Social Problems 7th Edition Macionis Solutions Manual Download

Macionis, Social Problems, 7e
Solution Manual for Social Problems 7th Edition Macionis

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CHAPTER 6
CRIME, VIOLENCE, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
IM CHAPTER CONTENTS
© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter Update
Author’s Note
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
Detailed Teaching Objectives
John’s Chapter Close-Up
John’s Personal Video Selection
Research for a Cutting-Edge Classroom
Teaching Suggestions, Exercises, and Projects
Web Links
Essay Questions
Film List
CHAPTER UPDATE
The changes in <LINK>Chapter 6</LINK> of this revision begin with a new discussion of
“missing black men” due linked to mass incarceration. The discussion of rape now reflects the
new non-gendered definition adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice. There is also expanded
discussion of statutory rape. There is expanded and updated discussion of guns and deadly
violence. The discussion of punishment has been heavily rewritten. Also find updates on all
criminal statistics, public perception of the crime problem, the number of hate crimes, the
decriminalization of cannabis, the rising number of gang-related killings, the high level of mass
murder in the United States, and the declining use of capital punishment across in the united
States.

AUTHOR’S NOTE
Here are this chapter’s major lessons for your students. First, the chapter defines crime and
presents a statistical picture of the frequency of major “street” crimes (violent crime and property
crime) as well as a social profile of those arrested for these crimes. The discussion is expanded
with consideration of related concepts, including white-collar crime, corporate crime, and
organized crime.
The second part of the chapter deals with violence, which may be criminal (homicide)
and may be widely celebrated (football). How society constructs meaning around specific acts of
violence (as either “problem” or even “solution”) provides a good illustration of our broader
theme of the “social construction of problems” (see pp. <PG>173</PG>–<PG>179</PG>).
There is little doubt that, in global comparisons to other high-income nations, the United
States is a violent country. The chapter accounts for this pattern by linking violence to factors
such as poverty, drug use, the mass media, youth gangs, and widely available guns (pp.
<PG>173</PG>5–<PG>179</PG>).
The criminal justice system is the next point of focus. Notice that police discretion, plea
bargaining, and punishment are all illustrations of a “social construction” process by which
individuals make sense out of troubling behavior (pp. <PG>179</PG>–<PG>185</PG>).
Finally, a word about theory. There are biological and psychological theories of crime
and violence, and they are included in the chapter. Their limitation, from a sociological point of
view, is that these view such behavior as a trait of certain individuals. Sociological theories
advance the claim that crime and violence is part of the organization of society itself. I have
always enjoyed teaching about crime and violence sociologically because all the major
theoretical approaches convey powerful messages: (see pp. <PG>185</PG>–<PG>191</PG>)

 Structural-functional theory: deviance is inherent in all social organization
 Symbolic-interaction theory: it’s not so much what someone does that matters as how
others react
 Social-conflict theory: patterns of crime and violence are linked to social inequality
 Feminist theory: patterns of crime and violence are linked to gender stratification
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Understanding Crime
6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
 Norms, Law, and Crime
o Norms are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its
members.
o Law, a norm formally created through a society’s political system
 Civil law defines the legal rights and relationships involving individuals
and businesses.
 Criminal law defines everyone’s responsibility to uphold public order.
o Crime is the violation of a criminal law enacted by the federal, state, or local
government.
 Misdemeanor is a less serious crime punishable by less than one year in
prison.
 A felony is a more serious crime punishable by at least one year in prison.
o Under our legal system, crime typically involves not only an action (or,
sometimes, a failure to act) but also intention.
o Recent survey found that 58 percent of U.S. adults consider dealing with crime to
be a “top priority” for our society.
 Crime Statistics
o Police departments across the country make regular reports to the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI), which compiles an annual publication entitled Crime in the
United States: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).
 UCR includes only crimes that are known to the police, but how many
crimes are never reported.
 A second concern is that the UCR gathers statistics on “street crimes” but
not “elite crimes,” which include business fraud, insider stock trading,
corruption, price fixing, and illegal dumping of toxic wastes.
o Crime against property, which is crime that involves theft of property belonging
to others.
o Crime against persons, crime that involves violence or the threat of violence
against others.
 Violent Crime: Patterns and Trends
o The crime rate for property offenses is more than seven times higher than that for
violent crimes against persons.
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o Murder
 The U.S. murder rate has been falling since 1993 and it now stands at
about the same level as it did back in 1960.
 FBI data show that for murder cases in which the relationship of the
victim to the offender could be determined, 79 percent of victims knew the
offender. Furthermore, in 26 percent of the cases, victim and offender
were actually related.
 Stalking is defined as repeated efforts by someone to establish or
reestablish a relationship against the will of the victim.
o Forcible Rape
 Efforts by colleges and universities to educate students about “date
rape”—sexual assault in which the offender and victim know one
another—have encouraged more victims to come forward.
 The FBI statistics do include attempted rape, but they do not include sex
with a minor (typically a person under 18) when no force is used, which is
a crime known as statutory rape.
o Aggravated Assault
 Aggravated assault is the most common crime against a person,
accounting for 63 percent of all reported violent crime.
o Robbery
 Since 1991, the general trend in the robbery rate has been downward.
 Personal Stories: Stalking: The Construction of a Problem
 Property Crime: Patterns and Trends
o Typically, the victim of a property crime never sees the offender. This is one
reason that police make an arrest in only 19 percent of reported property crimes
compared to 43 percent of reported violent crimes.
o Burglary
 Despite a decade-long decline in the burglary rate, there were still more
than 1.7 million burglaries in 2014.
o Larceny-Theft
 Unlike burglary, such cases do not involve “breaking and entering,” and
offenders typically commit their crime in a public place and use no force
or violence.
o Motor Vehicle Theft
 The recent trend for this crime has been downward. Yet, the number of
motor vehicle thefts—including stealing cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles,
and snowmobiles—still exceeded 689,000 in 2014.
o Arson
 The FBI does not have data on arson for the entire country, but some
studies suggest that millions of cases of arson occur annually and that the
rate has remained about the same in recent years.
 “Street Crime”: Who Are the Criminals?
o Using FBI data, we can “profile” the typical street criminal in terms of age,
gender, social class, race, and ethnicity.
o Age
 For all offenses, those most likely to be arrested are the young.

o Gender
 Men make up about half of the general population, but in 2014, they
accounted for 62 percent of arrests for property crimes and 80 percent of
all arrests for violent crimes.
o Social Class
 Sociological research has long shown that people of lower social position
are involved in most arrests for street crime.
o Race and Ethnicity
 With regard to property crime, whites represent 69 percent of all arrests,
and African Americans account for 28 percent. In the case of violent
crime, whites represent 59 percent of arrests and African Americans 38
percent. In terms of actual numbers, then, most “street crime” arrests
involve white suspects. But in proportion to their share of the population
(about 13 percent), African Americans are more likely than whites to be
arrested (U.S. Department of Justice, 2015).
 Black males are six times more likely than white males to spend time in
jail, a pattern sometimes described as the problem of “missing black
men.”.
 African Americans have a high poverty rate. More than one-third of all
black children grow up in poverty, compared with one-eighth of white
children.
 More police patrols are found in poor neighborhoods, especially those
with high African American populations. Prejudice based on race and
class can prompt people to suspect blacks of criminal behavior simply on
the basis of skin color.
 Seventy-one percent of black children are born to single mothers,
compared with 29 percent of white children. Single parents have less time
to supervise children.
 Street crimes are offenses for which police are likely to arrest low-income
people. But white-collar crime, corporate crime, and organized crime—all
discussed in the next section—typically involve a far larger share of white
and wealthy offenders.
II. Other Dimensions of the Crime Problem

6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
 Juvenile Delinquency
o Juvenile delinquency is violation of the law by young people (the definition of a
“juvenile” varies from state to state, but it is generally someone under the age of
18).
o Criminal cases involving juveniles are heard in a juvenile court, which focus on
helping children straighten out rather than simply punishing them.
o When punishment is applied to juveniles, incarceration typically extends only to
the legal age of adulthood (typically between eighteen and twenty-one). In
addition, the offender is incarcerated at a juvenile detention center rather than in
an adult prison.
 Hate Crimes

o Hate crime is a criminal offense against a person, property, or society motivated

by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation,
gender identity, or ethnicity or national origin.
o Rates of hate crimes are underreported because some police organizations do not
record or submit hate crime data. For another, many victims—particularly gay
men and lesbians—are reluctant to report their victimization.
o The odds of becoming a victim of a hate crime are especially high for people with
multiple disadvantages, such as gay men of color. Even so, hate crimes can
victimize anyone.
o Critics argue that because acts such as assault are already against the law, special
hate crime laws are unnecessary. In addition, because such laws end up punishing
people’s attitudes toward others, critics view such laws as a step in the direction
of government “thought police.”
 White-Collar Crime
o White-collar crime refers to illegal activities conducted by people of high social
position during the course of their employment or regular business activities.
o Such cases have often been resolved in a civil court rather than a criminal court.
This means that the person accused may have to pay damages but escapes being
labeled a criminal and almost certainly will not go to prison.
 Corporate Crime
o Corporate crime is an illegal act committed by a corporation or by persons acting
on its behalf. One example of corporate crime is gross negligence: knowingly
producing a faulty or dangerous product.
o Sometimes the line between white-collar crime (acts by individuals) and corporate
crime (policies carried out by entire companies) is not clear. This is especially
likely when the white-collar crimes are committed by top leaders in a company.
 Organized Crime
o Organized crime is a business that supplies illegal goods and services. Such
businesses profit from selling any number of goods and services that people
want—including gambling, sex, and drugs—in violation of the law.
 Victimless Crime
o Victimless crimes are offenses that directly harm only the person who commits
them. Sometimes called public order crimes, victimless crime includes gambling,
prostitution, public drunkenness, drug use, and vagrancy.
o Laws regulating the activities that are commonly considered to be victimless
crimes vary from place to place
 Social Problems in Global Perspective: Organized Crime: All over the World
III. Violence
6.3 Discuss the causes and consequences of violence in our society.
 Violence is behavior that causes injury to people or damage to property.
 Violence also plays a part in everyday life, often without anyone breaking the law. Many
of our favorite sports (such as football) are quite violent, as are some forms of live
entertainment (such as World Federation Wrestling) as well as many movies and video
games.
 Is Violence a Social Problem?
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o A preliminary answer is that violence becomes a social problem to the extent that
people define it that way.
o What do the actors intend by their actions?
o Does the violence conform to or violate social norms and values?
o Does the violence support or threaten the social order?
o Is the violence committed by or against the government?
o Institutional violence, violence carried out by government representatives under
the law.
o Anti-institutional violence, violence directed against the government in violation
of the law.
o Over time, members of a society carry on a debate about the right and wrong use
of violence. In this process, a society comes to define new social problems.
 Constructing Social Problems: A Defining Moment: U.S. Society Discovers Child Abuse
 Serious Violence: Mass Murder and Serial Killings
o Mass Murder
 Mass murder is the intentional, unlawful killing of four or more people at
one time and place.
 The number of mass murders increased during the 1990s, with a number
of deadly shootings occurring at a dozen public schools across the country.
 In most years, the death toll from mass murder in the United States is
about fifty. This means that mass murder represents only about 0.2 percent
of all the murders that take place in a year.
 What do mass murderers have in common? Almost all these offenders are
men.
o Serial Murder
 Serial murder, the killing of several people by one offender over a period
of time.
 Serial killers are probably the best known of all deadly offenders, and
fictitious killers such as Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter have chilled
millions of moviegoers. Although such cases grab the headlines, serial
killers represent only a tiny fraction of all murderers.
 What do we know about serial killers? Almost all are men. Most are
mentally ill, suffering from psychotic disorders that distort their sense of
reality and strip them of the ability to feel compassion for others.
 The Mass Media and Violence
o The typical young person in the United States watches about seven and one-half
hours of media each day, and many television shows—even cartoons—contain
plenty of violence.
o The more media violence children watch, the more they engage in rough play and
the more likely they are to resort to violence when they become adults.
o Living in a media violence culture, in other words, we become so used to violence
that the idea of people deliberately hurting each other no longer bothers us
 Poverty and Violence
o Most low-income people do not turn to crime or violence. But poverty does raise
the risk of both.
 Youth Gangs and Violence
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o Youth gangs, groups of young people who identify with one another and with a
particular territory
o A recent government study found 3,300 jurisdictions with “gang problems” and
identified nearly 30,000 street gangs with 782,500 members (U.S. Department of
Justice, 2013). Gangs range from nonviolent social groups to groups that
sometimes clash over turf to all-out criminal organizations that engage in drug
dealing, robbery, extortion, and even murder.
o The typical member comes from a poor, single-parent family in a neighborhood
with high rates of crime and drug abuse and that offers few jobs.
 Drugs and Violence
o One government study found that 24 percent of the victims of violent crime
thought their attackers were under the influence of alcohol or some other drug;
another study found that 60 percent of people in prison for violent offenses said
they were under the influence of a drug when they committed their crimes.
o Drugs encourage violence by distorting judgment and reducing inhibitions. When
a person already inclined to react to frustration and stress with violent behavior
uses drugs, the odds of “losing it” go up.
 Guns and Violence
o Because many household guns find their way into the hands of criminals or even
curious children, many people—especially liberals—define gun ownership itself
as a serious social problem. They point out that many guns used in violent crime
were readily purchased at a gun store.
o Liberals argue that a solution to the problem of guns and violence is enacting laws
that make guns harder to get. By restricting the availability of handguns, violence
in the United States might not disappear, but it would become a whole lot less
deadly.
o Conservatives point to the constitutional right to “keep and bear arms” as one of
this country’s basic freedoms.
IV. The Criminal Justice System

6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.
 Criminal justice system is society’s use of due process, involving police, courts, and
punishment, to enforce the law.
 Due Process
o In simple terms, due process means that the criminal justice system must operate
within the bounds of law.
 Police
o Police Discretion
 Police use discretion deciding whether or not to intervene in any situation
 How serious is the crime?
 What does the victim want?
 Is the suspect cooperative?
 Does the suspect have a record?
 Are bystanders watching?
 What is the suspect’s race?
o Changes in Police Policy
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 First, the practice of community policing makes police more visible to the
public by moving some police officers from cars to bicycle or foot patrol.
 A second innovation in police work is a zero tolerance policy under which
police respond to any offense, no matter how minor.
 Courts
o In theory, the U.S. court system is an adversarial process, meaning that the
prosecutor presents the state’s case against the defendant and the defendant’s
attorney presents a defense against the charges. The judge or jury reaches a
verdict based on the strength of the cases presented by the two sides.
o Plea bargaining, a negotiation in which the state reduces a defendant’s charge in
exchange for a guilty plea.
 Punishment
o In response to law breaking, the criminal justice system makes use of various
forms of punishment, ranging from fines to jail time to death.
o Retribution
 Retribution is moral vengeance by which society inflicts on the offender
suffering comparable to that caused by the offense.
o Deterrence
 Deterrence, using punishment to discourage further crime
o Rehabilitation
 Rehabilitation, reforming an offender to prevent future offenses
o Societal Protection
 Societal protection, protecting the public by using incarceration or
execution to prevent an offender from committing further offenses
o Does Punishment Work?
 Although common sense suggests that punishment discourages crime, this
country has a high rate of criminal recidivism, later offenses by people
previously convicted of crimes.
 Whatever the intentions of our system of punishment, there is increasing
criticism of mass incarceration, by which an unprecedented 2.3 million
people are behind bars.
 Prison may help some offenders “straighten out.” But the high recidivism
rate suggests that successful rehabilitation is the exception rather than the
rule.
 Finally, punishment probably does result in societal protection.
o Restorative Justice
 Restorative justice, a response to crime seeking to restore the well-being
of the victim, offender, and larger communities lost due to crime.
 Courts that embrace restorative justice bring together offenders and
victims to engage in dialogue about what happened, why it happened, and
how the event affected each of them.
 Community-Based Corrections
o Community-based corrections, correctional programs that take place in local
communities rather than behind prison walls.
o Probation
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 Probation, a policy of letting a convicted offender stay in the community

with regular supervision and under conditions imposed by a court.
o Shock Probation
 Shock probation. In this case, a judge imposes a substantial prison
sentence but then orders that only part of the sentence will be served in
prison and the rest will be served on probation.
o Parole
 Parole is a policy of releasing inmates from prison to serve a remaining
sentence under supervision in the local community.
o Do Probation and Parole Work?
 Probation and parole cost much less than keeping someone in prison, and
these policies do reduce prison overcrowding. It also makes sense to use
prisons for offenders who commit serious crimes while monitoring those
who commit less serious crimes in the community.
V. Explaining Crime: Biological and Psychological Theories

6.5 Apply biological and psychological theories to the issue of crime.
 Social Policy: The Death Penalty: Problem or Solution?
 Biological Causes
o More recently, researchers in neurocriminology, a field that focuses on the
biological causes of crime, have documented differences in the ventral prefrontal
cortex of the brain—the area that controls emotional impulses—that distinguish
criminal and noncriminal individuals.
 Psychological Causes
o Like biological research, psychological study of crime focuses on the individual
traits of offenders—in this case, abnormal personalities.
VI. Explaining Crime: Sociological Theories

6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
 Structural-Functional Analysis: Why Society Creates Crime
o Structural-functionalist theory investigates how any social
o pattern contributes to the operation of society as a system

o Emile Durkheim: The Functions of Crime
 Crime affirms a society’s norms and values.
 Recognizing crime helps everyone clarify the boundary between right and
wrong.
 Reacting to crime brings people together.
 Crime encourages social change.
 Durkheim’s theory asks not why some individual would engage in crime
but why society defines some behavior as criminal.
o Robert Merton: Strain Theory
 Conformity is likely among people who accept society’s goals and also
have access to the conventional means to get there.
 Still another response to a lack of opportunity is retreatism, turning away
from both approved goals and legitimate means.
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 Rebellion involves not just rejecting conventional goals and means but
also advocating some entirely new system. Instead of dropping out of
society the way retreatists do, rebels come up with a new vision of how to
live, playing out their ideas as members of religious cults or revolutionary
political groups.
 Patterns of rule breaking depend on, first, whether or not people accept
society’s goals and, second, whether or not society provides people with
the opportunity to reach these goals.
o Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin: Opportunity Structure
 Whether or not people turn to deviant behavior depends not only on access
to legitimate opportunity (such as schooling or jobs) but also on access to
illegitimate opportunity (such as the chance to learn how to carry out
crime).
 Patterns of conformity and criminality are likely to reflect what Cloward
an Ohlin call people’s relative opportunity structure.
o Travis Hirschi: Control Theory
 Control theory argues that strong social and emotional attachments to
others—that is, being well integrated into the community—discourage
people from engaging in crime.
 Attachment to other people
 Access to conventional opportunity
 Involvement in conventional activities
 Belief in the righteousness of cultural norms and values
 Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: Socially Constructing Reality
o Symbolic-interaction theory explores how people construct reality in everyday
interaction
o Edwin Sutherland: Differential Association Theory
 Whether a person moves toward conformity or deviance depends on the
relative degree of association with others who encourage or discourage
conventional behavior.
o Howard S. Becker: Labeling Theory
 Labeling theory is the idea that crime and all other forms of rule breaking
result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to
those actions.
o Edwin Lemert: Primary Versus Secondary Deviance
 The reaction of others to primary deviance can provoke secondary
deviance, in which the person begins to change, now basing choices on
this deviant identity.
o Erving Goffman: The Power of Stigma
 Stigma, a powerful negative social label that radically changes a person’s
self-concept and social identity.
 Social-Conflict Analysis: Crime and Inequality
o How laws are written, which neighborhoods police patrol, which categories of
people end up being arrested—all these reflect who has power and who does not.
o Karl Marx: Class and Crime
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 In a capitalist society, he explained, the legal system protects the property

of the capitalist class. Capitalists gain wealth legally simply by “doing
business”; ordinary people who threaten capitalists’ wealth risk arrest as
“common criminals” or “political revolutionaries.”
 Feminist Analysis: Crime and Gender
o In cases such as prostitution, it is the less powerful women who are arrested more
often than the more powerful men.
VII. Politics and Crime: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions

6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions on the political spectrum.
 Conservatives: Crime, Violence and Morality
o Conservatives believe that effective social controls are needed to keep people
from engaging in violence or criminal behavior.
 Liberals: Crime, Violence and Jobs
o As liberals see it, crime and violence are caused by a harmful social environment,
especially when lives are twisted by poverty.
 The Radical Left: Crime and Inequality
o From a radical-left perspective, the real crime in this society is our nation’s great
economic inequality, a vast gap that has steadily increased in recent decades.
 Going On From Here
o A decline in drug use, adding more police, and building more prisons have pushed
the rates down in recent years. Politics guides the crime debate.
 Defining Solutions: What’s the Best Way to Keep Crime in Check?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
6.3 Discuss the causes and consequences of violence in our society.
6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.
6.5 Apply biological and psychological theories to the issue of crime.
6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions on the political spectrum.
DETAILED TEACHING OBJECTIVES
After reading <LINK>Chapter 6</LINK>, students should be able to:
1. Define norms, law, and crime.
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2. Discuss the extent of the crime problem, including crimes against persons and crimes against
property.
3. Critically discuss the crime rates included in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports.
4. Discuss violent crime patterns and trends in the United States today.
5. Discuss patterns and trends of property crime in the United States today.
6. Illustrate the social construction of a problem using the case of stalking.
7. Create a profile of the typical “street criminal” in terms of age, gender, social class, race, and
ethnicity.
8. Distinguish juvenile delinquency from the broader concept of crime. Distinguish white-collar
crime, corporate crime, organized crime, and victimless crime.
9. Explain the factors involved in the social construction of violent behavior as being or not
being a social problem.
10. Distinguish mass murder and serial murder. What do we know about the offenders involved
in these types of criminal violence?
11. Illustrate the social construction of a social problem using the case of child abuse.
12. Explain how the mass media influence the level of violence in society.
13. Discuss the relationship between violence and poverty.
14. Discuss the patterns of violence among youth gangs.
15. Discuss the relationship between violence and the availability of guns in the United States.
16. Describe the key elements of the U.S. criminal justice system.
17. Describe community-based corrections, including probation, shock probation, and parole.
18. What are the limitations of biological and psychological, and approaches to explaining
violence? How do sociological theories surpass these limitations?
14

19. State the essential claim of structural-functional theory, symbolic-interaction theory, social-
conflict-theory, and feminist theory in the case of violence. What is one limitation of each
approach?
20. Explain how one’s position on the political spectrum guides the construction of crime as a
social problem.
21. Illustrate how conservatives, liberals, and radicals on the left construct the issue of crime as a
social problem.
22. Explain how political attitudes guide the process of defining solutions to the problem of
crime and violence.
JOHN’S CHAPTER CLOSE-UP: WHY IS OUR SOCIETY SO VIOLENT?
Some of the figures in this chapter seem to present good news. For example, Figure 6-1 shows
that crime rates rose from 1960 to 1990, and then began coming down again, if not quite as
quickly as they had gone up.
But the Tracking the Trends figure at the beginning of the chapter—which is included on
one of the PowerPoint slides in the Instructor’s manual—is disturbing.
The figure shows that, between 1976 and 2012, there were 225 deaths resulting from 15
mass shootings in the United States. None of the other eight high-income nations listed had
anything like this experience, with just one or two mass shootings during this period.
If we combine the data from all the other eight nations, we get a total of 11 mass
shootings and 216 deaths—figures still below the numbers for the United States. Of course,
students may point out that a nation such as Norway has a small population. True enough, but the
combined population of the eight comparison countries is roughly 547 million, well above the
319 million people in the United States.
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This chapter points to a number of factors that contribute to high levels of deadly
violence. Keep in mind the pattern presented in this figure as you discuss these factors. Students
will gradually build gain confidence as they try to build an explanation for high levels of deadly
violence in the United States.
JOHN’S PERSONAL VIDEO SELECTION
We all hear that the United States is a nation of laws. Yet, one of the ongoing issues that divides
this country is the extent of racial bias in the criminal justice system. The fatal shooting of
Michael Brown, a young black man, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, has fueled
discussion for months, often generating more heat than light.
As you might imagine, there are dozens of short videos that provide news footage,
context, and analysis involving this tragic event. Go to a search engine such as YouTube and
search for “Ferguson, MO.” Because this topic is still unfolding, I do not wish to offer any one
video selection. Rather, sort through the many options available to find the video that will best fit
your classroom discussion.
RESEARCH FOR A CUTTING-EDGE CLASSROOM
For each chapter of the text, I am happy to share a short, PowerPoint-based presentation
informed by very recent research. These presentations deal with highly current and typically
controversial issues that are in the news and are part of the country’s political dialogue. Each
presentation provides a clear statement of the issue, several slides that present recent research
findings from organizations including Pew, Gallup, or other organizations, notes that help
instructors develop the importance of the data, and questions for class discussion.
16

For Chapter 6, the PowerPoint presentation is called “Is It Dangerous to be Black and
Drive?” This recent research points to racial bias in the operation of the U.S. criminal justice
system.
This PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded from my personal website,
www.TheSociologyPage.com. Look at the bottom left of the main page for the doorway to
“PowerPoint Presentations.” You can also visit this text’s Resources site at Pearson's online
catalog, or find the PowerPoints at the Instructor's Resources folder in your Pearson REVEL
account.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS, EXERCISE, AND PROJECTS
1. Campuses across the United States are wrestling with the problem of sexual assault. A
well-researched and informative review of this issue is found in an article by Eliza Gray,
titled “Rape: The Crisis in Higher Education.” Find this article in Time, Vol. 183, No. 20
(May 26, 2014): pp. 20–27.
2. Anne M. Nurse and Matthew Krain have devised a strategy for incorporating service
learning into criminology and deviance courses. Portions of their technique could be useful
in your social problems course as well. Taking a look at their article is worth the time and
effort: “Mask Making: Incorporating Service Learning into Criminology and Deviance
Courses,” Teaching Sociology, Vol. 34, July 2006: pp. 278–285.
3. Elizabeth Callaghan has incorporated a court ethnography assignment in some of her
courses as “a wonderful way to teach observation skills in an unfamiliar legal setting” (pp.
213). Callaghan’s article “What They Learn in Court: Student Observations of Legal
Proceedings” appears in the April 2005 issue of Teaching Sociology, Vol. 33: pp. 213–220.
17

4. Laura L. Finley makes a series of suggestions about using content analysis projects in the
introduction to criminal justice classroom, but her method and technique could also be
useful in your social problems courses. Take a look at her article “Using Content Analysis
Projects in the Introduction to Criminal Justice Classroom,” Teaching Sociology, Vol. 32,
January 2004: pp. 129–137.
5. Unless they have been victimized by crime, students tend to think about this problem as
“something that’s out there” but not very close to home. In fact, colleges and universities
have crime problems of their own, and from the student’s point of view, this fact has
important implications. Invite representatives from your institution’s public safety
department to your class with the express intention of discussing crime on campus and
what can be done about it. Students are especially eager to discuss their own experiences
on campus, and it is useful to link these personal vignettes to the sociological approaches
to crime discussed in the text.
6. Cheating is not a criminal offense, as such, but it is a serious violation of academic
procedure, and if found guilty of academic dishonesty a student may suffer serious
consequences, including expulsion. Timothy Brezina has offered a technique for
understanding the key differences between those who are labeled “deviant” and those who
are not (“Are Deviants Different From the Rest of Us? Using Student Accounts of
Academic Cheating to Explore a Popular Myth,” Teaching Sociology, January 2000: pp.
71–78).
7. A number of states have passed legislation prohibiting convicted felons from earning
money from books that they have written (or helped to write) concerning the nature of their
crimes. Most of these states, in fact, require that any such earnings be turned over to the
18

victims of their crimes or to a crime victims’ compensation fund. Determine whether your
state has such legislation and describe its precepts to the students. Discuss the pros and
cons of this legal requirement.
8. Although it may be time consuming, one prospect for an interesting class
exercise/discussion is to arrange for an ex-convict to appear in your class for the purpose
of discussing the crime problem from the “other side of the fence.” Local parole officers
in your area may be able to provide the names of individuals who are willing to make these
kinds of appearances. In the same forum, it would be especially useful to invite a law
enforcement official to be present to provide perspective on these issues.
9. Most students are aware of the fact that television frequently presents distorted images of
crime and criminals. At the same time, your students may not have paid much attention to
the types of distortion involved. Have students choose their favorite TV shows and then
take notes on the portrayal of crime and criminals as they watch the programming. They
may be struck by the sheer number of crime-related images that appear on these shows.
During class discussion, ask the students to comment on what kinds of crimes are most
prominent. Who are the criminals? Who are the victims? What general impression do the
shows provide about the crime problem in our society? Then compare the students’
commentaries with the research findings available concerning the media’s influence of the
public’s impressions of the crime problem (see any recent criminology text for data, if
required).
10. Punishment continues to attract a great deal of public attention with a focus on the deterrent
value of the death penalty, mass incarceration, and the death penalty. Joseph W. Rogers’s
article “An Introductory Procedure for Teaching the Concept of Punishment” (Teaching
19

Sociology, April 1992: pp. 135–142) will be helpful to you as you approach the issue of
punishment in your class discussions.
11. Organize a discussion surrounding capital punishment and the death penalty in U.S.
society. Ask the students if they believe that capital punishment has any deterrent value
above and beyond eliminating the possibility that one offender could commit a subsequent
crime. Your coordination of this discussion may be enhanced by reading Herb Haines’s
article “Flawed Executions, the Anti-Death Penalty Movement, and the Politics of Capital
Punishment” (Teaching Problems, Vol. 39, May 1992: pp. 125–138).
12. Diane M. Purvin and Edward L. Kain have proposed a series of active learning exercises
for teaching about violence and other topics. Their article “The Research Article as an
Instrument of Active Learning for Teaching about Violence, Sexual Abuse, and Union
Formation among Low-Income Families” appears in the July 2005 issue of Teaching
Sociology, Vol. 33: pp. 323–335.
13. The distinction between institutional and noninstitutional violence is an excellent
beginning for a stimulating discussion of society’s ambivalent or even contradictory
attitudes toward violence in general. Encourage your students to think about the dramatic
difference in public reactions to violence, depending upon whether it is positively
sanctioned in society. For example, the game of hockey is extremely violent, but the
violence is institutionalized by the rules of the game. Violence is a taken-for-granted part
of hockey. In the game of tennis, we do not expect the competitors to make body contact
and shove each other around, and yet, if we changed the rules of tennis, such behavior
could very well become expected. Through this discussion, students will be able to place
violence in perspective.
20

14. Choose one of the films or videos suggested for this chapter and use it for the basis of a
discussion in which students explain violent acts using the sociological theories presented
in the text. The class can then be placed in groups, which represent the different theoretical
perspectives. These groups can formulate their cases among themselves, then have a
spokesperson present their views in a brief statement. Make a list on the board that
summarizes each of the cases and use this as a basis for a combined discussion of the
strengths and weaknesses of each perspective or theory.
15. The interactionist perspective can be extremely useful in evaluating violence as a serious
social problem today. Ask your students to consider the point of view that different forms
of violence, such as rape, spousal abuse, and the like, have, in fact, existed for a long time.
Although these behaviors may be more widespread today, as a society, we are much more
aware of their prevalence today. Have the class discuss how the members of American
society have come to define these different forms of violence as more problematic today
than in the past.
16. Amanda Konradi has written an interesting article entitled “Teaching About Sexual
Assault: Problematic Silences and Solutions” (Teaching Sociology, January 1993: pp. 13–
25). The paper discusses the unintentional silencing of sexual assault survivors that often
occurs when the topic is introduced to undergraduate students in the classroom. Konradi
makes suggestions for how instructors can build trust in these discussions and to encourage
the full participation of the class.
17. Invite a campus representative who is involved in rape prevention to come to your class to
explain the problems that exist on campus and describe prevention programs. This poses
an excellent opportunity to discuss date rape and to ensure that students understand what
21

constitutes date rape as well as its prevention. A person who offers courses on physical
defense tactics for women can also be invited on the same day to demonstrate strategies
women can use in preventing an attack by a rapist or in a potential date rape situation.
WEBLINKS
2006 Identity Theft Survey Report.
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/11/SynovateFinalReportIDTheft2006.pdf
Alternatives to the Death Penalty
http://www.deathpenalty.org/
Bureau of Justice Statistics
bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/
Communities Against Police Brutality
http://www.cuapb.org/
Corporate Crime Reporter
http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/
Elder Abuse
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/elderabuse.html
Female Stalkers and Their Victims
http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/reprint/31/2/211.pdf
Gun Violence in Public Housing
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=10520
Hate Crimes: Working For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Equal Rights
http://www.hrc.org/resources/category/hate-crimes
Hispanic Victims of Violent Crime
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=951
22

Male Rape in U.S. Prisons: No Escape
http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2001/prison/
Nader, Ralph
http://www.nader.org/
National Youth Gang Center
http://www.iir.com/nygc/
Organized Crime: FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/ocshome.htm
Pro Death Penalty
http://prodeathpenalty.com/
The Sexual Victimization of College Women
http://www.now.org/issues/violence/030702college.html
Stop Family Violence.org
http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/
U.S. Bill of Rights
http://www.constitution.org/billofr_.htm
Violence & Injury Prevention
http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/en/
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Identify the felonies included in the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report. Also note the
reasons why these reports need to be viewed with caution.
2. Discuss the social construction of crime.
3. Create a profile of the typical “street criminal” in terms of age, gender, social class, and
ethnicity.
23

4. Discuss the factors that determine whether a particular violent behavior is or is not a
problem.
5. Discuss how the mass media—radio, television, movies, and the Internet—affect how
people, and especially children, perceive the world around them.
6. Assess the contribution of biological and psychological theories of crime. What is the
limitation of both of these approaches?
7. What insights do we gain by applying structural-functional, symbolic-interaction, and
social-conflict approaches to crime? What is one criticism or limitation of each theoretical
approach?
8. Discuss the major elements of our current criminal justice system today—police, courts,
and punishment. Note the views of supporters and critics of each.
9. Identify and discuss the various justifications for punishment. Which do you think is most
compelling? Why? Which do you think is least compelling? Why?
10. Discuss the crime problem from the conservative, liberal, and radical perspectives. How
does politics shape the construction of the “crime problem,” as well as the selection of
solutions?
FILM LIST
THE ACCUSED
(1988, 111 m, rental video)
The true story of a woman who was gang raped but had to fight a difficult battle in the courts
because she was blamed for the actions her attackers took. The film illustrates how “blaming the
victim” occurs for women who are raped, and how they become the victims of “double rape” as
they confront the legal system and the courts.
24

ADAM ABDUL HAKEEM: ONE WHO SURVIVED
(1993, 28 m, Filmakers Library)
This program explores the prejudice, brutality, and injustice found in the American criminal
justice system through the case of one man who was severely mistreated within that system.
AGAINST THE GRAIN: DEVIANCE
(2005, 30 m, Insight Media)
In this program, sociologists question whether deviant behavior can be absolutely defined. The
program explores differing views on sexuality and violent crime and examines moral, religious,
and psychological factors that influence deviance and contribute to the overall understanding of
deviant behavior.
AMERICAN GANGSTER
(2007, 157 m, video rental)
This is a feature length film about how Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug kingpin, builds his criminal
empire by smuggling heroin into the United States by hiding it in the bodies of U.S. soldiers
killed during battle in Vietnam. Lucas solidifies his status as Harlem’s most innovative drug
dealer by delivering a product that is purer and cheaper than that of competitors. All the while, a
corrupt criminal justice system supports Lucas. This film will allow students to analyze the
changing meanings associated with drugs, violence, money, power, success, authority and
corruption.
BLACK DEATH IN DIXIE: RACISM AND THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED
STATES
(2007, 26 m, Films for the Humanities and Sciences)
25

Challenging viewers to look beyond mainstream media treatment of the death penalty, this
program portrays capital punishment as a blunt instrument that disproportionately targets racial
minorities and the poor. The film highlights several difficult issues, concepts, and social
conditions, including statistics on the racial makeup of America’s death row population,
questionable convictions resulting from mistaken identification, the emotional and psychological
toll on those wrongfully convicted, and the lingering effects of the Jim Crow era—or what many
have called America’s twentieth-century apartheid system—in which lynching functioned as de
facto capital punishment.
BLIND JUSTICE: THE PRISON CRISIS IN AMERICA
Profiling five former prisoners, this DVD explores the U.S. prison system. It questions whether
prisons are meant to punish or rehabilitate and considers the growth of the U.S. prison
population.
CODE OF SILENCE: OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
This DVD explores the trauma experienced by the female partners of police officers who commit
acts of domestic violence. It emphasizes the need for agencies to adopt policies that address
domestic violence committed by police personnel.
CRIME AND DEVIANCE
This film examines the ways in which ideas and theories about crime have changed throughout
time and explains how thinking about crime and deviance is influenced by wider social changes.
It considers three sociological approaches to the study of crime and deviance: social causes of
26

crime and deviance, the social construction of crime and deviance, and the social control of
crime.
CRIPS AND BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA
(2009, 83 m, Bullfrog Films)
From the genesis of LA’s gang culture to the shocking, war-zone reality of daily life in South
LA, the film chronicles the rise of the Crips and Bloods, tracing the origins of their bloody four-
decades-long feud. Contemporary and former gang members offer their street-level testimony
that provides the film with a stark portrait of modern-day gang life: the turf wars and
territorialism, the inter-gang hierarchy and family structure, the rules of behavior, the culture of
guns, death and dishonor.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: PORTRAIT OF ABUSE
This DVD explores the incidence of domestic violence in the United States and around the
world. It features interviews with women who discuss their experiences with physical,
psychological, emotional, and sexual forms of abuse.
EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON AND PROBATION
This presentation explores the feasibility of various alternatives to conventional criminal
processing and punishment, including house arrest, victim restitution, electronic surveillance,
community service, and various alternatives to traditional sentencing practices.
FORENSIC SCIENCE IN ACTION: FROM CRIME SCENE TO COURTROOM
What happens when a deadly crime takes place and law enforcement puts all of its
27

scientific resources into action? Can forensic science really solve a murder? This program
follows scientists through a dramatized investigation, from the discovery of the crime scene
through various stages of evidence analysis to the presentation of findings in court. Instead
of Hollywood hype, viewers are given a realistic portrayal of the forensic science process,
including field photography, evidence recording, victim identification, DNA profiling,
and fingerprint readings. Viewable/printable educational resources are available
online.
KIDS AND CRIME: KEEPING KIDS OUT OF TROUBLE
This program explores a number of strategies for helping children and teenagers to steer clear of
crime. The phenomenon of gang violence is also evaluated.
LIFE SENTENCE
Recent statistics indicate that one in 100 Americans is incarcerated. This shocking figure impels
us to look closely at our penal system. Tough sentencing rules and release policies have become
the norm in the federal system, which is extremely punitive. Life Sentence lets us hear from six
formerly incarcerated men and women, some of whom were sentenced as adolescents. They
spent from 12 to 26 years in prison. Now they must find their way, economically and
emotionally, to rebuild their lives after being behind bars, some from the age of 16. The film
begins as each prisoner prepares for their first parole board hearing. Each is denied and must
wait two years until their next hearing. They discuss what brought them to prison, the time spent
there, and what it felt like being sentenced to decades of imprisonment. One of the most
important opportunities while incarcerated was the ability to receive education. Just before
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Congress abolished federal financing for college programs in prisons in 1994, all six had
completed associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. Now released, we see how these long-
termers contribute to society and their communities, all of them working with other formerly
incarcerated people. The film shows the potential of people, including those who have
committed criminal acts, if they are given access to education and prepared for careers. Scholars,
policy makers, and advocates of reform discuss the great obstacles formerly incarcerated people
face, including job and housing regulations and discrimination, sentencing policies, and lifetime
parole.
LOCKING UP WOMEN
This program examines Holloway Prison in Great Britain, which is a female correctional
institution. It discusses the new breed of female criminal and the increase of violent behavior
among women, and examines the psychological underpinnings of female criminality.
NOT TOO YOUNG TO DIE: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR YOUTHFUL
OFFENDERS
The United States is one of the few world nations that executes juvenile offenders. This
presentation evaluates the usefulness of this policy, along with portraits of several offenders
subject to the death penalty.
PAROLE: GETTING OUT AND STAYING OUT
Prison life is hard—but for most ex-convicts, life on the outside is tough, too. This video follows
paroled prisoners as they re-enter civilian life and face challenges both large and small. Upon
29

release from jail, the lives of these young men are suddenly filled with critical decisions. Some
are dreaded, such as the split-second choice of whether or not to engage in violence—the wrong
choice will put them back behind bars. Other dilemmas are unexpected, like having to decide
what to wear every morning. The program provides an eye-opening look at the typical parolee’s
struggle to find work, stay away from drugs and former friends, and maintain a positive attitude
about the future.
PLEA BARGAINS: DEALING FOR JUSTICE
The vast majority of criminal cases end in plea bargains. No one argues that this is the most just
way—only the most efficient. This program examines what happens when the deal is struck;
who gets out of jail, who doesn’t, and who decides what kind of deal to make. Filmed behind the
scenes, deep inside the nation’s criminal justice system, it presents an ugly picture that has little
to do with justice.
PRISON TOWN
This film tells the story of Susanville, California, one small town that tries to resuscitate its
economy by building a prison—with unanticipated consequences. Nestled in the picturesque
foothills of the California Sierras, Susanville once thrived on logging, ranching, and agriculture.
Today the Susanville area hosts three prison complexes housing more than 11,000 inmates, with
plans for more to come. The inmate population is more than one-and-a-half times the number of
local residents. The film follows the fortunes of people and families in Susanville over the course
of two years. Among those portrayed are a laid-off mill worker turned guard, a tenacious dairy
owner fighting to retain his contract with the prison, a man on parole who can’t find a job to
30

support his family, local businessmen who were given false hopes, and prison-boosting
politicians.
RAGE TO REVENGE: THE SCIENCE OF VIOLENCE
This Discovery Channel production uses case histories to demonstrate the self-damaging impact
of hate and the positive power of forgiveness, supporting the contention of a group of experts
that a quantifiable mind/body connection exists. In addition, evidence is provided, which
indicates that venting—long believed to relieve anger—can actually reinforce aggressive
behavior.
RAPE IS 
This documentary explores the meaning, severity, and consequences of rape. It highlights the
domestic cultural conditions that make rape the most underreported crime in the United States.
ROCK ‘N ROLL MURDER! WHEN LYRICS LEAD TO VIOLENCE
In 1996, diehard fans of the extreme metal band Slayer murdered a 15-year-old girl because she
fit the description of a girl in the song “Altar of Sacrifice”. Having seen the perpetrators
imprisoned for 15-to-life, the victim’s parents then lodged a civil suit against the musicians. In
this program, ABC News correspondent Judy Muller explores the limits of free speech with a
U.S. Senator, a recording industry representative, and Bret Easton Ellis, author of the
controversial American Psycho.
THE SOCIOLOGY OF CRIME AND DEVIANCE
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Taking into account the dramatic shift in the focus of research in recent years from theories about
criminal activity to applications of crime prevention, this multi-section program compares and
contrasts the concepts of social causation, social construction, and social control as they relate to
the sociology of crime and deviance. Topics include the influence of wider social forces on
theories about crime, the reevaluation of criminals as victims or rebels, and three examples of the
movement toward a greater pragmatism concerning crime: socio-environmental control,
situational crime prevention, and Braithwaite’s restorative justice. Viewable/printable
educational resources are available online.
SOLDIERS RAPING SOLDIERS
Sexual assault in the U.S. armed forces is a persistent problem—one that the Pentagon recently
acknowledged in a report that highlights serious deficiencies in the way the military has handled
cases of rape within its ranks. In this ABC News program, two career servicewomen, each
allegedly sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier, and the director of the panel that produced the
Pentagon report open a much-needed dialogue on soldiers raping soldiers.
THE UNDERGROUND WORLD OF COMMERCIAL SEX
This ABC News program featuring Diane Sawyer made contact with prostitutes—impoverished
street hookers, high-end escorts, legal working women in the trade—and the johns who pay them
to learn firsthand how this underground world, hidden in plain sight, functions. Topics include
the expansion of escort services and massage parlors onto the Internet, legalized prostitution in
Nevada at the deluxe Moonlight Bunny Ranch, and society’s tendency to target prostitutes for
arrest more frequently than their customers. The relationship between drug addiction and
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prostitution, codependency between prostitutes and pimps, and life-threatening dangers faced by
prostitutes are also considered.
UNDERSTANDING HATE CRIMES: A SERVICE FOR JEREMY
This DVD chronicles the days following the abduction and murder of a 15-year-old gay youth by
fellow high school students. It presents the confessions of the killers and examples of the media
coverage and explores such issues as morality, prejudices, and the compassion of a group of
average teenagers.
WITNESS TO EXECUTION: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
In an era when no other industrialized Western nation enforces a death penalty, the United States
has executed an average of 39 convicts per year over the past decade. This program, hosted by
ABC News anchor Ted Koppel, poses the questions of whether the death penalty is just, and
whether it is an effective deterrent to crime.
Chapter 6 Test Bank, Crime, Violence, and Criminal Justice
In this revision of the test bank, I have updated all of the questions to reflect changes in Social
Problems, 7th edition. For each chapter of the text, this test bank provides fifty multiple-choice
questions and five essay questions. The multiple-choice questions are coded for level of
difficulty (easy, moderate, or difficult). The multiple-choice questions are also coded for the
level of reasoning involved. The four levels of reasoning are: Factual (recall of factual material),
Understand (understanding key concepts), Apply (application of sociological knowledge to a
situation), and Analyze (identifying the interrelationship among variables).
Types of Questions
Mult Choice Essay Total

Qs
Factual 22 (44%) 0 22
material
33

Understa 14 (28%) 0 14
nding
concepts
Apply 10 (20%) 2 (40%) 12
what you
know
Analyze 4 (8%) 3 (60%) 7
the issue
50 5 55
Multiple-Choice Questions
TB_Q6.1.1
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following terms refers to rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of
its members?
a. norms
b. punishment
c. beliefs
d. statuses
(Answer: a)
Consider This: Informal conformity is often encouraged simply by a verbal comment or raised eyebrow.
L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Topic/Concept: Crime: The Extent of the Problem
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.2
Source ID: n/a
Norms that are formally created through a society’s political system are referred to as
a. values.
b. mores.
c. folkways.
d. laws.
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Which of these is codified as civil or criminal statutes? L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as
well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
34

Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.3
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following concepts defines people’s responsibilities to uphold public order?
a. civil law
b. criminal law
c. beliefs
d. folkways
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Violations involve charges of wrongdoing leading to arrest and punishment. L.O.6.1
Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.4
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following terms refers to the violation of the criminal laws enacted by federal, state, or local
governments?
a. deviance
b. mores
c. crime
d. corrections
(Answer: c)
Consider This: Can be either misdemeanors or felonies. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends
and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.5
Source ID: n/a
Rick has been charged with an offense that carries a maximum penalty of a 90-day jail sentence; he has
been charged with a
a. status offense.
b. misdemeanor.
c. vice crime.
d. felony.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: This is a less serious crime, punishable by less than one year in prison. L.O.6.1 Identify
serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
35

Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.6
Source ID: n/a
Which term refers to a more serious crime punishable by at least one year in prison?
a. capital offense
b. misdemeanor
c. civil infraction
d. felony
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Many states have a mandatory life sentence for three convictions for this category of
crime. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.7
Source ID: n/a
In the United States, police record about how many serious crimes each year?
a. 500,000
b. 1 million
c. 10 million
d. 100 million
(Answer: c)
Consider This: At some point over a lifetime, just about everyone living in the United States is victimized
by crime. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Page: 162
TB_Q6.1.8
Source ID: n/a
According to a recent survey, what proportion of the U.S. adult population reports being afraid to walk
alone at night in their own communities?
a. one-tenth
b. one-fifth
c. one-third
d. two-thirds
36

(Answer: c)
Consider This: Fear of crime is itself a social problem because it limits the things people do and the
places they go. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.9
Source ID: n/a
The Federal Bureau of Investigation compiles an annual publication of crime reports from police
departments across the country, called
a. National Crime Index.
b. FBI Crime Report: Criminal Archives.
c. Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Report.
d. American Investigative Crime Survey.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: This report includes data on felonies or serious crimes of two types: crime against property
and crime against persons. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.10
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following is a crime against persons?

a. burglary
b. larceny-theft
c. arson
d. robbery
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Crime against persons means crime that involves violence or the threat of violence against
others. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.11
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following is a crime against property?

37

a. murder
b. burglary
c. assault
d. manslaughter
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Crime against property is crime that involves theft of property belonging to others.
Page: 163
TB_Q6.1.12
Source ID: n/a
The statistics found in Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Report are based on
a. all crimes that are committed.
b. only violent crime.
c. only crimes known to the police.
d. all unreported crimes.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: This report includes data on felonies or serious crimes of two types: crime against property
and crime against persons. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 164
TB_Q6.1.13
Source ID: n/a
Comparing victimization survey responses to police reports shows that about what percentage of serious
crime is known to police?
a. less than 10 percent of violent crime and property crime
b. about half of violent crime and one-third of property crime
c. about half of violent crime and almost all property crime
d. more than 95 percent of violent crime and property crime
(Answer: b)
Consider This: A complete tally might show that as many as 20 million offenses actually occur each year.
Page: 164
38

TB_Q6.1.14
Source ID: n/a
Crime against property accounts for what share of all serious offenses?
a. 18 percent
b. 38 percent
c. 58 percent
d. 88 percent
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Crimes against persons account for just 12 percent of all serious offenses. L.O.6.1 Identify
Page: 164
TB_Q6.1.15
Source ID: n/a
The most recent statistics show that about how many murders were recorded annually by police?
a. 900
b. 7,000
c. 14,000
d. 170,000
(Answer: c)
Consider This: On average, across the United States, a murder took place every thirty-seven minutes.
Page: 164
TB_Q6.1.16
Source ID: n/a
According to official statistics describing murder,

a. most murder victims are female.
b. offenders and victims are generally of the same race.
c. offenders and victims are generally of a different race.
d. most offenders and victims are members of the same family.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Murder is an intraracial crime. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and
patterns in crime rates.
39

Skill Level: Analyze It

Page: 164
TB_Q6.1.17
Source ID: n/a
The first antistalking law in the United States was passed in

a. 1940 in the state of Michigan.
b. 1960 in the state of New York.
c. 1990 in the state of California.
d. 2015 in the state of Utah.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: In the wake of the murder of Darlene Woodbury, the social movement concerned with
domestic violence began claiming that the law should protect victims of what we now call “stalking.”
Page: 166
TB_Q6.1.18
Source ID: n/a
In 2014, what percentage of reported murders in the United States resulted in arrests?
a. 5 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 45 percent
d. 65 percent
(Answer: d)
Consider This: The FBI tracks the percentage of murders that are “cleared,” meaning that the police
arrested someone for the crime, whether or not that person was later found to be guilty. L.O.6.1 Identify
Page: 164
TB_Q6.1.19
Source ID: n/a
Sexual assault in which offender and victim have some personal relationship is called
a. date rape.
b. stalking.
c. forcible rape.
d. statutory rape.
(Answer: a)
40

Consider This: Efforts by colleges and universities to educate students have encouraged more victims to
come forward. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 165
TB_Q6.1.20
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following serious crimes is both a property crime and a violent crime?
a. robbery
b. aggravated assault
c. rape
d. murder
(Answer: a)
Consider This: Involves both stealing and threatening another person. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as
well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 166
TB_Q6.1.21
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following is the most common of all serious crimes tracked by the FBI?
a. aggravated assault
b. larceny-theft
c. burglary
d. robbery
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Such cases do not involve “breaking and entering,” and offenders typically commit their
crime in a public place and use no force or violence. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and
patterns in crime rates.
Page: 167
TB_Q6.1.22
Source ID: n/a
According to the most recent statistics, police cleared about what percentage of all reported motor-vehicle
thefts?
a. 8 percent
41

b. 25 percent
c. 50 percent
d. 80 percent
(Answer: a)
Consider This: The FBI estimated losses in 2014 at $4.5 billion (an average loss of $6,500). L.O.6.1
Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 167
TB_Q6.1.23
Source ID: n/a
The official profile of the typical “street criminal” is based on

a. prosecutions.
b. courtroom convictions.
c. the prison population.
d. arrest data from the FBI.
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Using this data, we can “profile” the typical street criminal in terms of age, gender, social
class, race, and ethnicity. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 168
TB_Q6.1.24
Source ID: n/a
For which of the following offenses do police arrest mostly women?

a. larceny-theft
b. fraud
c. arson
d. prostitution
(Answer: d)
Consider This: The gender gap is narrowing for all serious crimes, but more than half the people arrested
for this crime are female. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 168
TB_Q6.1.25
Source ID: n/a
42

Research analyzing the link between crime and social class shows that most arrests for street crime are of
a. people of lower social position.
b. middle-class people.
c. upper-class people.
d. people at all class levels to an equal degree.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: The FBI does not track this measure but sociological research does. L.O.6.1 Identify
Page: 168
TB_Q6.1.26
Source ID: n/a
In terms of absolute numbers, most arrest for serious crimes involve offenders who are
a. white.
b. African American.
c. Hispanic.
d. Asian American.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: One ethnicity commits the most number of crimes but a different ethnicity is most
frequently arrested. L.O.6.1 Identify serious crimes, as well as trends and patterns in crime rates.
Page: 168
TB_Q6.2.27
Source ID: n/a
Which term refers to the violation of the law by young people?

a. status offenses
b. statutory offenses
c. juvenile delinquency
d. recidivism
(Answer: c)
Consider This: How is a person under the age of 18 legally defined? L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific
types of crime.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
Topic/Concept: Other Dimensions of the Crime Problem
Page: 169
43

TB_Q6.2.28
Source ID: n/a
Embezzlement is an example of which type of crime?

a. corporate crime
b. white-collar crime
c. status offense
d. victimless crime
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Embezzlement means illegally taking money from one’s employer. L.O.6.2 Define a
number of specific types of crime.
Page: 171
TB_Q6.2.29
Source ID: n/a
Illegal actions by a business or others acting on its behalf is called
44

Macionis, Social Problems, 7/e
a. corporate crime.
b. organized crime.
c. white-collar crime.
d. victimless crime.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: One example is gross negligence: knowingly producing a faulty or dangerous product.
L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
Page: 171
TB_Q6.2.30
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following would constitute a “hate crime”?

a. an assault motivated by anti-gay feelings on a person believed by the offender to be gay
b. an Asian gang member stealing a car from a white woman
c. a white person raping a black person with whom he has been friends
d. an Italian man embezzling from his workplace
(Answer: a)
Consider This: A hate crime is a criminal offense against a person, property, or society motivated by the
offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ethnicity or
national origin. L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
Page: 170
TB_Q6.2.31
Source ID: n/a
During the Prohibition era, when the government outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages, which type of crime led to criminals gaining both wealth and power by making and
distributing liquor to an eager public?
a. corporate crime
b. white collar crime
c. victimless crime
d. organized crime
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Mafia “families” became huge business enterprises, with profits rivaling those of
legitimate corporations. L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.
1


Page: 172
TB_Q6.2.32
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following types of offenses is said to directly harm no one but the offenders?
a. organized crime
b. victimless crime
c. white-collar crime
d. corporate crime
(Answer: b)
Consider This: These are also sometimes called public order crimes. L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific
types of crime.
Page: 172
TB_Q6.2.33
Source ID: n/a
Suppose that a police SWAT team kills members of a terrorist group who are holding innocent citizens
hostage. These police actions illustrate which type of violence?
a. institutional
b. anti-institutional
c. collective
d. bureaucratic
(Answer: a)
Consider This: This is a type of violence that is not against the law. L.O.6.2 Define a number of specific
types of crime.
Page: 174
TB_Q6.3.34
Source ID: n/a
Which of these questions do NOT point to one of the factors that commonly influences whether violence
is or is not likely to be defined as a social problem?
a. Does the violence conform to or violate social norms and values?
b. Does the violence support the social order?
c. Is the violence committed by or against the government?
d. Does the violence cause physical harm to any person?
(Answer: d)
2

Consider This: Whether violence is or is not a problem has less to do with the violent act itself and more
to do with how the action is defined by some audience. L.O.6.3 Discuss causes and consequences of
violence in our society.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.3 Discuss causes and consequences of violence in our society.
Topic/Concept: Violence
Page: 174
TB_Q6.3.35
Source ID: n/a
The killing of twenty-six people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 is an example of
a. mass murder.
b. serial murder.
c. a hate crime.
d. institutional violence.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: What is defined as the intentional, unlawful killing of four or more people at one time and
place? L.O.6.3 Discuss causes and consequences of violence in our society.
Page: 175
TB_Q6.3.36
Source ID: n/a
Child abuse was defined as a social problem

a. in colonial times by the church.
b. about 1960, largely based on the activism of Dr. C. Henry Kempe.
c. as part of the civil rights movement of the 1950s.
d. in the 1990s as an example of sexual violence.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Who documented a surprisingly high level of deliberate violence against children, drawing
the nation’s attention to a new social problem he defined as “battered child syndrome”? L.O.6.3 Discuss
causes and consequences of violence in our society.
Page: 174
TB_Q6.3.37
Source ID: n/a

The presence of so much violence in the mass media

a. has resulted in effective government action to eliminate it.
b. appears to have little effect on the people who view violence.
c. may have the effect of desensitizing us all to violence.
d. was a major issue debated during the 2012 presidential election.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: Living in a media-violence culture, we could become so used to violence that the idea of
people deliberately hurting each other no longer bothers us. L.O.6.3 Discuss causes and consequences of
violence in our society.
Page: 176
TB_Q6.3.38
Source ID: n/a
If you believe that a solution to the problem of guns and violence is enacting laws that make guns harder
to get, you are probably
a. liberal.
b. conservative.
c. not very political.
d. on the far-right politically.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: Which group believes that government can and should solve social problems? L.O.6.3
Discuss causes and consequences of violence in our society.
Topic/Concept: Violence Difficulty Level: Moderate
Page: 177
TB_Q6.4.39
Source ID: n/a
Our society’s use of due process, involving police, courts, and punishment, to enforce the law, is called
a. the criminal justice system.
b. rational-legal authority.
c. the normative structure.
d. bureaucratic control system.
(Answer: a)
Consider This: This includes all the different people and organizations that come together to discover,
prosecute, and penalize crimes. L.O.6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.
Topic/Concept: The Criminal Justice System
4

Page: 179
TB_Q6.4.40
Source ID: n/a
Moving police officers from automobiles to bicycles and foot patrol is part of a policy called
a. discretionary enforcement.
b. community policing.
c. due process.
d. zero tolerance policy.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: This practice makes police more visible to the general public. L.O.6.4 Analyze the
operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.
Page: 180
TB_Q6.4.41
Source ID: n/a
There are four major justifications for punishment. Which of the following is NOT one of these?
a. retribution
b. guilt reduction
c. deterrence
d. societal protection
(Answer: b)
Consider This: The missing element is rehabilitation. L.O.6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal
justice system.
Page: 181–183
TB_Q6.4.42
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following terms refers to subsequent offenses committed by people previously convicted of
crimes?
a. criminal recidivism
b. specific deterrence
c. mens rea
d. shock probation
(Answer: a)
Consider This: A high rate of repeat offenders casts doubt on the idea that prison deters further crime.
5

L.O.6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.

Page: 182
TB_Q6.5.43
Source ID: n/a
With regard to biological theories of crime,

a. there is clear evidence linking criminality to specific genetic traits.
b. several biological theories explain violent crime but not property crime.
c. several biological theories explain property crime but not violent crime.
d. most people convicted of crimes are biologically just like everyone else.
(Answer: d)
Consider This: This is a major shortcoming to the biological approach. L.O.6.5 Apply biological and
psychological theories to the issue of crime.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.5 Apply biological and psychological theories to the issue of crime.
Topic/Concept: Explaining Crime: Biological and Psychological Theories
Page: 185–186
TB_Q6.6.44
Source ID: n/a
Emile Durkheim reasoned that crime is quite normal and performs important functions for the operation
of society. This assessment fits which theoretical approach?
a. social-conflict approach
b. symbolic-interaction approach
c. labeling theory
d. structural-functional approach
(Answer: d)
Consider This: Which theory investigates how any social pattern contributes to the operation of society as
a system? L.O.6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
Topic/Concept: Explaining Crime: Sociological Theories
Page: 187
TB_Q6.6.45
Source ID: n/a
Travis Hirschi argues in his control theory that what discourages crime is
a. being in the middle class or the upper social class.
b. having strong social ties that integrate the person within the community.
6

c. having good genes.

d. not being labeled as likely to commit crimes.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Hirschi maintained that if the four types of connections he identified are strong, people are
likely to resist the temptation of crime. If the connections are weak, the risk of drifting toward criminal
behavior rises. L.O.6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
Page: 188
TB_Q6.6.46
Source ID: n/a
Which of the following theories states that crime and other deviance results not so much from what
people do as from how others respond to those actions?
a. control theory
b. differential association theory
c. strain theory
d. labeling theory
(Answer: d)
Consider This: From Becker’s point of view, the line separating crime from conformity is both thin and
ever-changing. L.O.6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.
Page: 189
TB_Q6.6.47
Source ID: n/a
Marxist theory sees crime as a product of

a. efforts to establish moral boundaries.
b. the process of labeling.
c. social inequality.
d. a lack of psychological adjustment.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: Karl Marx understood social problems in terms of class conflict. In a capitalist society, he
argued, the legal system protects the property of the capitalist class. L.O.6.6 Apply sociological theory to
the issue of crime.
Page: 190
7

TB_Q6.7.48
Source ID: n/a
From the conservative view, the most effective social control in reference to crime is
a. police.
b. deterrence.
c. values that produce a strong individual conscience.
d. the criminal justice system.
(Answer: c)
Consider This: Conservatives believe that young women and men who learn from their families to respect
the law, who gain strong religious values, and who are actively involved in community life are unlikely to
get into trouble. L.O.6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions on the political spectrum.
Learning Objective: L.O.6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions on the political spectrum.
Topic/Concept: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions
Page: 192
TB_Q6.7.49
Source ID: n/a
From the liberal view, crime and violence are caused by

a. ineffective socialization and inadequate family ties.
b. a harmful societal environment such as poverty.
c. a faulty conscience.
d. failure to punish quickly and severely.
(Answer: b)
Consider This: Liberals think that most people want to do the right thing, but many live in situations that
put steady pressure on them to break the law. L.O.6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions
on the political spectrum.
Page: 192
TB_Q6.7.50
Source ID: n/a
From the radical-left view, the real crime in U.S. society is

a. the absence of swift and effective punishment.
b. the extent of economic inequality.
c. people’s weak consciences.
d. inadequacy of the family and community in properly socializing and integrating people.
(Answer: b)

Consider This: As left-radicals see it, economic insecurity is the real violence that is carried out against
people every day. If some people resort to crime, it is because there may be no other way to get by.
L.O.6.7 Analyze crime and violence from various positions on the political spectrum.
Page: 192–193
Essay Questions
TB_Q6.1.51
Source ID: n/a
Provide a profile of the typical street crime offender in terms of age, sex, social class, and race.
 Arrest rates for both violent crime and property crime peak in the late teens and the rates have
fallen dramatically by the time people reach middle age.
 Men make up about half of the general population, but in 2014, they accounted for 62 percent of
arrests for property crimes.
 Sociological research has long shown that people of lower social position are involved in most
arrests for street crime.
 With regard to property crime, whites represent 69 percent of all arrests, and African Americans
account for 28 percent. But in proportion to their share of the population (about 13 percent),
African Americans are more likely than whites to be arrested.
Consider This: The profile in the text is based on arrest data provided by the police, not convictions.
Page: 168–169
TB_Q6.3.52
Source ID: n/a
Discuss why violence may or may not be defined as a social problem. Give examples of behavior that
illustrate how a particular type of violence may or may not be defined as acceptable.
 What do the actors intend by their actions?
 Does the violence conform to or violate social norms and values?
 Does the violence support or threaten the social order?
 Is the violence committed by or against the government?
Consider This: Violence becomes a social problem to the extent that people define it that way. L.O.6.3
Discuss causes and consequences of violence in our society.


Page: 173–174
TB_Q6.4.53
Source ID: n/a
Explain the four justifications of punishment. Which ones do you find more important? Why?
 In response to law breaking, the criminal justice system makes use of various forms of
punishment, ranging from fines to jail time to death.
 In principle, there are four justifications for punishing convicted offenders: retribution,
deterrence, rehabilitation, and societal protection.
Consider This: In 2014, more than 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States, almost five
times the number behind bars back in 1980. L.O.6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice
system.
Page: 181–183
TB_Q6.6.54
Source ID: n/a
Explain the labeling approach to deviance. What is the difference between primary and secondary
deviance?
 Howard S. Becker states that whether behavior is defined as deviant or not depends on how
people define and respond to the behavior.
 Labeling theory is the idea that crime and all other forms of rule breaking result not so much from
what people do as from how others respond to those actions.
 Edwin Lemert explored how individuals can be changed by the labels that people apply to their
behavior. He believed that primary deviance (incidents with only passing significance) can lead to
secondary deviance and a deviant identity.
Consider This: Are crime and other types of deviance simply elements of socially constructed reality
resulting from a highly variable process of detection, definition, and response? L.O.6.6 Apply
sociological theory to the issue of crime.
Page: 189
TB_Q6.7.55
Source ID: n/a
How do conservatives, liberals, and people on the radical left differ in constructing the problem of
crime? How do they differ in defining solutions to the crime problem? What can we learn from each
point of view that might make our society safer and more just?
10

 Conservative View: The moral order of society is breaking down—decline of the two-parent
family, weakening religious values, children not being taught to behave responsibly. The way to
reduce crime and violence is to strengthen families and increase the culture’s emphasis on good
parenting; tougher law enforcement is also necessary when crime has occurred.
 Liberal View: A lack of jobs is the major factor that forces people to break the law. Government
needs to use resources to expand economic opportunities in poor urban and rural areas where
people are in desperate need of work.
 Radical-Left View: Economic inequality of a capitalist society promotes criminal activity by the
underclass; criminal justice system is used to maintain order and protect the interests of capitalist
elites. The real violence in our society is the oppression of capitalism. Therefore, the capitalist
economy should be eliminated in favor of a more equitable system.
Consider This: Like so many social issues, how people see the crime problem, and what they consider to
be effective solutions, depends on their political viewpoints. L.O.6.7 Analyze crime and violence from
various positions on the political spectrum.
Topic/Concept: Constructing Problems and Defining Solution
Page: 192–193
11

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Macionis, Social Problems, 7e

Solution Manual for Social Problems 7th Edition Macionis

Solution manual; https://testbankpack.com/p/solution-manual-for-social-

Test bank: https://testbankpack.com/p/test-bank-for-social-problems-7th-

CRIME, VIOLENCE, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Detailed Teaching Objectives

John’s Chapter Close-Up

John’s Personal Video Selection

Research for a Cutting-Edge Classroom

Teaching Suggestions, Exercises, and Projects

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

theme of the “social construction of problems” (see pp. <PG>173</PG>–<PG>179</PG>).

individuals make sense out of troubling behavior (pp. <PG>179</PG>–<PG>185</PG>).

theoretical approaches convey powerful messages: (see pp. <PG>185</PG>–<PG>191</PG>)

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Structural-functional theory: deviance is inherent in all social organization

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

II. Other Dimensions of the Crime Problem

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o Hate crime is a criminal offense against a person, property, or society motivated

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

IV. The Criminal Justice System

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© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Probation, a policy of letting a convicted offender stay in the community

V. Explaining Crime: Biological and Psychological Theories

VI. Explaining Crime: Sociological Theories

o pattern contributes to the operation of society as a system

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

 In a capitalist society, he explained, the legal system protects the property

VII. Politics and Crime: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions

6.2 Define a number of specific types of crime.

6.3 Discuss the causes and consequences of violence in our society.

6.4 Analyze the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system.

6.5 Apply biological and psychological theories to the issue of crime.

6.6 Apply sociological theory to the issue of crime.

DETAILED TEACHING OBJECTIVES

After reading <LINK>Chapter 6</LINK>, students should be able to:

1. Define norms, law, and crime.

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Illustrate the social construction of a problem using the case of stalking.

crime, corporate crime, organized crime, and victimless crime.

being a social problem.

in these types of criminal violence?

13. Discuss the relationship between violence and poverty.

14. Discuss the patterns of violence among youth gangs.

violence? How do sociological theories surpass these limitations?

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

crime and violence.

JOHN’S CHAPTER CLOSE-UP: WHY IS OUR SOCIETY SO VIOLENT?

quickly as they had gone up.

one of the PowerPoint slides in the Instructor’s manual—is disturbing.

319 million people in the United States.

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violence in the United States.

JOHN’S PERSONAL VIDEO SELECTION

discussion for months, often generating more heat than light.

your classroom discussion.

RESEARCH FOR A CUTTING-EDGE CLASSROOM

© 2018, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.