SOCI 1000 Lecture 12: Crime rates chapter 12 part 2
12 Jun 2018
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Department
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Crime rates
Crime rates are different between countries difficult because
1. Different countries have different definitions of crimes. (drugs
being legal in some places but not others)
2. Countries have different levels of reporting. Some countries
have lest trust in the police. Different methods for collecting
data
3. Cultural differences in norms and values influence what people
consider to be a crime. (countries with high gender inequality,
women may be discouraged from reporting sexual assault)
4. Some countries may intentionally skew data to manage
perceptions. (not to scare tourist away)
Crime severity index: measures the seriousness of crime reported
to police
Crime trends
Gender: men commit more crimes than women
Class:
- Crime rates are higher in poorer neighborhoods
- Poor people arrested and charged at higher rates
- White collar crimes under- reported, under-prosecuted and
normatively considered different or less serious
Ethnicity: linking ethnicity and crime is controversial\
Responses to deviance and crime
How are laws made
1. Consensus model of law
- People in a society agree that a certain behavior should be illegal
- Law is an outcome of democratic processes
2. Conflict model of law
- Powerful people write laws to promote their own interests and
control others
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Crime rates are different between countries difficult because: different countries have different definitions of crimes. (drugs being legal in some places but not others, countries have different levels of reporting. Some countries have lest trust in the police. Crime severity index: measures the seriousness of crime reported to police. Crime rates are higher in poorer neighborhoods. Poor people arrested and charged at higher rates. White collar crimes under- reported, under-prosecuted and normatively considered different or less serious. How are laws made: consensus model of law. People in a society agree that a certain behavior should be illegal. Law is an outcome of democratic processes: conflict model of law. Powerful people write laws to promote their own interests and control others. Law reflects inequalities in power in society. How are laws and norms enforced: agents of formal control. People who are given powers by society to enforce laws. Police, judges: agents of information control.
