Crime and Justice
Robert Sanders
CJA/204
February 23, 2015
Crime and Justice
Crime is a social phenomenon and is defined as any unlawful act by law where society has provided a specific punishment. There are many different acts such as murder, arson, robbery, larceny, motor vehicle theft and burglary. Crime also consists of acts threatening a nation ,practical jokes such as falsely reporting a bomb threat or hate crimes be it religious, gender or racial. These are also described as negatively affected stereotype groups. Negative stereotypes are often resistant to change even in the face of conflicting information (Devine, 1989; Fiske & Neuberg, 1989), and are intimately linked to prejudice and bigotry (Stroebe & Insko, 1989).
Crimes are classified by felonies, misdemeanors and infractions. A felony is the most serious of these crimes and for this the accused can be rendered to state prison or death Felonies include violent crimes, sex offenses and many types of drug and property violations. A misdemeanor is a less serious offense for which the offender may be sentenced to probation, county jail or a combination of the three. Misdemeanors generally include crimes such as petty theft, assault and battery, and public drunkenness. Infractions are the least serious offense and are usually punishable by a fine. Many motor vehicle violations are considered infractions.
The Justice System has two models: Consensus Model and Conflict Model. Society uses these two (2) common models to determine what a criminal act is. The consensus model is used by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and it shows that the same values and beliefs are shared by the majority. The general norms and values come from society as a whole. Defining the Consensus Model it states that crime is anything that goes against the values and beliefs of society and is considered damaging to society. The Conflict Model is used to determine the content of criminal law....