Criminal Behavior and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Behavior and the Law - Essay Example Finally, the paper will discuss the differences between index-one and index-two crimes under the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, as well as which of the two is classified under violent crime and the one classified under property crime. To begin with, criminologist and criminalists are terms more than often used interchangeably, according to Williams and McShane (2004). However, the two terms have some distinct differences that are worth noting. Williams and McShane (2004) note that criminologists deal with the study of behaviors of an individual in relation to crime, individuals who commits the crimes being studied, as well as the correctional facilities for criminals such as jails and prisons. This falls under criminology, which covers various fields of criminal justice, with emphasis on social behavior. Criminalists, on the other hand, are professionals charged with the responsibility of analysis criminal evidence at the scenes of crime such as bullets and bloodstains (Williams and McShane, 2004). They are also charged with the responsibility of recreating crimes scenes, work at crime scenes, laboratories, and courtrooms. Criminologists engage mainly in teaching and research, where they apply the knowledge to the administration and policing, study of public policy, drug addictions, correction, juvenile delinquency, correctional administration and policy, and victimology. Other areas of study include criminal ethnography, theoretical criminology and models or criminal behaviors (Williams and McShane, 2004). Criminologists also assist in analyzing psychological, sociological, and biological evidence such as finger and footprints, body fluids, and blood plaster using their skills and knowledge to establish the link between the suspect and the crime. Criminalist, on the other hand, is a professional who employs scientific techniques to identify and separate vital evidence from the scene of a crime (Williams and McShane, 2004). The evidence gathered is analyze d and interpret, establish the truth as regards the crime. Forensic psychologists are professionals who by virtue of their training apply psychology in a criminal investigation and law (Fulero and Wrightsman, 2009). Forensic psychologists play a big role in assisting fact finders or courts in arriving at a just and precise conclusion of a criminal case. They are often involved in insurance claims, custody disputes, and lawsuits, according to Fulero and Wrightsman (2009). Legal justice system uses forensic psychologists in analyzing the mental status of the accused before, during, and after the trial proceedings. For instance, criminal cases whose verdicts may be death penalty always require that before the accused is handed the sentence, a forensic psychologist is called to analyze the defendants mental status before, during and after the crime to establish whether the defendant was insane at the time of the crime or not. The analysis of mental status of the defendant in a case is i mportant since it aids in just and accurate decision making by the jury. White-collar vs. Blue-collar crimes Crimes are committed by different classes of people. In this regard, O'Hear (2001) defines the white-collar crime as a financially motivated crime committed by respected people with high social status in society. This crime is committed by high-class individuals who have inherited or earn a lot of money at the upper level jobs such as corporate bigwigs (O'Hear,