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Crime, in this setting, can be described as a wrong committed against the society
as a whole. This definition is hard to interpret though because a society is an everchanging entity that is as complex as it is large. Something that may be considered a
crime in one society might be ones right in another. There are two main models that
describe how different societies treat crime: the consensus model, and the conflict model.
Crime can be classified under six different categories: violent crime, property
crime, public order crime, white-collar crime, organized crime, and high-tech crime. Each
type of these crimes can be found in certain sects of communities. For example, you
generally wont find white-collar crime in a poverty stricken neighborhood; but it is safe
to assume that organized crime can be considered a crime umbrella. This umbrella could
be responsible for housing crimes such as: violent crime, property crime, public order
crime, and high-tech crime.
The criminal justice system is responsible for deciding what is to be considered
what is a crime, and more specifically what category said crimes fall under. The purpose
of the criminal justice system is to: control crime with set boundaries, prevent crime with
public advertisement of fines for specific crimes, and to provide and maintain justice with
sentencing. Law enforcement officers provide the upfront maintenance of justice by using
discretion and direction to what fines and/or court dates the suspected public might face
for committing a crime.
The court system is in place to process members of the community that have been
suspected of committing a crime. It is the job of the judge the provide or forego
sentencing in any given situation, in the more serious cases there might also be a jury in
place to help provide sentencing for a more fair judgment by ones peers. The corrections
system is in place to house those who have been found guilty by the court system, it is the
goal of the corrections system to rehabilitate and restructure the mind and actions of the
members that are housed there.
The wedding cake model of criminal justice can be viewed as crime set up in
tiers; the top tier being celebrity cases, the second tier is serious or high profile felonies,
the next tier covers ordinary felonies, and finally the base of this model consists of
misdemeanors. It is unfortunate that only the top tier generally receives the ideal
standards of criminal justice; this is the case because celebrities, or people who are very
well off financially, can afford the top-notch lawyers to defend them. These expensive
lawyers know the criminal justice system like the back of their hand, and if there is
something that they are not familiar with they have vast resources and staffers under them
to find ways to bend the law in their favor.
As
a
whole
this
chapter
covers
types
of
crime
and
how
they
are
dealt
with,
briefly
touching
on
all
steps
of
this
process.
I
think
that
it
is
safe
to
say
that
each
aspect
of
this
process
will
be
presented
in
greater
depth
in
future
chapters.
That
being
said,
all
steps
of
correctional
justice
process
are
very
important
in
our
society
today;
if
we
didnt
have
these
steps
in
place
the
criminal
justice
system
would
be
flawed.
These
are
in
place
to
act
as
a
check
and
balance
system,
which
is
a
very
important
part
of
the
system
and
how
it
functions.