Sociology 2266A/B Chapter : CRIME AND EVERYDAY LIFE - Reading Summaries .docx
12 Dec 2013
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Chapter 1 nine fallacies about crime: the dramatic fallacy. States that the most publicized offenses are far more dramatic than those commonly found in real life. The media get carried away; they find a horror story, and then entertain the public with it: the cops-and-courts fallacy. Warns us against overrating the power of criminal justice agencies. Police work consists of hour upon hour or boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror: the not-me fallacy. The illusion that we could never commit a crime. Denies every illegal act we ever committed or contemplated. Also provides that special talent for breaking the law while maintaining that you are not a crook although criminals may be slightly different, they are not as special as people may think: the innocent youth fallacy. The belief that being young means being innocent. How can youths be so innocent when their relative level of crime participation is so high: the ingenuity fallacy.
