Deconstruction Of Crime

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Prompt A) If a person commits a crime, should we consider their social conditions when deciding their punishment? For instance should a poor person who steals to feed their family be punished the same as a rich person who shoplifts for a thrill? Start by choosing which definition from the Muncie reading you will use for “crime”.
I think criminal law should consider a persons social condition, such as their living condition and environment, and how they gain income, when deciding if they should receive punishment or not. It should depend on the severity of the crime and if they took part of the crime in order to survive, or just for the thrill. In Muncie’s article, “ The Construction and Deconstruction of Crime”, crime is described as an intentional act in violation of the criminal law (11).
I think in the example of a poor person stealing to feed their family versus a rich person shoplifting for a thrill are not the same sort of crime. The poor person obviously cannot provide for their family and is stealing to survive, and the rich person can provide and the rush they feel from stealing could be classified as a mental issue. Although, Muncie states that people act with free will and they should be made responsible for their actions, these are two separate crimes (11). They are two separate for the meanings they have behind them, as one is in order to live on and another is out of selfishness.
Muncie’s quote, “…But not all of those who break criminal laws are caught and prosecuted”, is true, as there are people who get away with more severe crimes who are never punished for their actions and then, there are people who are wrongly convicted of crimes they’ve never committed (12). If a poor person is stealing for food, they sh...

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...would change their “game.” The drug dealer, Joe, explained that the redevelopment would increase his sales and bring new clients in (362).
People behind the 42nd St. renewal believed that the hustle of this area would subside; the upscale is needed to clean up the social problems of this area. They wanted to push out the “bad” people and replace them for profitable people who will make the area flourish. The hustlers are the ones who would be struggling, since they’d be forced out and would have to find a new area to make money in. Kornblum made a connection to Katz’ slum clearance, while speaking for the homeless and ill, as they are the “refuse of society”, and can be “swept away” (367). Although, renewal and gentrification can help out cities and benefit them, they can also cause a lot of problems and force residents and people who work in the area out.

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