1.2 Crime and the Criminal Justice System

Many criminologists define crime as the violation of the laws of a society by a person or persons that are subject to those laws. Thus, crime as defined by the State or Federal government. Essentially, crime is what the law states. A violation of the law, stated in the statute, would make the actions criminal (Lynch et al, 2015).

For example, if someone murdered another individual in the process of stealing their car. Most people would see this as a straightforward example of crime. We often see murder and robbery as wrong and harmful to society, as well as social order. However, there are times when crime is not as straightforward, and people may hesitate to call it criminal. In some communities, it is illegal to give food to homeless street beggars. If one were to violate this law and give food to a homeless person, it would not involve harm to individuals but to the social order.

We will talk later about how we may create laws based on what can cause harm. Harm can be to the social order, physical, economic, social, emotional, environmental, and more. The criminal justice system is a major social institution that is tasked with controlling crime in various ways. Police are tasked with detecting crime and detaining individuals. Courts adjudicate and hand down punishments. The correction system implements punishments and/or rehabilitative efforts for people who have been found guilty of breaking the law.