Solutions to Increased Crime in Toronto - Essay Example

Solutions to Increased Crime in the of Toronto Introduction Crime is a widespread social phenomenon whose effects have been felt all over the world. In Toronto for instance, the increased rates of crime have led to public outcry. This has led to widespread concerns over the adoption of measures aimed at averting crime. In the recent years, there has been increased media attention regarding crime in the City of Toronto (Agnew and Cullen 118). The city is marred by gun-related violence, which have escalated into a widespread nightmare that is often described as a pandemic. In response, the Canadian conservative government has adopted varied measures aimed at addressing this menace. These include increasing longer prison terms as well as establishing more prisons. (Agnew and Cullen 121) As much as this has been helpful in averting crime, its effectiveness has often been questionable. This therefore call the need for the application of classical criminology and strain theory to explain how government agencies can avert the ever increasing rates of crime in the city of Toronto. Classical criminology theory Prior to explaining how government agencies in Toronto can apply classical criminology theory to fight crime, it is important to analyze it major underlying concepts. The classical school of criminology is often associated with Cesare Beccaria (Slocum 1107). It emerged at a time when the naturalistic approach of social contract scholars was challenging the spiritualistic approach that had dominated the thinking of criminal justice policies over a long period (Becker 174). Thus, classical criminology emerged as a protest against spiritual explanations of crime and the criminal policies which they were based. Beccaria protested against a wide range of inconsistencies in the governance as well as public affairs(Slocum 1108). He advocated for various reforms within the criminal justice system to make it more logical and rational(Slocum 1108). He objected the barbaric punishments that were issued at that time. In regard to the contractual society and the need of punishments, Beccaria argued that laws are conditions under which people are united to form a society. It is the law that defends against private usurpations by individuals. He believed that only established laws can decree punishments for crimes. Beccaria believed that the true measure of crime is the harm done to the society. Thus, he expressed acknowledgement of the fact that crimes should not be committed, or should be less frequent in proportion to the harm they case society. For this reason, he contended that obstacles that deter people from engaging in crime should be made stringer in proportion as they are contrary to the public good. According to Beccaria, there must be a proper proportion between crime and punishment(Agnew and Cullen 231). Today, most law enforcement agencies apply this principle through the establishment of law enforcement agencies aimed at punishing criminals. In regard to severity of punishments, Beccaria believed that for punishment to attain it end, the evil it inflicts has to exceed the advantage derivable from the crime (Cornish and Clarke 943). He argued that the more prompt and more closely punishment followed upon the commission of a criminal activity, the more just and useful it well be. According to him, one of the greatest curbs of crime is not the cruelty of punishment but rather the certainty of punishment. Thus, he suggested that laws and executors of laws should be inexorable. Most importantly, Beccaria argued that it is better to prevent crime rather than to punish them(Agnew and Cullen 232). He therefore believed that the ultimate purpose of every good legislation should be to prevent crime. This can be done through making laws clear and simple and that the entire force of a country should be united in the defense of these laws. Therefore, Beccaria believed that laws should be published do that the public may be aware of they are expected to do. His other idea include the fact that torture and secret accusations should be abolished. He also believed that capital punishment should be abolished and replaced by imprisonment and that jails should be made more humane institutions. Also, Beccaria believed that laws should not discriminate between the wealthy and the poor, the nobles and the commoners(Eitle 1119). All in all, classical criminology provides a general justification tor the use of all forms of punishment as a way of controlling crime. For this reason, punishments have widely been used within legal systems. This classical theory has also been applicable in various legal authorities. This is because it is based in social contract which contends that all people have a role to play in the continued existence of the authority structure (Agnew and Cullen 213). Without social contract, the society would generally degenerate into a war of one against each other. Because crime significantly contributes to this degeneration, it is important for every one to obey the law. Strain Theory Stain theory provides an effective explanation regarding why criminals offend. It argues that people are more likely to engage in criminal activities when they do not get what they dearly need through legitimate channels (Agnew 89). This theory focuses on the structure of the society and the limited means through which people achieve their desired goals. In this regard, stain theory views crime and delinquency as a direct consequence of the anger and frustration that people feel when they fail to achieve their desired goals(Agnew 91). This implies that socially generated forces and pressures are the forces that drive people to crime(Agnew 91). Accordion to strain theorists, these stains are not evenly distributed in the society. Instead, there are most severe among people or groups of people with highest crime rates. This is because the breakdowns of social order that are attributed to unequal access to means of success. One of the greatest contributors to this theory is Emile Durkheim, a renowned classical sociologist(Agnew 25). According to him one source of such breakdown is referred to as anomie. He used this term to explain the increased rate of suicide cases resulting from rapid social changes within the society(Agnew 96). According to Durkheim, anomic suicide is a term used to describe a collection of acts of self destruction that result from abrupt breakdown of society’s norms which are often prevalent in time of economic depression as well as political crisis(Agnew 25). Another key contributor to strain theory is Robert Merton(Agnew and Cullen 213). According to him, anomie is a consequence of lack of integration between culturally prescribed goals and the availability of legitimate means for goal attainment. He contends that criminal behavior can effectively be explained using his means and end theory. According to him, offences such as robbery, property crime, drug trafficking or organized crime can best be perceived as forms of anomic responses that come about due to the blocking of conventional or legitimate means for goal attainment(Agnew and Cullen 213). For this reason, he believe that higher rates of crime exist among some groups within the society due to a disjunction between culturally approved goals and objectives and the opportunities to use the means to attain them. Thus, his theory was aimed at discovering how some social structures exert pressure on people to engage in deviant and criminal behavior. In addition, Robert Agnew’s general strain theory made significant contributions to strain theory. He emphasized on individual-level influences of strains. He therefore sought to explain why strained individual tend to commit criminal or delinquent activities than non-strained individuals. According to him, a person’s choice of criminal or noncriminal adaptation to strain is influenced by many factors(Agnew 49). He however focused more on negative interpersonal relationships. Thus, he established three types of strains. The first type of stain according to Agnew results from the failure to achieve goals. The second type of stains results from the denial or removal of previously valued stimuli as well as positive achievements. The third type is the presentation or exposures of negative stimuli(Agnew and Cullen 114) . Application of classical criminology and Strain theories in averting crime in the City of Toronto Based on the ideas of classical criminology theory and strain theory, the solutions towards increased crime in the city of Toronto lie in three key issues. The first one is to increase educational opportunities. Secondly, government agencies in the city of Toronto should review economic policies. Finally, the government should consider enacting tough legislations aimed at combating crime. Increasing educational opportunities The society confers much emphasis on material success. Thus, people are taught focus on being successful in many aspects of their lives. A great majority of people want to posses wealth. They also want to have people, prestige and status. For this reason, the society emphasizes on the attainment of these goals for all the people regardless of their economic status or class. Nevertheless, due to various structural positions in the society, people in some groups are not able to attain these goal and symbols of success through the available means(Agnew 112). Pressures and frustration that people in such situation undergo are often so severe that they cause serious strains that induce them into deviant criminal behavior. This explains why there is need to increase educational opportunities, review economic polices and increase employment opportunities with the aim of reducing pressures and frustrations among people. One universally accepted means through which people attain such success is through education. The more educated people are, the less likely they are to become violent and engage in deviant behaviors. Thus, one of the way the government agencies in the city of Toronto can use in fighting crime is through increasing educational opportunities. Indeed, everyone in the society is engrossed in the attainment of economic and material success. nevertheless, due to their structural positions within the society, certain groups such as lower classes, racial or ethnic groups, have limited opportunities for the legitimate means to achieve these success(Agnew and Cullen 213). Members of such groups therefore experience many pressures, frustration and strains. These strains are often severe enough to enable them deviate form the legitimate goals or norms within the society. Evidently, people who are denied access to the use of legitimate means to achieve success have a greater tend to engage in various types of criminal and deviant behaviour. In a bid to understand this better, Merton developed five models of adapting means to attain these goals. These include retreatims, innovation, rebellion, conformity as well as ritualism Rebellon, Manasse, Van Gundy and Cohn 232). These, according to him, occur when the means legitimate means to goal attainment are blocked. Based on retreatism, Merton contended that individual who find themselves blocked in goal attainment opt to give up on conventional goals and legitimate means. Such people reject both the goals and means and eventually withdraw from the situation (Rebellon, Manasse, Van Gundy and Cohn 234). One the other hand, through rebellion, Morton believed that people who are blocked in goal attainment not only reject goals but also rebel against social order and even try to introduce new goal and means into the society. According to the model of innovation, Merton asserted that some people who encounter limited access to the use of legitimate means to adopt a deviant or anomic response. A person can be described as an innovator if he rejected the legitimate means, but not the ends. Such a person substitutes illegitimate means to achieve the goals. In regard to ritualism, Merton contended that when people fail to achieve their goals, they inwardly give up in their efforts to achieve them. By reducing or ignoring the importance of goals, such people find a solution to their frustrations. Reviewing economic polices with the aim of increasing employment opportunities Extensive research has ascertained that people are often induced to engage in criminal activities due to economic hardships. High levels of unemployment and low incomes explain whey there are increased crime rates in the city of Toronto. When people lack access to material objects, they resort to delinquency and crime so as to improve their chances of surviving in this materialistic society (Becker 174). Based on the ideas of strain theory, crimes occur as a result of failure to attain monetary goral through legitimate avenues. People in lower class positions are more likely to experience strain manifested as frustrations and therefore motivated towards seeking alternative means to achieving these goals. In order to avert crime therefore it is necessary for government agencies in the city of Toronto need to review economic policies so as to improve the economic ability of people. These include creating more job opportunities, reducing inflation rates, stimulating economic growth, among others. When the eocnomi becomes favourable for people, it becomes possible for them access monetary goals through legitimate means. As a result, they become less inclined towards deviant and criminal behaviour. Economic reforms can significantly enable people to achieve economic goals through legitimate ways(Agnew and Cullen 225). This eventually reduces pressures and frustration and therefore leads to reduces instances of crime. Enacting tough legislations aimed at combating crime Classical criminology theory emphasizes on the need to use punishment as a way of combating crime. The theory advocates for a proper proportion between crime and punishment. In this regard, the theory calls for just and prompt punishment. Most importantly, classical criminology theory acknowledges the significance of preventing crime rather than punishing crime. This, according to classical theory, can be achieved through good legislation (Slocum 1106). As mentioned earlier, Beccaria believed that laws should be published so as the public can access them and know what exactly is or not expected of them. Based on this, government agencies in the city of Toronto should strive to come up with legislations that are aimed at combating the increased criminal activities. In addition, law enforcement agencies should be empowered so as to effectively deal with crime. The government has done a commendable job in building more prisons and increasing jail terms. However, more is yet to be done. The criminal justice system should be strengthened so as to make it effective in fighting crime. Through effective legislations, the criminal justice system can be more effective. Also, the government should emphasize on the means of preventing crime rather than fighting it. Conclusion As sustained from the foregoing analysis, it is evident various theories of criminology can significantly assist in explaining crime and in dealing with crime. Key among the theories include strain theory as well as classical criminology theory. According to classical criminology theory, people engage in criminal activities as a way of pursing self-interest in the absence of effective punishments. For this reason, Beccaria, a renowned contributor to this theory suggested that punishment should be emphasized. This can be applied in averting crime in the city of Toronto by enacting tough legislations aimed at combating crime. On the other hand, strain theory suggest that when people fail to obtain goals, they experience pressure or strain. As a result, they resort to crime as a means of attaining these goals. Based on this, crime can be averted through reducing strains. This can be applied in reducing crime in the city of Toronto through increasing education opportunities as well as reviewing economic policies so as to increase job opportunities and improve the economic status of people. These can significantly help in averting the ever-increasing crime rates in city of Toronto that have culminated into what the media termed as a pandemic. Works Cited Agnew, Robert. "Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency." Criminology. 30.2 (1992): 47-87. Print. Becker, G. S. 'Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach', Journal of Political Economy.76.1 (1968): 169-217 Print. Cornish, Derek B. and Clarke, Ronald V. “Understanding Crime Displacement: An Application of Rational Choice Theory.” Criminology. 25. 4 (1987): 933-47. Print. Agnew, Robert and Cullen, M. Criminological Theory: Past to Present. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury, 2002. Print. Eitle, D. “General Strain Theory, Persistence, and Desistance among Young Adult Males”. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(2010): 1113–1121. Print. Rebellon, C. J., Manasse, M. E., Van Gundy, K. T and Cohn, E. S. “Perceived injustice and delinquency: A test of general strain theory”. Journal of Criminal Justice. 40.3(2012): 230–237. Print. Slocum, L. A. “General strain theory and the development of stressors and substance use over time: An empirical examination”. Journal of Criminal Justice. 38.4. (2010): 1100– 1112. Print. Read More