Myths And Reality Of Crime Essay

a. Imagine asking 100 strangers to describe a criminal. Predict whether those descriptions would be likely to focus on street criminals, or the variety of topics covered in this video. With everything that’s going on nowadays I would say that it’s a combination of both, although it is more likely that those 100 strangers will choose the street criminals. Most people don’t know too much about the white collar or corporate crimes until it happens and maybe because it something that affects them or they think will in the future. b. Describe how society defines crime. Do not provide a definition – instead, explain how the definition is reached. Society defines crime in different ways. What that mean is some people see crime as someone who violates the law. Killing, stealing and raping someone are some of the things that people and society defines as a crime behavior that violates law. It can be defined through laws, through official police reports of crime, or through victimization surveys of persons who have been involved in crime but perhaps not involved with the police department. c. Discuss how society decides what to define as a crime. Society decides that crime is defined as an unlawful act that to the state is punishable by jail time. Society also thinks that crime modern criminal law does not have a simple or universally definition when it comes to criminals, although there have been different definitions that some people have been using for centuries that they believe is form of crime. The most popular thing that people view as a crime is if it’s declared by a relevant and applicable law. Another way that society defines crime is that a when an offence is an act that’s harmful not only to an individual person but also to a the community, society and the state as what they think is a public wrong. d. Present a clear statement about a particular crime, something we know to be absolutely true. Illustrate how we know that this is an accurate statement. The Atlanta Child Murders, known as the â€Å"missing and murdered children cases was murders that was committed in my home state of Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in the summer of 1979 and going on until the spring of 1981. Over the two-year period there were 28 African-American children, adolescents and adults that were killed. During this time many parents were keeping a close eye on their children or just keeping them indoors in order to keep them safe. I know because I was one of those children who had their parents keep them indoors during that time. We were only allowed outside to go to school, and our parents walked us to and from the bus every day to make sure that we were safe. Schools were also taking precautions too; either keeping the students in the schools or making sure that no child was left alone. It has been said that a native of Atlanta, Wayne Williams, who was 23 years old when the last child was murdered was arrested and convicted of two of the adult murders. It i s aid that the murders started on July 21, 1979 with the last being on March 12, 1981. In 1979, Edward Hope Smith and Alfred Evans were both 14 and disappeared four days apart. It was said that they were the first victims with the last victim being a 27 year old named Nathaniel Cater. e. Present an example of a widely held myth or misconception about crime and society. Determine how we know that this is a myth. Explain why this myth is so difficult to abandon. Myth 1: Mass murderers snap and kill indiscriminately. That’s not true. What I have found out is that Mass murders carefully plan out their attacks, months in advance. Myth 2: Mass shooting are on the rise With all the school shootings happing today, is it no reason why people are saying that mass shootings are on the rise and people wanting there to be some kind of solution to the mass killings. Myth 3: Violent entertainment, such as video games and movies are linked to mass murders. I believe that there are some games that can lead to mass murders. Myth 4: Restoring the federal ban on assault weapons will prevent these horrible crimes. I think that when the ban on military-style assault weapons expired in 1994 it should have been restored. Having this ban will not stop all the killings but it can slow them down. Myth 5: Increasing physical security in schools and other places will prevent mass murders. Although increasing security in schools is a good idea and it being said that it may cut down on the mass murders that’s going on in the world today, if a killer wanted to kill a large group of people he will find a way around all the protection that people are putting up these days, the security is not going to stop him. References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3zuAbqY6Hw https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47476&aid=18596&loid=137445&Plt=FOD&w=320&h=240