Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs

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the specific area of criminology that interests you because there’s much more to explore than I could possibly fit in these pages.

      In the margins of this book, you find the following icons — mini graphics that point out paragraphs containing certain types of information:

      

This icon points out hints to help you better understand the concepts I cover in this book.

      

This icon points out material that’s important enough to put into your mental filing cabinet.

When you see this icon, you know the information in the accompanying paragraph encourages a note of caution.

      

On a few occasions, I include information that I consider worth knowing but that you may not. If you’re looking for strictly big-picture information, feel free to skip these paragraphs.

      

This icon sits next to paragraphs that contain real-life examples and anecdotes — most often from my years of experience in the criminal justice field.

      In addition to the abundance of information and guidance related to criminology that I provide in this book, you get access to even more help and information online at Dummies.com. Check out this book’s online Cheat Sheet. Just go to www.dummies.com and search for “Criminology For Dummies Cheat Sheet.”

      The beauty of this book is that you can start anywhere and understand it. If you’re the type of person who likes to eat your dinner one food at a time, perhaps you want to start with Chapter 1 and read straight through. But if you’re most interested in the theories about why people commit crime, skip straight to Part 3 and sink your teeth in. If you’re most interested in how the criminal justice system treats juveniles, head to Chapter 22. Where you go next is your call!

      Defining and Measuring Crime

      Understand why some behavior is deemed criminal (or not) and who makes that decision.

      Figure out how we measure crime (it’s not easy) and determine how much crime there really is.

      Learn what it’s like to be a crime victim and what services are available for help.

      Entering the World of Crime

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Figuring out what crime is and how it’s measured

      

Tallying some of the costs

      

Categorizing crime

      

Trying to explain why people commit crime

      

Fighting, prosecuting, and punishing crime

      Entering the world of crime — and I mean really entering it — seriously affects a person. Working in a world of violence and deceit is a hard and trying business. Nonetheless, criminologists and criminal justice professionals devote their lives to studying crime and criminals with the ultimate goal of keeping people safe. In this chapter, you get a brief overview of the criminal world — from what causes crime to what society can do about it.

      Technically, a crime is what your legislature says it is. If legislators want to outlaw riding a horse over 10 mph, they can. (It’s against the law to do so in Indianapolis, for example.)

But just outlawing an activity doesn’t make it a crime. For example, running a red light is illegal, but it isn’t a crime (you only pay a fine). A crime is something you can get locked up for.

      Taking away a person’s liberty is what separates illegal criminal conduct from illegal conduct that is not criminal. And when the possibility of going to jail is involved, you have a number of constitutional rights that don’t apply when you’re caught for a traffic violation, including the following:

       The right to an attorney

       The right to a jury, which can convict you only if the evidence is beyond a reasonable doubt

       The right to remain silent and not have your silence used against you

      Identifying elements of criminal behavior

      Crime isn’t as simple as it seems at first blush. If I signed my credit card receipt in a store and accidentally walked away with the pen, did I commit theft? Of course not. I didn’t intend to steal the pen. To be guilty of a crime, I must have some mental culpability, such as criminal intent. Taking a pen is a crime only if a prosecutor can prove that I intended to deprive the owner of his pen.

      In addition, committing a crime requires a physical act. It’s not illegal just to think about committing a crime; you must physically do something. (Of course, a few exceptions exist. For example, not paying your taxes can constitute a crime.) I explore the elements of a criminal law (which is a law that defines a crime) in greater detail in Chapter 2.

      Not all crimes are equal. The law breaks down crimes into two categories, according to seriousness:

       Misdemeanor: This type of crime includes the least serious offenses. Historically, misdemeanor crimes were crimes that couldn’t be punished by more than a year in jail. Today, however, because overcrowding in some jails is a serious problem, people convicted of misdemeanors, especially first-time offenders, may not get much jail time at all.

       Felony: This type of crime is usually more serious and is punishable by more than a year in custody. Serious violent crimes like murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery are felonies that can result in lengthy prison sentences.

      Gathering crime statistics

      You may

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