Criminal Behavior: Chapter Summary

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1. Give your own brief definition of a 'law ' and describe how criminal behavior (i.e. behavior that violates the law) differs from socially deviant behavior.

I consider ‘law’ to be a form written rules that is established by a governing authority and are enforced to be followed for all members for the good of the community and society as a whole. Criminal behavior differs from socially deviant behavior in several reasons. In the book the author explains that criminal behavior is “ behavior that commits act in violation of a criminal law,” where as deviant behavior is consider behavior that is differing from the normal standards of a society (Hemmens, Brody, & Spohn, 2013, p. 57). I agree with the authors’ statement they have made regarding criminal behavior because criminal behavior is derived from an act or acts that goes against a …show more content…

It is necessary for a prosecutor to have an assumption of guilt combined with the legal concept of innocent until proven guilty because it provides for a fair criminal trail and also moves cases forward.b Within the textbook the authors address within the criminal justice system regarding the crime control model there is the presumption of guilt and the presumption of innocence. According the textbook, presumption of guilt is when “ the defendants who are not screened out early in the process by police and prosecutors are probably guilty and therefore can be passed quickly through the remaining stages in the process.” Where as the presumption of innocence is “holds that defendants are to be treated as through their guilt is an open question until they have been adjudicated guilty” (Hemmens, Brody, & Spohn, 2013, p.14). These presumptions, especially in regards to the crime control model, are important and I agree with them because they move cases forward in a timely manner that is uniform and predictable. Also, using this process allows for efficiency that the innocent people are ruled out to give rise to the guilty