Study Guide Quiz 3

Q3 Study Guide --  Corrections --  Understanding Crime P1

The criminal justice process

1.  Legislative Phase -- rule of law / legislature passes criminal laws

2.  Crime Scene phase -- mens rea - actus reus  (crime) / investigation / probable cause / arrest

3.  Pretrial phase –  probable cause hearing: sufficient evidence / bail

                                preliminary hearing / charge / plea

4.  Trial Phase -- court hearing for determination of guilt

5.  Sentencing hearing -- PSI written by probation officer / sentenced by judge

6.  Sentence served -- probation or incarceration / parole

Crime defined

The prevailing public belief

The four sources of information on crime

Official: 

Unofficial:

FBI data is not complete

Four weaknesses of FBI data

Violent crimes

Criminal Homicide -- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. Deaths caused by negligence and justifiable homicide are excluded.

Forcible Rape -- The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Included are rapes by force and attempts or assaults to rape. Statutory offenses (no force used and victim under age of consent) are excluded.

Robbery -- The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence or by putting the victim in fear.

Aggravated Assault -- An unlawful attack by one person on another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Simple assaults are excluded.

Serious property crimes

Burglary -- Breaking or Entering: The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. Attempted forcible entry is included.

Larceny -- Theft (Except Motor Vehicle Theft): The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Attempted larcenies are included. Embezzlement, con games, forgery, worthless checks, etc., are excluded.

Motor Vehicle Theft -- The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle is self-propelled and runs on the surface and not on rails. Specifically excluded from this category are motorboats, construction equipment, airplanes, and farming equipment.

Arson -- Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Shortcomings of the victim data

Second strongest predictor of criminality

Crime-rate calculation

Crimes “cleared”