The Effects of Felony Convictions RaShawnda Anderson Kaplan University The Effects of Felony Convictions The effects of felony convictions are a very hot topic in America. This is because there are many Americans that commit crimes and are punished yet still deal with the effects for years to come. Felons are a part of society and should be treated as such especially if they are reformed. A person can commit a crime that results in a felony and twenty years later still suffer the harsh reality of certain privileges being taken away. Yes, an individual should be punished for their crimes but the effects of a felony conviction should not include or affect that person’s right to vote, finding employment, or the pursuance of a higher education.
The functionalist would argue that those who transgress are usually dealt with by the law and that order is restored. The conflict theorist would argue that the law enforcement system perpetuates the inequalities and would give the example of how many white-collar crimes go unpunished. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_8586125_compare-contrast-functionalist-conflict-theories.html#ixzz2iJlpn5zx Contrast the functionalist and conflict theories of crime. The functionalist would argue that those who transgress are usually dealt with by the law and that order is restored. The conflict theorist would argue that the law enforcement system perpetuates the inequalities and would give the example of how many white-collar crimes go unpunished.
Further, because most hate-crime legislation puts added effort into prosecuting crimes against certain individuals or groups, what about the same crimes committed against someone who doesn't fit into one of those groups? Will the crime be prosecuted to the same extent? If not, you're making things worse for the majority, who are likely to feel underprotected. If the problem is that too many people (of any group) are being mugged, or assaulted, or their belongings vandalized, you should put more effort into prosecuting muggings, assaults, or vandalism. Not to protect any one group, but to protect all
However Subcultural theorists developed this idea claiming that people experiencing strain seek different forms of success. As item A explains, subcultural theorists have developed earlier ideas about crime. They see crime and deviance as a group activity. More specifically, Albert Cohen (1955) believed that ‘status frustration’ is the motive behind delinquent acts. This means that those who feel looked down upon and those who feel that they are denied social status commit the delinquent acts.
She believes that the mothers that use infanticide as a legal defense basically use that as an excuse in order to avoid a life time sentence in jail. Grant also says that Canada should think about scraping the infanticide law and focus on sentencing the woman accused of this crime more appropriately. In addition, another legal representative that is against infanticide is Jennifer Woollcombe, Crown Counsel as of 2010. Woollcombe’s argument is that when the law of infanticide was enacted in 1948, there was a much greater social stigma surrounding infanticide and how it was considered such a great sin. She believes that this defense for murder should be abolished completely because it is
Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms. Crime is a type of deviance. Crime is the violation of a society’s formally enacted criminal law. Criminal deviance spans from minor traffic violations to sexual assault to murder. In the case of serious deviance, action may be brought by the criminal justice system – “a formal response by police, courts, and prison officials to alleged violations of the law.” The key elements of the U.S. criminal justice system include police, courts, and the punishment of convicted offenders.
The more severe the crime is, the more severe the punishment should be. Many people believe retribution is necessary, especially in cases of murder. Capital punishment fits the criminal offense of murder. If you kill someone, you should be put to death. It is an “ eye for an eye”.
Plea bargaining has been another element of the criminal trial process which has caused controversial debate over it effectiveness. Under the DPP Act 1986, the guidelines are set for plea bargaining. However in the common law case of R V Koch, 2009, the offender's charge of attempted murder was reduced from 25 years to 6 years under a grievous bodily harm charge. The victim stated “All the crown has done is to give him an opportunity to finish the job. I'm a dead woman walking” Further in the SMH media report, “victims ignore in plea details”, John Hatzistergos statted “more communication between victim and office of DPP is needed”.
It is evident that crime and deviance play an important role in society today and form the “out of ordinary” actions that take place as a subsequence. Crime is a well-known term to many and is believed to involve a breach of rules or laws implemented by authorities that lead to convictions or punishment for those involved in the criminal activity. However; deviance is a term which creates much difficulty in terms of a specific definition, but the closet definition came from two men; Downs and Rock who believed that “deviance may be considered as banned or controlled behaviour which is likely to attract punishment or disapproval”. Haralambos and Holborn Sociology, Themes and Perspectives seventh edition, 2008. This demonstrates that there is some concept of difference between criminal and deviant behaviour.
Crime and Justice CJA/204 February 23, 2015 Crime and Justice Crime is a social phenomenon and is defined as any unlawful act by law where society has provided a specific punishment. There are many different acts such as murder, arson, robbery, larceny, motor vehicle theft and burglary. Crime also consists of acts threatening a nation ,practical jokes such as falsely reporting a bomb threat or hate crimes be it religious, gender or racial. These are also described as negatively affected stereotype groups. Negative stereotypes are often resistant to change even in the face of conflicting information (Devine, 1989; Fiske & Neuberg, 1989), and are intimately linked to prejudice and bigotry (Stroebe & Insko, 1989).