Mainstream and Crosscurrents, Second Edition
Chapter 15
Victimless Crimes
Victimless crimes
Drug use, illegal forms of gambling, and
prostitution are considered by many
people to be victimless crimes
because there is no direct victim.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug use and drug-related offenses are
so prevalent that criminal justice
officials must overlook some offenses to
concentrate resources on the control of
other types of crime.
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Drug use and abuse
Abadinsky's definition of drug abuse
"Ingesting a psychoactive substance
that is illegal to possess or that is
taken in quantities that are clearly
harmful."
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Drug use and abuse
A short history of drug use & drug laws in the United
States
 In colonial America, alcohol was
integrated into daily life because it
was safer than drinking the water.
 In 1791, Congress passed an excise
tax on whiskey that led to the
Whiskey Rebellion.
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Drug use and abuse
A short history of drug use & drug laws in the United
States
 During the Civil War, morphine was widely
used to combat pain and dysentery.
 Cocaine was used to treat morphine
addiction.
 Many patent medicines contained cocaine
and morphine.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug control legislation
 In the 20th century a steady
progression of laws attempted to
protect people from the harmful effects
of drugs.
 The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
required producers of food and drugs
to clearly label their products' contents.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug control legislation
 The 1914 Harrison Act was designed
to control narcotics.
 The 1951 Boggs Act increased
penalties for violating drug laws and
regulated both narcotics and
marijuana.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug control legislation
 The 1956 Narcotics Control Act
increased both penalties and federal
authority.
 The 1970 Controlled Substances Act
set forth the current drug schedules.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug control legislation
 The Eighteenth Amendment was
ratified in 1919, and Congress passed
the National Prohibition Act (Volstead
Act).
 Prohibition ended in 1933.
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Drug use and abuse
Drug control legislation
By 1937, the government began to
consider marijuana a serious problem,
and the Marijuana Tax Act was passed.
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Drug use and abuse
The war on drugs
 Testing children for drug use
 Increased penalties for drug use or
sales
 Drug forfeiture laws
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CrossCurrents Drug use and abuse
The drug du jour


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A patchwork of drug laws crafted over many
decades
Drug laws have been aimed at suppressing the
negative effects of addiction.
Critics: Laws are biased against certain groups
of people.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Drug use and abuse
Drug schedules
 Schedule I (no medical use; high abuse)
 Schedule II (some medical use; high
abuse)
 Schedule III (medical use; moderate
abuse)
 Schedule IV (medical use; low abuse)
 Schedule V (medical use; low abuse)
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Drug use and abuse
Drug treatment
Currie's goals for treatment programs …
 Taking treatment seriously
 Making treatment user-friendly
 Linking treatment with harm
reduction
 Making aftercare a priority
 Linking treatment with work
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Drug use and abuse
Decriminalization & legalization
Legalization—the total removal of legal
prohibitions
Decriminalization—the emendation of
laws or statutes to lessen or remove
penalties
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Drug use and abuse
The police and drugs
The police must pursue numerous
goals in controlling illegal drugs...
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Drug use and abuse
The police and drugs
 Addressing drug-related violence
 Controlling drug-related crime
 Addressing drug users' well-being
 Controlling street-level dealing
 Providing programs for juveniles
 Dealing with large amounts of drug money
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Drug use and abuse
The police and drugs
INSERT FIGURE 15-1 HERE
The police must deal with the laws and realities that shape
the contemporary drug scene.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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CrossCurrents Drug use and abuse
A war on many fronts
Some ways prior drug use can come back to
haunt a person:

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Driver’s license
Extracurricular activities (students)
Military
Law enforcement
Political office
Property forfeiture
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Gambling
 Once confined to Nevada and New
Jersey, many states now allow casinos
and gambling establishments.
 Several states have instituted state
lotteries to raise money.
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Gambling
Criteria for pathological gambling
 Preoccupation  Lying
 Tolerance
 Loss of control
 Withdrawal
 Illegal acts
 Escape
 Risks relationship
 Chasing
 Bailout
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Gambling
 Problem gamblers present a number of
concerns for the criminal justice system
as well as society.
 Internet gambling is difficult for the
criminal justice system to control.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
 Prostitution
 Strippers and exotic dancers
 Pornography
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Prostitution
 Prostitution is illegal in nearly every
jurisdiction in the US, except for
Nevada.
 Because prostitution is consensual,
there is no victim to alert law
enforcement.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Sex work
Prostitution
 Most prostitution arrests are the
result of police stings.
 A hierarchy of prostitution reflects
both an economic and social
dimension …
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Prostitution
 Call girl or male escort
 Strippers and exotic dancers
 House girls
 Streetwalkers
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Strippers and exotic dancers
Some communities permit strip
clubs and exotic dancing, while
others do not.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Pornography
 The exact definition of pornography is
open to interpretation.
 The criminal justice system relies on
community standards.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Pornography
The policing of pornography centers on
the difference between erotica and
obscenity.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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Sex work
Pornography
 Violent pornography
 Nonviolent, dehumanizing pornography
 Erotica
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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31
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Sex work
Pornography
Issues connected with the delivery of
pornographic materials …
 Stores that sell sexually explicit materials
 Pornography and the mail
 The Internet
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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CrossCurrents Sex work
Legitimizing sex work

Will prostitution become legalized and regulated
by the government?

Many people advocate such ideas.

Prostitutes would be allowed to advertise, write
business expenses off their taxes, set pay rates,
and lobby legislative bodies for worker
protections.
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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33
© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Questions

What are some of the means of social
control used in the war on drugs?

How has legalized gambling been
transformed in the last 30 years?

Considering the rapid development of the
Internet, what challenges face the criminal
justice system in controlling pornography?
Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents, 2/e
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34
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