Crime and Justice

Crime and justice are words that evoke both passion and debate, while also raising moral questions. Upon learning the story of Baltimore’s crime laden underworld, in the book The Corner and in the television show The Wire, the definitions of these words show a fluidity depending on the setting and which of the characters are defining the terms. In the crime world, the terms are defined one way, in the legitimate world another and in terms of law enforcement, yet another definition is presented.

In The Wire, drastic steps are taken to ensure that rival dealers are not encroaching on turf already claimed by others. Acts of murder, robbery and other violent crimes are justified and not seen as a “crime” as they would in the legitimate world. In this world, the only real crime is snitching to the police about other people’s illicit activities and “justice” usually means violence or retribution for perceived transgressions.

When this view is contrasted with one of the legitimate world, a polar difference is noted. Outside of the drug world, their justifiable crimes are unthinkable. In this frame of thought, cooperation with law enforcement is encouraged whereas in the crime world, this act could lead to a death sentence which is seen as justice for the crime (snitching) committed.

Crime and justice in the bureaucratic world of the Baltimore Police Department, a crime is seen as anything that would embarrass a superior or make the department look bad. Sometimes this means pursuing an investigation at the wrong time which impedes what people outside of the department would call progress in crime solving. Justice is usually served by a superior mandating a lower ranking officer being made to suffer by being forced to work on the less desired beats.

When the words crime and justice are considered, the people defining them and their respective definitions must also be considered. The terms often times mean different things to different people.