Crime and Criminality
One of the first courses that I took when I started college was Introduction to Criminal Justice. We talked about a little bit of everything, including what we discussed in class; measurement, victimization, theories of criminality, violent crime, punishment, and more. This Criminology course expanded my knowledge on crime and criminality in many aspects. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), stalking, punishment and its consequences, and the solutions for a better justice system helped to learn how the system works, and how it can improve. This may sound like a lack of education, but this is the first college semester that I learn the most about the reality of the criminal justice …show more content…
The UCR it is always one year behind, and does not include the victim's information. It only reports eight index crimes; four violent crimes, and four property crimes. The violent crimes include criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The downside of the UCR is that it only reports cleared cases and the most serious crimes. In the other side, the NCVS does provide the victim's information, which I think it is fundamental for a reported case if there is a victim involved. Victims should be part of the criminal justice system like any other party involved. The NCVS includes violent and property crime, but excluding homicide, arson, and commercial crimes. The NCVS can be complicated sometimes because it really depends on the victims' willingness to confess what happened to them, and how much they remember from the crime scene. Not many victims feel comfortable sharing their stories for many reasons; it can be due to fear or lack of hope, and more. Victims are very important in the criminal justice system because sometimes they can lead us to the correct offender, but sometimes that is not the …show more content…
This is why the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Within the correctional facility, there is another type of punishment for inmates, who commit offenses like assaulting another inmate or a guard. This type of punishment is called solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is misused all around the county. There are some correctional facilities trying to find other alternatives for those inmates who violate the rules within the jail/prison. In my perspective, sending inmates to solitary confinement for months or even years is cruel. It is so infuriating how social institutions such as the correctional facilities think that this type of punishment is the solution to reduce this criminal behavior. The reason behind punishment is to let the offender know what he/she did is wrong and cannot be done again. The film Last Days of Solitary only proves how isolation does not reduce criminal behavior instead it makes it
One of the first courses that I took when I started college was Introduction to Criminal Justice. We talked about a little bit of everything, including what we discussed in class; measurement, victimization, theories of criminality, violent crime, punishment, and more. This Criminology course expanded my knowledge on crime and criminality in many aspects. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), stalking, punishment and its consequences, and the solutions for a better justice system helped to learn how the system works, and how it can improve. This may sound like a lack of education, but this is the first college semester that I learn the most about the reality of the criminal justice …show more content…
The UCR it is always one year behind, and does not include the victim's information. It only reports eight index crimes; four violent crimes, and four property crimes. The violent crimes include criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The downside of the UCR is that it only reports cleared cases and the most serious crimes. In the other side, the NCVS does provide the victim's information, which I think it is fundamental for a reported case if there is a victim involved. Victims should be part of the criminal justice system like any other party involved. The NCVS includes violent and property crime, but excluding homicide, arson, and commercial crimes. The NCVS can be complicated sometimes because it really depends on the victims' willingness to confess what happened to them, and how much they remember from the crime scene. Not many victims feel comfortable sharing their stories for many reasons; it can be due to fear or lack of hope, and more. Victims are very important in the criminal justice system because sometimes they can lead us to the correct offender, but sometimes that is not the …show more content…
This is why the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Within the correctional facility, there is another type of punishment for inmates, who commit offenses like assaulting another inmate or a guard. This type of punishment is called solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is misused all around the county. There are some correctional facilities trying to find other alternatives for those inmates who violate the rules within the jail/prison. In my perspective, sending inmates to solitary confinement for months or even years is cruel. It is so infuriating how social institutions such as the correctional facilities think that this type of punishment is the solution to reduce this criminal behavior. The reason behind punishment is to let the offender know what he/she did is wrong and cannot be done again. The film Last Days of Solitary only proves how isolation does not reduce criminal behavior instead it makes it