Crime Does Not Exist

I made it as far as the top paragraph of the first page of my criminal theory book before I picked up my phone and started typing this.  It is the quote at the top that I read. Read again. And again. I just need to share it here with all of you:

"Crime does not exist. Only acts exist, acts often given different meanings within various social frameworks. Acts and the meanings given to them are our data. Our challenge is to follow the destiny of acts through the universe of meanings. Particularly, what are the social conditions that encourage or prevent giving the acts the meaning of being crime" (Christie, 2004, p.3)

Welcome to my second semester of my criminal justice program! Classes started today. I have just a one hour seminar on Mondays and work before and after it. Tomorrow starts my first big new class- theory. I get to learn all the reasons why experts "believe" crime is committed. I'm actually really looking forward to the class and Professor!

Wednesdays, I have quantitative methods - better known as statistics. I could've likely fought to be excused from the course, since I've already taken and passed a doctoral level stats course. I don't feel as confident in stats as I want to be, though, so I'll plow forward through more beginner graduate stats happily. Plus, we get to play with statistical software!!! Fun graphs!!! I'm such a geek!

My final semester course is entirely online. It's been a while since I've taken an all online course and I usually don't prefer them. The professor seems pretty great, though, and they are doing me a favor letting me take the course online rather than forcing me to wait til it's offered on campus next fall. The online courses are usually just for the online students. It was fascinating today with everyone's intros. People are in the class from everywhere in the U.S.

I'm pretty excited for the semester. I feel much more ready to start it than I was last semester- when I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to attend til the day before classes. It's taken some time reflecting to realize that I need to be okay that it wasn't the best semester of my life - I was really carrying a lot of stress and only a couple months post-incarceration.

No excuses for this semester, though. I signed up for this and I want this. So, I better put my all into it! Back to reading chapter one... And considering all the contexts in which we decide what acts are given the meaning of being crimes.