Chapter 8 Crime the Police.pptVIP

Chapter 8 Crime the Police Xiao Huiyun November, 2004 English Faculty, GDUFS A 1 Introduction Definition of crime --Crime is behaviour that breaks those rules of a society which are codified in the criminal law. (p131) Crimes are defined and punished by statutes and by the common law . In a changing society the opportunities for people to commit crimes also change . Changes in patterns of work, in unemployment and in the increased amount of leisure time may all be reflected in the patterns of crime found in Britain. E.g. car-stealing for joy-rides, computor fraud, drunk drive , etc. A 2 Crime in Britain Today Most of the crimes committed in Britain (90%) are crimes against property i.e. theft, handling stolen goods, fraud, forgery and criminal damage . A large number of these crimes involve cars. Offences recorded by the police in England Wales (in thousands) (P132) A 2 Crime in Britain Today (cont.) British crime levels are soaring. “ ….But now, like the US, the UK has a crime problem and, believe it or not, except for murder, theirs is worse than ours. (Dan Rather, 2000) US newsman says Britain is riddled with crime. Tony Harnden. Telegraph. June 29, 2000 A 3 Victims Offenders Fear of being a victim varies according to age and sex. What are the main patterns that you notice from the table on p133? How do these fears relate to the numbers of offences recorded? (Look back at the table on p132) Who are the offenders? 80% of offenders are male Many offences are committed by companies A 4 The Causes of Crime A 4 The Causes of Crime (cont.) Older people tend to blame … parents,… too lenient sentencing,… lack of school discipline Middle-class people tend to blame … parents Women tend to blame too lenient sentencing Younger people tend to blame … unemployment,… poverty,… drugs Working-class people tend to blame too lenient sentencing Men tend to blame… lack of school discipline A 4 the Causes of Crime (cont.) The young differed substantially