Consequences_of_Crime_on_Society

Consequence of Crime on Society JUS110 Introduction to Criminal Justice August 29, 2012 Abstract ------------------------------------------------- This paper explores five published articles that report on the causes, effects and possible solutions to crimes which were gathered from various articles found at http://www.ncjrs.gov. The articles vary in their definition of crime, its cause, its effect on society and a possible solution or solutions of stopping or at least decreasing these crimes, due to the different author’s perspectives. This paper will explore if crime is caused due to unemployment and poverty and if so what effect it has on society and possible solutions could help to decrease crime due to this factor. Another aspect of crime this report will examine is the increasing hate crimes, which includes the bullying that is currently in schools and the effects that it is having on the younger generation. Domestic violence and abuse will also be discussed as a possible cause to criminal acts as it appears this is the cause of the increasing female criminal activity today. This report will also explore the increasing number of identity thefts that have become a major part of our society today. There have been much research on this crime in recent years, and many have offered suggestions for solutions, as well as educating the public how to protect their identity. And finally what may be the biggest cause of criminal activity in our society today and have the greatest impact on society, drug abuse. Keywords: Poverty-unemployment, hate, drugs, domestic violence, Identity theft. It would seem that crime in our country today is growing more rapidly than any other time in history, even though we read reports from the FBI and other organizations that say otherwise. We all see it in our own neighborhood, from the vandalized vacant house next door, to the corner store robbed by some rebellious teens just for kicks. My research is about crime in general. Why in the United States it is increasing, not decreasing as some organizations would have us to believe. Who are these people who commit them' Where did they come from' Why are they committing these crimes' What are the consequences that both the perpetrator and the victim face' What are we as a society doing to prevent these crimes, if anything from happening in our own neighborhoods, to our own family' Should we as a society, not be sincerely concerned about what is going on in our own back yards' To understand the criminal mind, we must research both sides of the story. Every incarcerated person has his or her own story, and many of these inmates committed their crimes through desperation to support and provide for their families. In today’s society with the increased media, movies glorifying crime and the violent music being played across the nation are factors that could be the cause of our younger generation to be fascinated with the criminal lifestyle. Law enforcement does its best to keep crime under control. However, crime still has a huge effect on all our cultures of society. There are many types of crime. Each has a distinctive aim and meaning. In the South where I grew up the Ku Klux Klan murdered people of a different race from themselves in order to attempt to control the race population. Organized crime was huge in the early 1900s, and as children watch the story of Bonnie & Clyde, Al Capone and all the other gangsters and mobsters of that time, they find crime to be exciting, and a fast way to “make a buck.” During my incarceration, I found that what I had been raised to believe that crime was predominantly committed by “black folks and poor white trash,” was a gross misconception. There are just as many of one race as another who committed crime, and they come from all walks of life. Guilty of Poverty Lisa Gray-Garcia tells her story of poverty, homelessness and crime in her book Criminal Of Poverty - Growing Up Homeless In America. Lisa had a childhood of struggles after her father left her at a very young age; her mother struggled to make ends meet, and Lisa turned to shoplifting. Lisa’s life of crime began out of desperation, a need to be accepted into a society that looked down on “poor” people. Many of the incarcerated women came from the same situation as Lisa, broken homes, struggling single parents, and being involved with the wrong crowd, and eventually get into the drug scene. Many scholars and law enforcers ask "what impact does poverty has on the criminal'" Through my own experiences of crime and incarceration, it is my opinion that people living in poverty can be swayed by their environment to a life of crime. Many incarcerated women were unwed when having their children, coming from broken homes themselves. It was my experience that women whom I met in prison stories were the same of why they entered into crime. Most of the female inmates had no formal education, and had no other means of supporting their families. Many incarcerated women turned to prostitution, which led into a deadlier game, “drugs". They began selling drugs and then using drugs, they had to find a way to fund their increasing need of their preferred drug, for most was Meth. To help stop this insanity, more educational programs, job training programs, and mental health programs need to be established to help take these girls and women off the streets and out of this lifestyle. They need to be given direction, and put hope back into their lives. “Criminal of Poverty lays bare the devastating effects of inheriting a life of poverty, as well the real redemption and power in finding your voice." – Michelle Tea, author of Rose of No Man's Land and Valencia. (Gray-Garcia, L., 2007). Hate Crimes On Campus As we hear more and more of hate crimes being committed at our Universities and Colleges, we have to ask ourselves if education is being deprived due to these crimes. Over the past five years, it has been found that there are no campus’ that are immune to hate crimes. Even though, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken legal actions have been taken to students who engage in hate crimes, they still exist and seem to worse. Hate crimes range from threats on bombings on campus to bullying and threatening to kill other students. More than not, hate crimes are left unreported, as many students, faculty and staff have no idea of what your report. Many students, who have alternative lifestyles, live in a state where there are no laws that protect them from discrimination based on sexual orientation. This may cause fear of reporting the hate crime due to putting them at risk of further discrimination. (Wessler & Moss, 2001). The effect that hate crimes have on our society is that learning and growth is being shattered. Fear and intimidation is infused into not only the students, but faculty and staff, as well. The environment of the campus is changed from a positive one to negative one full of tension and fear. It has been recommended that a training program be implemented for campus police. Also, suggested is that civil rights officers should be appointed for each campus and taught to respond and investigate hate crimes for the safety and protection of all students on and off campus. All staff and faculty should encourage students to report hate crimes, whether the student is directly involved or not. (Wessler, S., & Moss, M. 2001). Domestic Violence and Abuse According to a study done by the Spouse Abuse Replication Program (SARP), offenders who committed domestic-violence demonstrated a specific tendency to intensify or diminish the severity of their assaults against the same victim. It is assumed that domestic violence is ensued by the male gender; however, these offenses are becoming increasing instigated by female offenders, as well. According to a report by Sherman and Berk in 1984 found that by the incarceration of domestic violence offenders lowered the risk of repeat offenders of domestic violence. From this study, it was determined that the greater portion of these violent domestic offenders who had prior official criminal histories had been implicated in nonviolent criminal behavior, in addition to domestic crimes. (Piquero, Fagan & Moffitt, 2005) The domestic-violence offender is a threat to society and brings bodily harm and fear, not only to his or her victim, but to society in general. According to Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence prosecutors need to be aware and mindful that the perpetrator of domestic violence has but one goal and that is to control his or her victim without concern of the victims welfare and more times than not, not considering the age or health of their victim. It is recommended that prosecutor educate themselves of these perpetrators and be aware that it is the perpetrator who is at fault, not the victim. The prosecutor needs to rely on the testimony of law enforcement rather than the victim, to help prevention of retaliation on the victim from the offender. (Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2004). Identity Theft Identity theft according to the National Institute of Justice is probably one of the most crucial crimes in America because the information the perpetrator obtains an “estimated 9 million or more incidents occur each year. Recently the public has become more aware of this crime due to the intense media coverage. Federal Government and many states have passed regulations to enforce criminal sanctions in order to combat this growing crime. Virtually every individual is susceptible to identity theft, most of these crimes have been found to be committed by people who are close to the victim. Such a relative, a close friend, or an employee who has access to the victim’s personal data. The victims of these crimes lose money, credibility, as well as their identity. The actual effect of this crime is not yet known. To date there needs to be more” research relating to prevention, including reduction of harm to individual victims, financial institutions, and society. (National Institute of Justice, 2012). Drugs and Its Impact on Crime Drugs have infiltrated our country to such a degree that it affects even our youngest of our society, the children Drugs generate more and more of today’s youth’s become trafficker’s, even at the early of nine and ten years old. Drugs have a huge negative impact on our nation’s economy, our healthcare and criminal justice system. According to a report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, “President Obama committed over $10 billion dollars for drug education programs, and support for expanding access to drug treatment for addicts.” According to El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), the production of Meth and its trafficking were originally found mostly in California, with an estimated 85% production rate, Texas, Utah and Arizona were also found to be heavy traffickers of this deadly drug. Most of the purveyors were found affiliated with motorcycles gangs and Independents such as the Mexican Cartels. However, it has been proven that these factories have increased and are now found in the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and even in portions of the Southeast. The Mid-Atlantic states and England are the newest of these traffickers. (Swetlow, K., 2003). Children living in these meth labs are susceptible to abuse, neglect, fires and explosions, social issues and risks of being exposed to firearms. Chemicals used to cook Meth are extremely toxic and allow for fumes and vapors in the air and spills, all which are dangerous to ones health. A child can inhale and swallow these fumes and can actually become overdosed by them, which could cause, heart, kidney, brain, liver, cancer among many other life-threatening diseases. 15 percent of met labs are discovered due to an explosion. Spills can cause skin damage and can affect the respiratory and central nervous system. (Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning) To protect children from these crimes is “CPS workers, probation officers, law enforcement, attorneys and healthcare providers work together to remove the children from these establishments/homes”. In case the child remains with a one of the parents the prosecutors plays a major role in protecting the children. He or she can recommend the type of probation, drug treatment, parenting classes and educating the parent of a different lifestyle, in which will be healthier for the child. (Swetlow, K., 2003). In conclusion, even though many agencies and organizations report that crime is decreasing, many believe it has increased instead. Each community needs to work together with local law enforcement, neighbors and other groups to help stop crime in their own backyards. There is an old saying “safety comes in numbers.” Citizens need to research to find what local organizations are available and find their resources to help control these crimes. References Gray-Garcia, L. (2007). Criminal of poverty - growing up homeless in America. San Francisco: City Lights Foundation Books. Retrieved from http://www.citylights.com/book/'GCOI=87286100340140&fa=description Wessler, S., & Moss, M. (2001). Hate crimes on campus-the problem and efforts to confront it. Informally published manuscript, Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles1/bja/187249.txt Piquero, A. R., Fagan, J., & Moffitt, T. E. National Institute of Justice/NCJRS, Office of Justice Programs. (2005). Assessing the offending activity of criminal domestic violence suspects: Offense specialization, escalation, and de-escalation evidence from the spouse assault replication program, final report (NCJ212298). Retrieved from Studies/research reports website: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx'ID=233772 Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, U. S. Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. (2004). Guidelines for prosecution of domestic violence cases (236797). Retrieved from Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence website: http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx'ID=258817 Department of Research, Development and Evaluation. (2012). Identity theft research review. Retrieved from National Institute of Justice website: http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/id-theft/welcome.htm Swetlow, K. (2003). El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). Children at clandestine methamphetamine labs: Helping meth's youngest victims [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.ovc.gov/publications/bulletins/children/welcome.html. Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning, n.d., Multi-Agency Partnerships: Linking Drugs with Child Endangerment, Sacramento, CA, p. 9. Retrieved from http://www.ovc.gov/publications/bulletins/children/pg5.html