PSVP Chapter 3: Aiding and Abetting violence

Fair sentencing act of 2010

Reduced the disparity in sentencing between those using powder versus crack cocaine.

Anti-drug abuse act of 1988

called for mandatory minimum sentences for the possession and distribution of drugs by their type and weight

Eighteenth amendment

outlawed the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol

National Firearms act 1934

requires licensing of interstate gun dealers (during prohibition)

Marijuana Tax Act of 1937

taxed the sale of marijuana, a lot of distributors went out of business

Three factors implicated as causes of violence in the US

-availability of firearms -alcohol and drug consumption and their prohibition -media violence

Marvin Wolfgang studied murder in Philadelphia in 1955

-found that 55% of the offenders in this sample had been drinking alcohol prior to their murder -during the same time period, approximately the same proportion of homicides were found to involve alcohol in Chicago -found that Native populations did not initially react to alcohol with violence, but did so after seeing white settlers do so

High Risk groups (NICS)

-fugitives from justice -those dishonorably discharged from the US armed forces -those convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year -those convicted in court of domestic violence -those under restraining orders to protect intimate partners or children -those who have renounced US citizenship -unlawful uses of controlled substances or those addicted to controlled substances -those mentally defective or committed to mental institution

Alcohol

-great deal of research finds a widespread link between alcohol and violence -US dept. of justice found alcohol in 4 of 10 violent crimes

Violence reduction strategies

-parental discretion and education -multi-partner general deterrence efforts -boston gun project (prevent violence in inner city neighborhoods)

Federal legislation aimed at controlling 3 main aspects of gun use and sale

-supply and overall availability -regulations designed to limit availability to high-risk groups, felons -regulations calculated to affect how guns are used, antitheft measures, locks

Assault Weapons Ban

-violent crime control and law enforcement act of 1994 -assault weapons are difficult to define but are generally considered to be semiautomatic rifles that look like military weapons, such as AK-47s and Uzis -in September 2004, new congress let 10 year ban on assault weapons expire

Three primary means of connection between drugs and violence

1. violence that results from the psychoactive effect of drugs 2. violence that results from efforts to support a drug addiction, ex. robbery 3. violence resulting from illegal sale of drugs, ex. high stakes, lawless terrain

National prohibition/volstead act of 1919

Gave federal agencies the power to enforce the 18th amendment

Community mental health centers act of 1963

Robinson v. California (served as impetus for increased attention to treatment for drug addiction) provides states with funding for treatment programming

The majority of all homicides in the US are committed with

a firearm, especially handguns -the jump in homicide rates witnessed in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s was primarily attributable to an increase in handgun homicides -the rate of homicides committed with other types of weapons, including other guns, remained relatively stable during this time

War on drugs

amplify the legal penalties for trafficking and possession of illicit drugs; consequently, our nation has taken many prisoners of war

gun control legislation: second amendment

collective right-well regulated militia individual right-the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed

Controlled substance act of 1970

consolidated all previous drug laws into one law designed to control prescription drugs and illicit drugs created five categories or schedules to classify drugs

Harrison act of 1914

criminalized non-medical use of morphine and cocaine

Armed Career criminal act of 1984

imposed a mandatory minimum 15 year prison term on a convicted felon who had three previous convictions for robbery or burglary and who possessed or received a firearm

Brady Handgun violence prevention act (brady bill) of 1993

mandates criminal history background checks on persons applying to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearm dealers -established National instant criminal background check (NICS): focused on collective right rather than individual right, 5 day waiting period, are loopholes around individual sales and transfer of property

Taylor paradigm

measure alcohol and aggression, with experiment of giving electric shocks

`Illicit drugs

somewhat difficult to talk about a general relationship between illicit drugs and violence b/c there are so many different kinds of illegal substances -self report from offenders -correlation not as strong with alcohol

The availability of a gun increases the likelihood of death by

three times -semiautomatic weapons raise alarm -ammunition has become more lethal -the presence of a firearm increases the likelihood that a violent interaction will result in death