Primal Fear

Hollie Boe Sociology 12 Primal Fear Part A: 1. The media has a very strong role in the general public's perspective of crime. The way media portrays crime and the person being accused of the crime has a very strong influence on how the general public sees the accused and the crime committed. This is very evident in the movie Primal Fear when the lawyer, Marty says "you know what they're calling him already? The Butcher Boy of St. Nicks." The source of this name has no information on the case or whether he is guilty or innocent, but by giving him that name it gives people the idea that he's guilty. 2. The mental state of someone should be a reason to alter or negate the consequences of their crime. Many mental illness prohibit a person from being able to know right from wrong. We can't punish people who aren't to blame for their crimes, we need to be getting these people the help they need instead of putting them in jail. However there will always be flaws in the system and people such as Aaron will get away with crimes they knew were wrong. 3. Aaron Stampler could be best represented by the social control/social bonding theory. He has very little ties to society because of the passing of his mother at a young age and growing up with an abusive father. After he was able to escape from his family he found the Archbishop, only to be sexually abused by him. He has no positive relationships with anyone is society, this makes him more likely to commit crimes. 4. Organized crime is a business operation that supplies illegal goods and services for profit. In Primal Fear, Joey Pinero's gang that Marty is defending in the beginning of the show is an example of organized crime. White-collar crime is illegal activities committed by people in their own jobs or financial affairs. In Primal Fear, the South River enterprise, a secret deal done by investors was an example of this. Violent crime is a crime in which the offender uses of threatens to use violent force upon a victim.