How many of your friends have done something that could have gotten them in trouble with the law during the past year?
none of them
a few of them
all of them
How many times during the past year have you done one of the following things?
stolen something worth more than $5
used a credit card without the owner's permission
used illegal drugs
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CRIME AND CRIMINOLOGY
Crime & Criminology
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Social Control entails rules of behavior. The rules are followed by the members of a society. Some of the rules of conduct fall into the realm of good manners defined by the culture. As such, society (ies), describe behavior that is socially desirable but not necessarily compulsory. The rules of conduct are enforced by laws. The large-scale societies have laws formally written down. This is the case in the United States of America in the year 2006 The criminal justice system guides American society.
This is the beginning of the exploration in Crime and Criminology in the United States, 2006. The objective of this web site is to provide information about the Criminal Justice system. The criminal justice system is a complex maze of rules and procedures. The web site will allow all users to navigate and compare various technicalities that relate to elements regarding the Criminal Justice system in America and in turn make educated decisions on what is the best process to adhere.
WELCOME and ENJOY THE JOURNEY
How laws come about varies from state to state and country to country. In a small-scale society, laws and justice usually evolve over time and are part of the cultural tradition. These are common laws. The large-scale societies, such as America, derive laws from old common laws and formalize them with written penal codes. The numerous laws in complex societies do not evolve organically. These are laws created by legislatures or rulers. The laws are parallel with existing norms and accepted.
It is not uncommon for some laws to be confusing because they are inconsistent or open to interpretation in different situations. Murder laws in the United States provide an example. The killing of one individual is a serious crime. Of course there are exceptions, self-defense and the battle of war. The United States legal codes commonly make a distinction between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree murder cases. In addition there can be 1st and 2nd degree manslaughter offenses. The age and mental state of the killer also extenuates the circumstances. Some states consider advising or aiding in suicide as a crime. Killing certain classes of people, such as law enforcement officers, often calls for a harsher sentence as does murder with a gun in the act of committing another crime. The killing of a pregnant woman is murder. However, the simultaneous killing of her unborn child is not necessarily murder. That statement relates to American society and the division of when human life legally begins (i.e. varies from state to state).
Crimes and disputes are not simple matters in any society. Laws are open to interpretation with a difference of opinion about the evidence. Even when guilt is established, there can be a difference of opinion about the appropriate punishment or terms of settlement. Because these issues are open to differing conclusions, most societies settle legal cases in a court of law. In a trail forum, the conclusive verdict is presented by the jurors with an understanding; without reasonable doubt.
In the United States there is a strong emphasize on the use of positive sanctions to reward appropriate behavior rather than negative ones to punish those who do not conform to social norms. Common positive sanctions include praise and granting honors or awards. Simple recognition from one's peers is often sufficient motivation for people to be model citizens. examples of effective positive sanctions in the Untied States include such things as military promotions, ticker-tape parades, and receiving good grades in school. There are numerous citizenship awards throughout the United States to promote integrity.
CONSERVATIVE |
PROGRESSIVE |
|---|---|
Advocate broad use of death penalty |
Oppose use of death penalty |
Favor low age of criminal responsibility for juveniles |
Favor higher age of criminal responsibility for juveniles |
Favor high levels of incarceration for drug users |
Favor minimal levels of incarceration for drug users |
Favor mandatory and minimum prison sentences for many crimes |
Generally opposed to mandatory and minimum prison sentences |
Favor long prison sentences form many types of crime and criminals |
Favor reserving long prison sentences for selected crimes and criminals |
Favor use of criminal laws to control vices |
Generally oppose the use of criminal laws to control vices |
Favor harsh prison conditions |
Favor humane and comfortable prison conditions |
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