SOC 305 DQ 2 Hate Groups and Hate Crime

Please view the video, Inside USA – Rise of hate, Part 1, or read the article, Number of U.S. hate groups is rising, report says, in preparation for this discussion.

Were you aware of the number and range of recognized hate groups in these states? This video helps us learn about hate groups in the United States. In addition, please visit the Teaching Tolerance website and view the Hate Map. Please review the maps for the state in which you live, or a state of your choice. Respond to each of the following questions:

a. Were you aware of the number and range of recognized hate groups in these states?

b. Why would individuals make the decision to associate with these groups?

c. As we see, every one of us is a target in one way or another. How does this targeting turn to hate crime?

d. How has the definition and prosecution of hate crimes evolved?After listening to the interview with Stephen B. Bright, The quality of a legal defense: Does it matter if you’re rich or poor?, please respond to the following:
a. How does geographic location play a role in the quality of representation provided by the public defender?
b. How does the overburdened public defense system in many areas contribute to issues of wrongful conviction?
c. Contrast the legal representation described by Bright to the level of representation available to white-collar, corporate, and environmental crimes.

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d. This discussion highlights two issues – wrongful conviction and the overburdened public defender system. How can these problems be solved?

As we learn in the video, Crimes of the Powerful, our justice system tends to focus on street crime, often ignoring much more significant problems such as white-collar, corporate, and state crime. The video also discusses euthanasia, although the point of this reference is to illustrate how the law can be used as a tool for social change. The video also discusses moral values with a focus on media coverage of harm to children. Laws have changed in direct response to these incidents and the resulting media coverage. In effect, this coverage becomes an engine for social change. The video ends with a discussion of crime theory, reminding us that many criminological theories fall short when applied to people with wealth and high status.
Write a paper discussing the myths and realities of crime. Please elaborate on the following points in your essay:
a. Imagine asking 100 strangers to describe a criminal. Are these descriptions likely to focus on street criminals, or the variety of topics covered in this video?
b. How does society define crime? Do not provide a definition – instead, describe how the definition is reached.
c. How does society decide what to define as a crime?
d. Provide a clear statement about a particular crime – something we know to be absolutely true. How do we know this is an accurate statement?
e. Provide an example of a widely held myth or misconception about crime and society. How do we know this is a myth? Why is this myth so difficult to abandon?

The paper must be three to four pages in length and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least two scholarly resources other than the textbook to support your claims and subclaims. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.