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cjustice
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| Joined: | Sat Dec 24th, 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
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Posted: Tue Apr 10th, 2007 09:00 am |
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Greetings,
I hope you can assist me.
I am researching and essay on crime prevention, and my starting point is the identification of what constitutes a "crime".
I want to first establish that what one community sees as a crime may not by another, adjacent community.
I have so far used Islam/ Catholisim and alcohol as an example (not motivated by religion - purely as an example of differences), have identified an area within the UK which prohibits the sale of alcohol based on the history and heritage of the town, and am looking for an example in the USA which also prohibits some form of activity where an adjacent community allows the same act - if possible the identification of reference sources would greatly assist. (If it is alcohol related this would be ideal as it would allow for the continuation of the theme)
If you are able to assist me I would greatly appreciate it.
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cjustice
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Posted: Tue Apr 10th, 2007 09:18 am |
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Hugh:
Good question and interesting topic. Here is some food for thought:
A crime is "an act committed or ommitted in violation of a law commanding or forbiding it to which is annex upon conviction a punishment." Well, that's from memory - and pretty close. Key to your question is a crime equals the violation of a law. And, as you have pointed out, different communities of people have different laws.
Simply put, the law is the codified reflection of community norms. If enough people think something is "bad" we make a law against it. And, norms change over time and differ from community to community. Prohibition didn't last because not enough people supported it (it wasn't a true norm) and therefore the law failed. Laws on drugs have changed - in the past, possession of a single seed of marijuana could have ended up in prison time. It was a felony. Now, well, in some states, like Alaska, as long as its in your own home and non-commerical there isn;t much to worry about
Here is a good discussion on ethics and the formation of policy on crime this may help you understand how different communities of people can come up with different laws, etc.
http://crab.rutgers.edu/~gcaputo/exploring_ethical_issues.html
For studies, go to the National criminal justice reference service here:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/index.html
You will find over 16K articles, many of them full text like this one:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=209701
Why Do Drinking and Driving Prevention Programmes Fail?
"Several factors are underscored as contributing to the failure of drinking and driving programs, including the fact that most of these programs do not consider the [highlight= #a0ffff]normative and cultural factors surrounding drinking and driving behavior."
Here is a list of all the "dry" counties in the US...they are, many times, along side "wet" counties. You may be able to find some interesting research here:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/1140551076.html
Good luck
REF
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boon1108
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Posted: Tue Apr 10th, 2007 12:16 pm |
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Greetings,
Thanks for the response and the information - it is greatly appreciated.
Part of the reason for my choice of topic was that I believe it allows application, and discussion, of a wide range of Crime Prevention theories.
Regards
Hugh
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