PSY 230 Lecture 5: PSY 230 - Lectures 1-5
Document Summary
Government and police statistics have documented a continuing decline in crime rates over the past two decades. Canadians now feel that crime prevention is more effective than law enforcement for combatting crime. The influence of the media: media has an important role in informing the population about the criminal justice system. Statistically, tv news are predominant as a source of information, along with friends and family, newspapers and the internet amongst other sources. : there are many definitions of crime, and they typically included legal, Legal: acts prohibited by the state and punishable under law. Social: violation of certain norms and customs punishable by the community. Psychological: acts that are rewarding to the perpetrator but harmful to others. There is consistency across countries regarding what is viewed as criminal. A very good definition from criminal behaviour is the following: Criminal behaviour: refers to intentional behaviour that violates a criminal code.
