Criminal
Justice
Today
Crime:
1. Violates criminal law.
2. Is punishable by criminal sanctions.

Describe the two most common models of
how society determines which acts are
criminal.
Consensus Model:
 Society, though
diverse, shares the
same moral value
system.
 Crimes violate this
value system and
are deemed
harmful to society.
Conflict Model:
 Society is diverse
and constantly
engaged in a power
struggle.
 Dominant groups in
society codify their
values into law.

Define crime and identify the different types
of crime.
An Integrated Definition:



Punishable under criminal law as defined by
a society.
Considered an offense against society as a
whole, and prosecuted by public officials.
Punished by statutorily determined
sanctions that bring about the loss of
personal freedom.
Violent Crime:
◦ Murder
◦ Sexual
assault/rape
◦ Assault/battery
◦ Robbery
Property Crime:
◦ Burglary
◦ Larceny/theft
◦ Motor vehicle
theft
◦ Arson
Public Order Crimes:
White Collar Crimes:
Behavior that has been
labeled criminal
because it is contrary to
shared social values,
customs and norms
(e.g. public
drunkenness).
Illegal acts committed
by an individual or
business entity using
some non-violent means
to obtain a personal or
business advantage
(e.g. embezzlement).
High Tech Crime:
Crimes directly related
to the increased use of
computers and
technology by society.
Organized Crime:
Illegal crimes by illegal
organizations, geared
towards satisfying the
public’s need for illegal
goods and services.
Goals of the Criminal Justice System:

To control crime

To prevent crime

To provide and maintain justice


Federalism is a form of government in which
a written constitution provides for a division
of powers between a central government and
several regional governments.
Ideals of federalism can be seen in the local,
state, and federal levels of law enforcement.

Outline the three levels of law enforcement.

Local and County Law Enforcement
◦ Responsible for the “nuts and bolts” of law
enforcement.

State Law Enforcement
◦ Generally, there are both “state police” and
“highway patrols.”

Federal Law Enforcement
◦ Operates throughout the U.S.

List the essential elements of the corrections
system.

Probation

Jails

Prisons

Community-based corrections


Criminal justice as a “system” – an
orderly progression of events through a
process comprised of agencies working
together.
Herbert Packer compared the idealized
criminal justice process to an assembly
line.


Each step in the assembly line, which
comprises the formal criminal justice
system, is the result of a series of decisions
that must be made by those who work in
the CJS.
When members of the criminal justice
system exercise discretion, this produces an
informal criminal justice system.

Describe the layers of the “wedding cake”
model.

Contrast the crime control and due process
models.
Crime Control Model:
Due Process Model:
A model of criminal
justice that places
primary emphasis on
the rights of society to
be protected from crime
and violent offenders.
A model of the criminal
justice system that
places primary
emphasis on the rights
of the individual to be
protected from the
power of government.

Crime the Bottom Line
◦ The Impact of Law Enforcement
◦ The Scourge of Street Gangs
◦ Gun Sales and Gun Control
◦ The Illegal Drugs Problem
◦ White Collar Crime

Crime and Punishment
◦ The Growing Prison Population
◦ The Economics of Incarceration

Homeland Security and the Threat of
Terrorism
◦ The Patriot Act

Technology: Fighting and Fueling Crime