CLJ 220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Misdemeanor
15 Aug 2016
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Lecture one basic theories of crime (january 15) The legal definition of crime: any action that is in violation of law or criminal statutes. Behavior prohibited by the state against which the state can react. Failure to report a witnessed/known about act that is in violation of criminal law. An act committed without justification and punished by the state as a felony or misdemeanor. You can tell because laws change from state to state! Behavior is not criminal until defined as such by society. Behavior not previously defined as criminal can become a crime with passage of new legislation: e. g. Cybercrime, which didn"t exist prior to advancement of the internet. Behavior previously considered criminal no longer are with passing of new legislation: e. g. The reason why some acts are defined as crimes is because they"re outside society"s boundaries of acceptable behavior, which means they are deviant. Actions that society perceives as harmful to its wellbeing.
