2008 Woodie Awards
Career criminals may target city
Courtney Bailey
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: News
With the city of Newark housing a sometimes overwhelming number of people nine months out of the year, some say it is the perfect place for career criminals to lurk.
Eric Rise, an associate professor of criminal justice, said a career criminal is defined as someone who is a repeat offender and has a long history of committing crimes.
"Some people argue that they keep turning to crime because all other opportunities are blocked off to them," Rise said. "Others argue that these criminals get a psychological thrill out of it."
He said career criminals are usually in their twenties and tend to stop committing crimes when they settle down, get married and have children.
"The incentives of being a career criminal for some is the thrill-seeking," he said. "Some are also trying to get by without employment."
Lt. Brian Henry of the Newark Police Department said there is no real way to know how many career criminals are in Newark.
"Career criminals are not tracked because there isn't a tracking device to do so," Henry said. "But their criminal history is flagged and they are labeled this for sentencing purposes."
He said in order for a repeat offender to be considered a career criminal, they must have been previously convicted of three felonies and then be convicted of a fourth. If someone meets this criterion, on that fourth felony conviction, he or she is subject to life in prison, regardless of the normal sentence.
"In certain cases, if someone has two prior felonies, the third felony will trigger this," Henry said. "For example, if someone commits arson, burglary, murder or rape [as a third offense]."
He said those who are repeat offenders of misdemeanors can face jail time, but they are not classified as career criminals.
Judges issue bench warrants for criminals who fail to show up to court. In serious cases, the bail will be set extremely high so they cannot be bailed out. The police department also takes different approaches to looking for criminals with a warrant depending on the severity of the crime.
Eric Rise, an associate professor of criminal justice, said a career criminal is defined as someone who is a repeat offender and has a long history of committing crimes.
"Some people argue that they keep turning to crime because all other opportunities are blocked off to them," Rise said. "Others argue that these criminals get a psychological thrill out of it."
He said career criminals are usually in their twenties and tend to stop committing crimes when they settle down, get married and have children.
"The incentives of being a career criminal for some is the thrill-seeking," he said. "Some are also trying to get by without employment."
Lt. Brian Henry of the Newark Police Department said there is no real way to know how many career criminals are in Newark.
"Career criminals are not tracked because there isn't a tracking device to do so," Henry said. "But their criminal history is flagged and they are labeled this for sentencing purposes."
He said in order for a repeat offender to be considered a career criminal, they must have been previously convicted of three felonies and then be convicted of a fourth. If someone meets this criterion, on that fourth felony conviction, he or she is subject to life in prison, regardless of the normal sentence.
"In certain cases, if someone has two prior felonies, the third felony will trigger this," Henry said. "For example, if someone commits arson, burglary, murder or rape [as a third offense]."
He said those who are repeat offenders of misdemeanors can face jail time, but they are not classified as career criminals.
Judges issue bench warrants for criminals who fail to show up to court. In serious cases, the bail will be set extremely high so they cannot be bailed out. The police department also takes different approaches to looking for criminals with a warrant depending on the severity of the crime.
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