Criminal Justice Models

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In order to understand the criminal justice system, one must first understand the causes of crime, different types of crime and the the different theories that better helps us understand criminal behavior. Over the years law enforcement and our criminal justice system has evolved. Some aspects may have improved while others may have stayed the same or gotten worse. Crime is defined as a wrong against society proclaimed my law and, if committed under certain circumstances, punishable by society. To fully understand the concept of crime it is important to understand the two most common models of how society decided which acts are criminal; those models are the consensus and conflict models. The consensus model refers to a group of people with …show more content…
Crime is grouped into six different categories: violent, property, public order, white collar, organized and high tech crime. Violent crimes have four different classifications: murder, sexual assault, assault and battery and robbery. Violent crimes are crimes against persons. Property crimes is the most common form of criminal activity the goal of property crime is to have some form of economic gain or the damaging of property. Activities such as pocket picking, shoplifting, and stealing of any property is considered property crime. Public order crime is linked to the consensus model. The most common form of public crime is public intoxication. Other forms of public crime are prostitution, gambling and illicit drug use. Business related crimes are commonly referred to as white collar crime. White collar crime is defined as non-violent crimes committed by business entities or individuals to gain a personal or business advantage. Organized crime are illegal acts carried out by illegal organizations engaged in the market of illegal goods or services, such as illicit drugs or firearms. The final type of crime is high tech crime these crimes are committed via internet involving activities such as porn and scamming through financial …show more content…
Crime affects everyone either directly or indirectly. An example of this is a case such as the Mike Brown Ferguson case, the death of Mike Brown has directly impacted the family and friends of the teenage boy. Seeing the case on the national news has sparked riots in states all across the world which supports the statement of indirect impact. The thousands of rioters may have never known Mike but their lives were still affected. Some of the causes of crime are as follows: gender, race, cultural background, mental stability and age. Criminologist have discovered many theories to help understand crime. There are many theories on crime such as: rational choice, social disorganization, and the strain theory. The Rational Choice theory argues that people make decisions to commit crime after weighing the potential risks against the rewards. The Social Disorganization theory says a person’s physical and social environments are primarily responsible for the behavioral choices that person makes. The last criminal theory is the Strain theory, the Strain theory states most people have similar aspirations, but they don’t all have the same opportunities or abilities. When people fail to achieve society’s expectations through approved means such as hard work and delayed gratification, they may attempt to achieve success through crime. In criminology, examining why people commit crime is very important in the ongoing debate of how