In criminological/sociological study, what are some of the limitations to defining "crime" as only those actions in violation of criminal law? Do you feel that criminologists should limit their study in this way? Support your response.

What will be an ideal response?


This would relegate the field of criminology to a position as status quo handmaiden of political systems. Hitler's genocide or Stalin's purges were accepted conduct within their political ideological systems. Criminologists must study the deviants-the criminals-as well as the social structural contexts that define them. To provide additional perspectives on crime it is sometimes viewed in ways other than those suggested by the standard legal defi¬nitions. Such alternatives define crime in terms of the type of victim (child abuse), the type of offender (white collar crime), the object of the crime (property crime), or the method of criminal activity (organized crime). Such definitions usually cover one or more of the standard legal definitions. For example, organized crime may include fraud, extortion, assault, or homicide. What is considered criminal changes over time and within societies.

Criminal Justice

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Produce a stress reduction plan for a midsize department

What will be an ideal response?

Criminal Justice

While on routine patrol in a city park, police officers observed an older man involved with a little girl in what appeared to be a case of child molesting. The officers ran to the location and gained custody of the man and handcuffed him

The suspect submitted meekly. Subsequently, in a display of anger, one of the officers hit the suspect in the head with a flashlight several times. When the other officer grabbed the suspect's handcuffed hands and roughly pulled the suspect to his feet in a very painful maneuver, the suspect began confessing to his sexual crimes. He confessed to molesting the little girl and continued to yell at the officers to quit hurting him. The first officer began to read the Miranda warnings to the suspect. Prior to trial, a judge ruled that the suspect's confession, after being beaten with a flashlight, was an involuntary confession and could not be used to help prove the prosecution's case. The defendant took the witness stand and told a different story of why he was involved with the little girl. The prosecutor A) cannot introduce the confession since the defendant was not under oath when he uttered the statement in the park. B) is stuck with the judge's ruling and will have to appeal the ruling if a conviction is not obtained. C) will be permitted to introduce the defendant's park confession as a method of impeaching the defendant's trial testimony because, otherwise, the defendant could commit perjury and get away with a new crime while in court. D) will not be permitted to introduce the defendant's park confession as a method of impeaching the defendant's trial testimony since no one knows whether that confession was a truthful statement. E) can introduce the defendant's confession since it is in direct conflict with what he said to officers in the park.

Criminal Justice

What is an inchoate offense in which an agreement is reached to commit a crime?

a. Criminal attempt b. Solitary attempt c. Conspiracy d. Mutual agreement

Criminal Justice

All of the following are reasons that it is difficult to estimate the number of trafficked victims EXCEPT ______.

A. victims are often fearful of retribution B. victims are often distrustful of law enforcement C. there is no uniform system for collecting data on the victims D. there is poor cooperation among international law enforcement agencies

Criminal Justice