CRIM 1650 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Unintended Consequences
1 May 2018
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Popular Culture, Politics, and Public Policy March 28, 2017
1. Public policy is a product of interactions between distorted cultural rep of crime and
ri justie, puli opiio, ad politial iterests
2. Crie is a ideal politial target:
a. valence issue: social or political issue that unities a significant portion of the
voting population
- most voters are afraid of crime and believe it is on the rise
- will want get tough policies
b. Political scapegoat
- Deflect attention from more important issues (unemployment – takes longer
and more work) to others (crime)
c. Political expediency (quick/straightforward):
- Crime is an issue that allows for quick, straight forwards, symbolic, policy
discussions
- Crime is a product of predisposition that understood in the light of crime and
criminality of crime and incapacitations
o Quick, straight forward ex. Mandatory sentences – simple and easy in
political views
3. Crime control industry and the prison-industrial complex
4. Victims and victim advocacy groups
- Families or friends will try to reform the criminal justice system to prevent
the same fate of the victim – tougher punishments
- Easy to sympathize with the victim – filled with emotion
- If victims are young, white, middle class, females, it is easier to establish laws
Disadvantages:
- Narrows category of legitimate victim
- Emphasise on atypical crimes – random acts of violence
o Most violence for children is not from strangers but from family and
friends – poverty, abuse, neglect, etc.
- Dehumanization of offenders and contextualization of the crime
o the ore pure the iti, the ore eil the offeder
- Debate of crime policies
- Focus of the ideal victim diverts resources that could help other victims of
abuse, poverty, etc.
o 3 strikes fails to tackle these serious issues
CASE STUDY: Three Strikes
1. Elements
- Relied on the same dualism between innocent victim and evil offender
- Victim advocate – father who pushed for the law due to his family sit.
- Political and bureaucratical interests
o Cali correctional officers support to the cause
o Gun people
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