Lesson 13: The Criminal Justice System

Attention

Lady Justice is often depicted as holding scales in one hand, a sword in the other, and being blindfolded...what are the iconographic meanings of these symbols?

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify key components of the Criminal Justice System and evaluate the effectiveness of this system on social control
  • Distinguish between the types of crimes that would be heard in a civil court vs. a criminal court.

Teaching

Different kinds of deviance have different degrees of seriousness

Crime is a form of deviant behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable by fines, jail terms and other negative sanctions.

An interesting question for sociologists to ask is: Who defines what is deviant?  Or better yet, what is normal?

  • Conventional (or street) Crime
    • All violent crime, certain property crimes and certain moral crimes
  • Occupational (or White-collar) Crime
    • Illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs.
  • Corporate Crime
    • Illegal acts committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation or with its support.
  • Organized Crime
    • Business operations that supply illegal goods and services for profit.
  • Political Crime
    • Illegal or unethical acts involving the usurpation of power by government officials, or illegal/unethical acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders seeking to make a political statement, undermine the government, or overthrow it.

To fully understand the answers to this question we have to take into consideration what we have learned about social structure.  Individuals and institutions within our society have been charged with the responsibility of determining what is normal and what is deviant…all together these create a sense of what is normal for our society.

The Criminal Justice System

Consider the following groups and their role in defining what is normal and what is not:

  • Police
    • have the responsibility for crime control and the maintenance of social order.
  • Courts
    • Many times when a case goes to court it is not clear if a crime has been committed. Depending on the type of crime, judges and juries will decide if a particular behavior happened and how it should be punished
  • Psychiatrists and Psychologists
    • These individuals collectively publish a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders.  The guidebook provides diagnostic criteria for determining if behavior is simply eccentric or abnormal.
  • Legislators and Law Makers
    • Ultimately what is considered criminal is based in policy.  Policy that has been developed in light of legislative action that limits, or controls interactions among individuals.
    • Different levels of government have control over different kinds of interactions.

Criminal Justice in America

Click HERE to download a GREAT document outlining the process of the Criminal Justice System...it is very enlightening!

Statistics on Crime

The statistics on crime come mainly from the Uniform Crime Report, or UCR,  (those crimes reported to the police) and from the National Crime Victimization Survey.

Crime statistics do not reflect much of the crime that occurs because the person is not caught or reporting simply does not happen.

The FBI maintains the UCR at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

The NCVS is explained at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/NCVS/ and can be retrieved at the website for the Bureau of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict.htm

These websites contain a wealth of information about crime and the criminal justice system.

Frivolous Law Suites

We have all heard about weird court cases where plaintiffs have made off will lots of money...most of what we hear is not correct. Click HERE to review a short report (with interesting links to more information) on the status of Frivolous Law Suites in America.

Culture and Crime

Click HERE to view an interesting, short article on the possible relationship between the advancement of higher culture and the incidence of crime in Western Civilization. Good read!

Assessment

Possible Class Discussion

Consider how good a job do you think the Criminal Justice System is doing in terms of providing Social Control in our society. Be sure to consider how the media might paint a very different picture than the true reality.

Reflect on your own interactions in the Criminal Justice System (optional).

Lesson 13 Quiz

Prior to taking this quiz, visit the State of Maine Judicial Branch website on CIVIL ACTIONS and CRIMINAL CASES

  • Define and provide an example of a case that would be heard in a civil court
  • Define and provide an example of a case that would be heard in a criminal court