CJ 3551 Lecture 1: CJ 3551 class notes Lec. 1

• School: App State
• Department: Criminal Justice
• Course: CJ 3551
• Professor: Marian Williams

Document Summary

Crime is a legal concept: forbidden acts against the state, they are created by legislatures-(cid:862)invented(cid:863) American history came from english- settlers: have common law. Known through judicial decisions that were transmitted throughout land. There were felonies and misdemeanors but the victim had to bring the offender to justice. If someone stole a cow, the victim must go to the judge himself and have the trial, where the judge would make the ruling. Most early crimes were based on religion: punishments included public shaming, mutilation, branding, etc, in general, crime was seen as a threat to religious belief. Changes in modern crime came for 3 main reasons: creation of police forces; typically, in larger cities, rise of economy, rise of secular government. Today, crimes are created through legally authorized bodies: legislative.