Crimes and How They Are Perceived In Society

Crimes are treated as taboos, but their treatment and punishment given are wholly based on their perception by the legislature. The media also portrays the different types or levels of crime differently from others. Theories have also been used to differentiate one crime type from the other. In this paper, the different types of crime: crimes against persons, crimes against property and white-collar crimes will be looked at, and their perception in society analyzed at length. 

Perception of Crimes by the Legislature 

The legislature is the arm of government responsible for coming up with laws. In the United States, crimes are classified as felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions. These levels of crime are often distinguished from each other by their seriousness (Montaldo, 2017). Members of the legislature are responsible for determining which behavior constitutes a crime and the punishment that is to be received by a suspect found guilty of a specific crime whether it is against persons, property or white-collar. 

Crimes classified as felonies are considered the most serious and are punishable by incarceration (more than one year in prison, life imprisonment or capital punishment). Crimes against persons and crimes against property are considered felonies, for example, murder and grand theft (Montaldo, 2017). The felony charge in most cases is never limited to the person who committed the crime as it can also be imposed on those who were accessories to the crime. Tax evasion, a white-collar crime, is considered a felony. 

Felonies are further classified as capital felonies and first to fourth degrees (Montaldo, 2017). This classification is dependent on the severity of the crime and may vary from state to state. A capital felony is a crime that qualifies for capital punishment (death penalty) or life imprisonment such as murder. Arson, child pornography, larceny, and assault are considered first, second, third and fourth-degree felonies respectively (Montaldo, 2017). All these felonies receive different prison sentences. 

Felonies can be described as Class A or Class B depending on their severity (Montaldo, 2017). Class A felonies are most heinous and carry the toughest punishments such as death penalties while Class B felonies are liable to long prison sentences. Punishment for felonies will vary in different states, for example, in Texas, a first-degree felony might attract 5 to 99 years in prison while in Florida it might attract up to 30 years in prison (Montaldo, 2017). Capital felony in Florida is also classified as a life felony. 

Misdemeanors are crimes that are of less severity compared to felonies, for example, beating someone with a bat (aggravated assault) is considered a felony while slapping someone (simple battery) is considered a misdemeanor (Montaldo, 2017). Misdemeanors receive a maximum prison sentence of 12 months. Infractions do not receive any jail time and are also known as petty crimes. They attract fines and, in most cases, do not require a court presence. An example of an infraction is improper garbage disposal (Montaldo, 2017). 

Perception of Crimes by the Media 

The media has played a significant role in portraying the criminal justice system. The public’s understanding of the criminal justice system is often determined by the media, and in most cases, the media is considered inaccurate in its representation of the criminal justice system. The media portrays crime through framing. Framing refers to the packaging of stories in a way that can be easily understood by the public (Rennison & Dodge,2018). These frames simplify criminal events for the public and are unlikely to change anytime soon. 

As stated before, the media uses framing to portray crimes for the public to understand them. They are blocked opportunities frame, social breakdown frame and violent media frame (Rennison & Dodge, 2018). The blocked opportunities frame suggests that all crimes are because of the absence of legal sources of livelihood. Therefore, an individual is likely to commit larceny because they are poor, uneducated or unemployed. These criminals are discriminated against and therefore have no choice but to commit crimes. 

The social breakdown frame suggests that crimes are because of breakdown within the society, that is, families and the community (Rennison & Dodge, 2018). Therefore, increased divorce rates and births out of wedlock are to blame for the behavior of criminal offenders. On the other hand, violent media frame suggests that violent movies, shows, and games are to blame for the violent crimes committed by criminal offenders. These frames have become the source of all information on crime for most of the public. 

Theories Explaining Different Crimes 

Aker’s social learning theory suggests that crime is a learned behavior. This theory has four main concepts: differential association, differential reinforcement, definitions and imitation (Nicholson & Higgins, 2017). However, this paper will only discuss one concept and its relation to personal crimes. Definitions in social learning theory refer to one’s beliefs and their attitudes towards certain behaviors. An individual may decide to murder because they have rationalized the act as revenge against another. 

Routine activities theory (RAT) can be used to explain property crimes. This theory by Cohen and Felson suggests that crimes occur in the presence of three elements (Argun & Dağlar, 2016). They are an appropriate target, absence of a guardian and a motivated offender. All these elements must exist for a crime to occur. A criminal offender may decide to steal a car because it is of high profit, is parked in an area with no security cameras and the owner is nowhere to be seen. 

White-collar crimes can best be explained by self-control theory. This theory by Gottfredson and Hirschi suggests that a criminal’s perception of the consequences of a crime determines the presence or absence of self-control (Eaton & Korach, 2016). A criminal offender in most cases will lack self-control. White-collar criminals can, therefore, be described as impulsive and insensitive because they tend to make rash decisions and do not care about the implications of their crimes on the lives of others (Eaton & Korach, 2016). 

Conclusion 

The perception we have on crime and criminal behavior is wholly based on the information that is accessible to us. The legislature defines crimes according to their severity while the media will frame crimes according to the reasons behind them. However, there are theories that explain the relationship between criminal behavior and crimes. This approach is more effective in explaining why people commit crimes than the media’s interpretation. 

References 

Argun U., & Dağlar, M. (2016). Examination of Routine Activities Theory by the property crime. International Journal of Human Sciences , 13(1), 1188-1198. Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/3665/1706 

Eaton T. V. & Korach, S. (2016). A Criminological Profile Of White-Collar Crime. The Journal of Applied Business Research , 32(1), 129-142. Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/JABR/article/download/9528/9650/ 

Montaldo, C. (2017, June 30). Types of Criminal Offenses. Thought.Co . Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-criminal-offenses-970835 

Nicholson, J., & Higgins, G. E. (2017). Social Structure Social Learning Theory: Preventing Crime and Violence. In B. Teasdale & M. Bradley (Eds.), Preventing Crime and Violence (pp. 11-20). Springer. Retrieved 5 March 2018, from http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9783319441221-c2.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1596777-p180189880 

Rennison, E. M. & Dodge M. (2018). An Introduction to Crime and the Criminal Justice System. Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems, Diversity, and Change . Retrieved 5 March 2018, from https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/79292_Chapter_1_An_Introduction_to_the_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf