream society. In complex modern societies, there is a diversity of lifestyles and values. Different groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values, so what a subculture sees as normal may be seen as deviant in mainstream society. In modern society there is a tendency towards anomie/normlessness – the rules governing behaviour become less clear cut. This is because modern societies have a complex, specialised division of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly different from one another. The shared culture and collective consciousness is weakened, resulting in higher rates of crime and...
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...Running Head: Week 2 Assignment 1 Predictive Policing Week 2 Assignment 1 Predictive Policing Your Name Professor Alexander Peter CIS 500 Information Systems For Decision Making 21 April 2014 The components of an information technology system connect with an organization’s mission to enhance their capability. With that the organization can incorporate components of an information technology system to become more proficient in their mission in providing quality services or products. The new components of an information technology system allow organizations to be propelled to the twenty first century from and information technology perspective. Department stores use components of an information technology system to gather information to better service the customers. The company gathers valuable information coupled with analyzing the data and then realigns the needed resources accordingly. They can exceed in meeting the quota of providing supply-in-demand in certain instance. Companies utilize websites to capture information about customers when they visit and browse their website. When the customer login or browse a website a Cookie is created to capture what sites the customer visited and their browsing history. This allows the company to learn what the customer’s vested interest is and provide multiple resources to obtain it. Multiple search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, AltaVista, Excite and AOL search to name a few, which capture...
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...Crime, a Normal Element in the Society Sociologists like Emile Durkheim are more concerned with the study of deviance. Emile Durkheim’s ideas, concepts, and issues are traced, which provides explanations to why he says crime should be considered as a normal element in the society. Functionalism is one of the sociological theories that focus on issues of crime. A functionalist analyzes deviance from a societal point of view rather than the psychological nature of a person or the existing biological explanations. According to Durkheim, crime should be considered as a regular element in the society. He conquered to the consensus and social order of the society about criminal issues (Hawdon, Ryan & Agnich, 2010). His belief was that crime is not an evitable but a typical aspect of social life in different types of societies. He views it as an integral part that ensures the well-being of society. He argues that not all members of a community are equal (Durkheim, 2013). Each is influenced differently according to different circumstances he or she faces. This leads to unequal reluctance in law breaking. Durkheim is a positivist functionalist and clearly points out the reasons for why he says crime should be considered as a regular element in the society. He argues that crime should be regarded as functional and something necessary for a society but not something pathological (Hawdon, Ryan & Agnich, 2010). He says that crime is present in almost every society since each community...
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...To understand the meaning of social institution as it relates to organized crime is to first gain an understanding of organized crime. Organized crime is a group of people involved in illegal activities. Social institution as it relates to organized crime is a group of people seeking their own financial or status gain. Social institutions are found in many societies made up by individuals consisting of leaders and followers in economic, socialization, and formal social control functions. The function of economics is a system of community activity to produce, distribute, and consume goods and services that make the existence of organized crime thrive. The communities’ involvement brings organized crime and economic institutions together (Lyman & Potter, 2007). When society needs social institutions involved with illegal activity, they help in the production as well as the distribution to meet those needs (Sociology, 2011). Socialization function is also a role in organized crime where community socialization accepts legal or illegal behavior (Lyman & Potter, 2007). These social institutions strengthen the social interaction patterns with families as well as other social groups within a community (Lyman & Potter, 2007). There are two types of social institutions involved with organized crime; one is the patron-client relationship where the leader is family oriented basing their normal living within society (Lyman & Potter, 2007). Next is the bureaucratic model, in...
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...Using material from Item and elsewhere, asses the different Marxist view of the relationship between crime and social class (21marks) Marxist believes that in a capitalist society inequality and exploitation of the working class is inevitable. When assessing the relationship between crime and social class Marxist believe because of this exploitation crime inevitable. However there are two main views to this theory traditional and neo Marxist which believes in the same functions of crime (that is inevitable) however has conflicting views on how this occurs. Traditional Marxist believe capitalist society explains crime in 3 main functions criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making, and the ideological functions of crime. Criminogenic capitalism explains that the working class have no other option but to commit crime this may be because; they live in poverty so have no choice but to commit crime, lack of control over their lives therefore due to frustration commit non ulitarian crime such as vandalism, or Ulitarian crime may be the only way they can obtain goods that are advertised in capitalist culture. Traditional Marxism state it is not only working class that commit crime they state that a capitalist society encourages greed therefore promotes white collar crime such as corporate crime. From this the relationship between crime and social class is fairly equal as they both are victims of a capitalistic society. Gordon explains this as a ration response to the capitalist...
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...Functionalist Theory Of Crime Functionalism (The Consensus structuralism theory) Functionalism is a consensus structuralism theory. Functionalists argue that there is nothing abnormal about deviance, and that it is necessary and normal in all parts of societies performing a positive function. The functions of crime and deviance (DURKEIM)Durkheim has identified a positive and a negative side to crime and deviance, it is positive in which it helps society to change and remain dynamic, whilst the negative side sees too much crime leading to social disruption. Durkheim believes that crime and deviance are inevitable and normal aspect of social life. They are inevitable because everyone cannot be equally committed to the shared values that guide ones actions, referred to as the collective consensus. He also believes that crime and deviance perform four essential functions for society: • Crime and deviance being essential for generating and sustaining morality. • Crime and deviance clarify and reaffirm the boundaries. For example by receiving retribution for a crime, such as a prison sentence, the state is making it clear that as criminal/deviant act has taken place. • Crime and deviance can promote social unity. When a crime has been committed, the entire community draws together in shared outrage, and the sense of belonging in a community is strengthened. • Crime and deviance can encourage social change by resulting in a change of shared values. This change in values...
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...Using the material from Item A and elsewhere assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime. (21 Marks) Crime is the act which breaks the criminal laws of society. The functionalists approach to crime and deviance gives us some insight into how society copes with deviant behaviour. However it has limitations for example it only looks at the functions of deviance and not the causes. Durkheim says that to allow social solidarity to occur in society there are two key mechanisms which are socialisation and social control. He states that crime and deviance is inevitable and that it is needed in society as it preforms two positive functions; boundary maintenance and adaption. In Durkheim’s view, the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society’s shared rules. As it states in Item A the publicity given to crime highlights the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and this reinforces social solidarity through for example court rooms which dramatizes the wrong doing and stigmatises the offender and therefore discourages others from breaking society’s rules. For individuals that want adaption, there must be some scope for them to challenge and change the existing norms and values which is deviance. However, in time there values may give way to a new culture and morality. For example gay marriage would be seen as deviant but in current times it has become less deviant in countries such as the United Kingdom because it has become more popular over the last decade. If...
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...usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime (21 marks) Deviance is defined as the state of diverging from usual or accepted standards whereas crime is defined as an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. Usually, we would expect that functionalists would regard crime and deviance as wholly negative. However, functionalists such as Durkheim see the “beneficial effects of crime for society” whether there are “limited” or not. Additionally, functionalists see crime as inevitable and universal. Every known society has some level of crime and deviance. Within this essay, I will be exploring the ways key functionalists such as Durkheim, Merton, Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin view crime and criticisms towards their ideas. Durkheim states “crime is normal… an integral part of all healthy societies.” There are two reasons why crime and deviance are found in all societies. Which are; not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values and, therefore, some individuals will be prone to deviate. Secondly, in complex modern societies there is a diversity of lifestyles and values. Different groups develop their own subcultures with their own norms and values. The mainstream culture may regard their norms as deviant. Durkheim’s perspectives highlights that crime is not just inevitable but it also fulfils two important functions. Firstly, boundary maintenance. Crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members...
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...compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets, we first need to examine what information technology is available to police and further more what information technology means. Information technology is “the collection of computing systems used by an organization” (Turban & Volonino, 2011). According to the Omega Group, who does analysis and mapping with patrol and fire response for successful implementation strategies, the definition of predictive policing as stated by NIJ (A National Discussion on Predictive Policing) is “any policing strategy or tactic that develops and uses information and advanced analysis to inform forward-thinking crime prevention” [ (Silva, 2012) ]. Technology is used in conjunction with predictive policing to implement different information and operations such as crowd control, police patrol, early detection of repeat offenders, traffic control and management, and even neighborhood watches. Today information technology (IT) is used to optimize the performance of police departments’ and reduce crime however in the past random patrols of the streets was the way that police reduced crimes. Before the 90’s New York City had a high crime rate but since the implementation of a data driven management model named COMPSTAT the crime rate dropped tremendously. In fact New York, the city that never sleeps, is said to be the “safest big city in America”...
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