Crime and Justice - Audio Aids

• NCJ Number: 78156
• Author(s): L Carlson; E SiegalSiegalCarlson E, L
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 0 pages
• Corporate Author: University of California, San Diego
• Sale Source: University of California, San Diego
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This item contains two cassettes. The total running time is two hours and thirty-five minutes. Rental is not available.

Annotation

A series of taped discussions on topics relating to crime and justice in America are presented as part of an extension course of the University of California at San Diego.

Abstract

The presentations are based on information from newspaper articles by well-known criminological and judicial experts. The first discussion explains crime as the reflection of cultural phenomena such as the American love of guns and spirit of individualism. Further contributions characterize white-collar crime and the white-collar offender, the extent and minority nature of organized crime, and the basis of urban crime in the concentration of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. A segment on sex and crime examines the double standards applied to women who as offenders receive lighter sentences than men and who as victims are not adequately protected. In a section on race and crime, negative attitudes toward minorities are traced back a century, and growth of minority criminality is attributed to breakdown of close-knit family culture and loss of high aspirations. The function of law and attempts to legislate morality through 'created crimes' are discussed in sections on the philosophy and limits of criminal law. Another section counters the popular view that accused criminals have more rights than ordinary citizens, arguing that legal protections must be extended equally to everyone. A comparison of British and American police shows that American police have developed chaotically and have encouraged special protections for the rich. Comments on pretrial detention emphasize that individuals from poor circumstances are frequently denied bail and thereby the chance to keep their lives intact. A view of sentencing urges development of uniform guidelines to equalize disadvantages to the poor. The final sections on corrections trace the penalty of imprisonment since the 18th century, the failure of rehabilitation efforts in prisons and growing prison tensions, and the need of the corrections system to resolve conflicts relating to punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation goals.