Richard De Souza

Criminal Justice

1. The defintion of crime isn't something that could be established due to the fact that the
laws are always changing. We have crimes that are prohibited because they contain
wrong within themselves which are known as " mala in se." Then we have the crimes that
we prohibit because we think that they are wrong, therefore they are known as " mala
prohibita."

2. The legislators are who decide which actions will be considered criminal or not. They
also have the right to change the laws according to how society's values change. The
society doesn't have to agree on a mala prohibita law for it to be passed. A lot of people
disagree that gambling, prostitution, and drug use should be punished.

3. The two types of rights are known as mala in se and mala prohibita. Mala in se are the
crimes that have a harmful nature in themselves and mala prohibita are the actions that
the government believe should be banned so they establish a law against it.

4. Visible crime- these are the crimes that are most upsetting to the public. They are
considered anywhere from killing or injuring someone to stealing a car, shoplifting and
drunkness in public, vandalism, etc.

Occupational Crime- are crimes that are committed in the legal business or profession.
These crimes are the ones that, if " done right," are never discovered due to the fact that
the people involved are normally the companys own employees, the crime committed
here is usually fraud which can cost the country billions of dollars by the end of the year.

Organized Crime- a framework for the perpetuation of criminal acts- usually in fields
such as gambling, drugs, and prostitution. These crimes provide illegal services that are
in great demand from the people.

Crimes without Victims- crimes that involve a willing and private exchange for goods
or services that are in high demand but are illegal. The participants don't usually feel
harmed but it is seen as an imoral act towards society.

Political Crime- usually done for ideological purposes causing a threat against the state,
such as treason, sedition or espionage.

Cyber Crime- Involve the use of computers to commit acts against people, property,
public order, or morality.

5. African American teenagers are most likely to be victims of a crime due to the fact of
where they usually live(urban, high-crime areas), how they may spend their time(on the
streets late at night), and the people with whom they may associate with(violence-prone
youths).

6. After a crime has occured, the victim is often forgotten. The criminal justice systems
focuses more on convicting the criminal rather then compensating the victim for having
suffered injuries or property loss.

8. Classical Criminology- a school of criminology that views behavior as stemming from

free will, demands responsibility and accountability of all perpetrators, and stresses the
need for punishments sever enough to deter others.

Positivist Criminology- school of criminology that views behavior as stemming from

social, biological, and pyschological factors. It argues that punishment should be tailored
to the individual needs of the offender.

9. Biological theories- certain people are born criminals. They have primitive physical
traits such as strong canine teeth, huge jaws, and high cheekbones. These traits are
aquired through heredity or through alcoholism, epilepsy, or syphilis. I don't agree with
this theory because you can't determine someone's future because of hereditary traits.

10. Psychological theory- view criminal behavior as being caused by a mental condition,
a personality disturbance, or limited intellect. Crime is caused by unconscious forces and
drives according to Sigmund Freud. This seems to be a reasonable theory due to the fact
that certain may suffer psychological traumas during an early age thus leading them to
have odd reactions.

11. Sociological theory- they believe that a person's interaction with diferent social
groups cna have an impact on their behavior. Crimes for this theory can be related in ares
with more poverty, bad housing, broken families, and problems faced by new
immigrants. I believe that this theory along with the psychological theory can be the
reason to criminal acts. a lot of our behaviors do come from previous psychological
experiences that are sometimers hidden in our sunconscious. We can also say that the
social environment that you live in can affect your behavior due to the fact that you may
be spending your time with low class people and living a stressfull life style.

12. They are theories that identify factors affecting the start, duration, nature, and end of
criminal behavior over the life of an offender.

13. No, i don't think that we can relate a criminal to simply one theory. Every person is
diferent and every crime is diferent, thereefore, one theory can't be applied to all
situations.