Myths and Reality of Crime
As we learn in the video,Crimes of the Powerful, our justice system tends to focus on street crime, often ignoring much more significant problems such as white-collar, corporate, and state crime.
Write a paper discussing the myths and realities of crime. Please elaborate on the following points in your essay:
- Imagine asking 100 strangers to describe a criminal. Predict whether those descriptions would be likely to focus on street criminals, or the variety of topics covered in this video.
- Describe how society defines crime. Do not provide a definition - instead, explain how the definition is reached.
- Discuss how society decides what to define as a crime.
- Present a clear statement about a particular crime, something we know to be absolutely true. Illustrate how we know that this is an accurate statement.
- Present an example of a widely held myth or misconception about crime and society. Determine how we know that this is a myth. Explain why this myth is so difficult to abandon.
The paper must be three to four pages in length and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least two scholarly resources other than the textbook to support your claims and subclaims. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.
- Short Cuts TV (Producer). (2010).Crimes of the Powerful[Video]. InCrime and Deviance: A Sociological Inquiry. Retrieved from https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47476&aid=18596&loid=137445&Plt=FOD&w=320&h=240(Focuses on crimes of the powerful, often applying criminological theory to questions about the definition of crime. Video highlights the interaction of media, public opinion, crime, political ideology, and crime policy.)