Five Point Plan for Crime Reduction - Term Paper Example

Five Point Plan for Crime Reduction It very is true that there are increased reports of new gang activities and violent crimes that are disturbing. This has been evidenced by the recent findings from the FBI assessment on the MS-13 gang. The assessment revealed that the gang now operates in about 47 states and has recruited many people nationwide. Secondly, the population in the prisons is alarming. It goes without doubt that they are all in because of one type of crime or the other. Thirdly, the number of gang groups operating currently is too high. This calls for a quick intelligent action in order to bring the situation under control. Too high population in prison is an indication that building more prisons and increasing severity of sentences has had no impact in crime reduction. Alternative plans or policies should be adopted to bridge the gap in situations where enforcement and suppression of punishment have failed to reduce the rates of crimes. These policies should be able to address the short comings of the existing approaches to crime reduction and the limited capacity of the criminal judicial system. Reducing re-offence through education, training and employment The rates of crimes can be cut down greatly by reducing the rates of re-offence. It has also been noted that most offenders come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This could be homelessness, unemployment, drugs, mentally problems and alcoholism. Reducing these factors will therefore reduce the rates of re-offence. Majority of the offenders are unemployed at the time of arrest yet a big percentage of those who have jobs loose them upon imprisoned. There are high rates of re-offence among the youth. Some of them are completely out school. Most prisoners do not have skills required by most jobs (Audit Commission, 1996. Intervention actions should be applied both in the prisons and in the community. According to Ofsted (2009), education, training and employment are the best ways for reducing re-offence. Joblessness triggers some people to engage in crimes and joining gangs to get money. Education and training for prisoners will provide them with important knowledge and skills. They will be in a position to acquire employment like other persons and integrate easily into the society. It also reduces their feelings inferiority when they get back to the community due to low education. Difficulties in re-integration can cause them to react by quitting the education system and even join gangs. It will offer them an option to a better life compared to engaging in crimes. This education has to vary depending on their needs. Technical training is best for most of them because it is less academically oriented. Education should be stepped up in adult and juvenile prisons. They should receive the same level of education as those in mainstream schools. This will make it easy for them to integrate back to their schools or continue with higher education upon release. Offender campuses to act as centers of excellence should be developed. These should be linked to mainstream education system (Audit Commission, 1996). A job placement scheme targeting prisoners should be started. The offenders should be linked to employers while in prison and upon release to reduce the temptations of re-offending. If a prisoner knows that a job is waiting for them upon release, it makes them form positive attitudes towards life and the environment. It gives them the hope of starting a good life. Job centers should aim at employing offenders. This approach will greatly reduce crimes committed as a result of joblessness, idleness and poverty. It also reduces the number of youths that are out of school. This group is most predisposed to criminal activities than those who are in school. Education, training and employment has worked well in Colorado. An education programme was designed to help reduce the rates of recidivism/re-offence. This has led to a reduction in recidivism by 50% since the program was implemented. Approximately 10% juveniles who participated earned a high school diploma (Audit Commission, 1996). There is a company in the UK which gives jobs to ex-prisoners only. It has offered permanent jobs for 46% of the more than 200 recruits. Reoffending rates among alumni is below 14% compared to the national reoffending rate of 60%. Re-offence rates are cut down by a third and half (Ofsted, (2009). The plan will definitely work due to increased enrollment in existing programs for example in UK where enrollment in rose from 31500 in 2003-04 to over 38000 in 2004-05. It means prisoners have realized the role of education, training, and employment in helping them get a better life away from to criminal activities. Focused or Individualized deterrence This strategy works for gangs and other offenders. It is important to acknowledge our limited capacity to control crime by increasing the severity of punishments given. Not all offenders are caught or punished. This approach combines enforcement of law with service provision for the people involved in crimes. It also attempts to get the moral support from communities to condemn the behavior of those involved in crimes. It involves collaboration of various sectors so as to concentrate resources to people who are at a higher risk of involving themselves in crime. Effective responses should also be delivered to them (Garland and Alison, 2000). In this approach, a specific crime is selected, for example, auto theft, burglary or gun violence. A group to address the problem is put in place. This enforcement group should include members from different agencies. The key offenders or gangs are identified through a research that mainly relies on experienced police officers. Finally, a special enforcement operation is developed using all legal tools available. It should target the offenders or gangs probation being included as a counteractive measure against crime. Offenders should also be checked after regular intervals. Five key elements should be put adopted in approach. First, the offenders should be aware that they are under scrutiny. They should know that special attention will be given to their activities. Thirdly, they should know the consequences of their lack of co-operation. This will cause them to develop some sense of fear and the need to avoid crime. They should be informed on what they could have done to avoid enforcement. They should then be informed on the support and opportunities that can be offered to them. An evidence for the workability of this approach is the great breakthrough of Operation Ceasefire in Boston. It focused on gun violence and gun trafficking. Face-to-face forums were conducted for gang members under probation (Braga and Glenn, 2005). In Operation Ceasefire, peer pressure was used as a strategy to create avoidance of violence. Gangs were warned that they would targeted for all their crimes if any of their members shot someone. This will cause them to be their own keepers for fear of being targeted. This led to reduced gun violence and homicides. An application of this strategy was also done in Winnipeg for the suppression of auto theft. It led to a 75% decrease in auto thefts between 2004 and 2009. This is three times higher than the reduction experienced nationally. Savings from this are approximately $38 million per year. The same approach has also led to a 32% reduction in gunshots and 25% reduction in gun injuries. Figure 1 illustrates the assessment results for the impact of individual deterrence in Winnipeg to curb vehicle theft. A problem-based approach to criminal gangs; addressing it from the roots There is need to focus beyond individual intervention, enforcement and suppression. Most of these gangs are youth gangs. In order to respond well to the youth, strength-based approaches should be incorporated. There is a need to increase focus from criminal behaviors. This is just an indication or results of involvement in gangs. The problem of gang involvement should be clearly defined and its causes clearly understood. These causes should then be addressed as matters of priority (Bullock and Tilley, 2003). Therefore, there is need to reach to the roots of gang formation and involvement. There should be a shift from over-emphasizing reactive solutions like enforcement and suppression which only deals with those who have gotten the attention of the judicial system. This means the causes of gang formation, enrollment and behavior should be the main point of focus. This will help to address areas in which law enforcement responses to gangs and gang behavior has failed. This is because there are limits to the criminal justice system in terms of its capacity though it plays a very important role. For example its mandate to deal with the many risk factors that increase the possibilities of youths joining gangs (Rosenbaum et al, 1998). The criminal judicial system is also limited in capacity in terms of resources. It is also limited in its ability to provide better options that can provide the youth with benefits similar to those they are seeking for through gang involvement. According to Bullock and Tilley, 2003), a problem-based approach should be adopted. The problem and its solutions are identified then suitable actors for delivering the intervention are involved. In this plan, we imagine these youths as people who are following a three-basic-stages career path. The first stage is called ‘before’, the second is ‘gang involvement’ and the third stage is ‘exit’. In the first stage, the focus should be to identify risks and protective factors related to involvement with gangs. These could be personal, structural, relational or local factors. In the second stage, this youth has already decided to join the gang. The main focus here is the gang as a solution to these youths’ problems and provider of benefits to its members. The problem here is that involvement in gangs could facilitate or require criminal actions. It is at this point that these youth get the attention of the judicial system. At the third stage, the youth exits from the gang. The focus is to look for incentives and alternatives ways that will offer them the same benefits as those they used to get from gang involvement. This should be relevant enough so as to encourage them to keep away from crime and violence. According to Rosenbaum et al (1998), a good reintegration programme should be developed. This will enable the prisoners to be easily integrated into the society. Improper reintegration will trigger re-offence with the intention of going back to prison or as reaction to rejection. This means the local communities should be educated on how to accept them back and why. There should be a shift from tolerance into acceptance. Situational crime prevention (SCP) SCP strategy has proofed to be effective in UK. It is designed to prevent crimes by increasing the risks involved and reducing opportunities. It is a quick way of response to crime. It provides a practical focus for crime reduction especially where traditional methods have failed. Its key concepts are the physical environment and opportunity. It focuses on the setting and context of crime and the victim instead of focusing on criminals. SCP uses technology and techniques that manipulates the environment so as to make the target inaccessible. This makes criminal activity difficult. This main principle for this approach is that it is possible to reduce crime by significantly reducing the opportunities for crime. SCP discourages criminal movements. It involves identifying places that are potential targets for crime. Action is the taken to prevent potential offenders from offending. Whenever crimes happen, they should be quickly disrupted and frustrated. The harm incurred after a crime should be reduced, fro example immediate blocking of stolen credit cards and phones. This will provide a good approach for dealing with crimes as they happen (Garland and Alison, 2000). The first technique is target hardening. This means reducing accessibility and vulnerability of the target. This is achieved by stepping up natural/human and techno-surveillance, for example, Closed-circuit television (CCTV) and alarms. This makes the crime action more difficult because it will require more efforts. It is also achieved by making criminal activity less rewarding and riskier. This strategy shifts crime reduction from the hands of criminal justice agencies to the community hence making it more practical. It is best implemented by schools, business enterprises, communication departments, entertainment centers and transport authorities. This approach was launched in 1997 in the UK. Since then, there has been notable reduction in crime rates. Burglary rates have reduced by 21% from 1997. There is also a reduction in victimization rates for example standing at 30% in 1999. Access control ‘defend space’ is also applied in SCP. The access to offices by offenders is controlled. Strict rules should be followed when accessing computers, bank accounts and installation of entry phones (Clarke, 1997) and pin numbers should be applied n monitoring people. Table 1 in the appendix illustrates the rating of various respondents to 25 SCP techniques. Reducing drug use The percentage of offenders using illicit drugs cannot be ignored. A good proportion of those received in prisons have had encounter with these drugs. Some report to have used two or more types of hard drugs. Some of them show adverse effects of drugs compared to other drug users in the general population. The situation is even worse for those who use heroine and /crack. (HC). Some of the offenders confess to have been under the influence of drugs while committing crimes while other involved themselves in crimes in order to obtain these expensive drugs. Fish (2006) reveals that there is a high chance of offending among drug depended people. According to the 2004 US Bureau of Justice Statistics 17% of offenders committed crime to get money for drugs. Drug use accounted for 72% of stabbings, 41% of forceful rapes, 83% of homicides and 67% of child beatingThe rate of offence is higher for those who have problems in using these drugs. A 2005/06 Arrestee Survey in UK indicated that 79% of those arrested during that period had been to jail at least once in the last year. 57% had been tested earlier in police stations. Therefore it is most appropriate that their chances for using these drugs be reduced Violent crimes is mostly reported among drug depended offenders. In an effort to fund their drug requirements, some end up being street-level dealers. This predisposes them to violence associated with markets. Most of the violence in drug markets is linked to organized crime gangs. This shows that there is a high relationship between drug use an criminal activities. Intervention to this can be achieved both in the prisons through the prison-based therapeutic communities and using community base programs. This policy will help to reduce drug related crimes (Chin, 2002). Though it may be challenging to treat, rehabilitate and reintegrate them due to interaction problems, it is more profitable. Compulsory testing should be conducted immediately after arrest. This is done especially for those people who are suspected to have a problem with drug use. In this case, it is mainly for who commit a ‘trigger offence’ for example robbery, theft or burglary. Upon testing positive for a drug, participation in treatment and assessments should be made mandatory depending on the level of drug dependency and influence. Counseling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARAT) should be adopted in all prisons. This will enable proper assessments, support and treatments to be offered to the offenders. Drug and non-drug services should be given to those offenders who are experience problems with drugs both in custody and after release. Enhanced Addictions Casework Service (EACS) should also be established to deal with offenders who are chronically under the influence of drugs. Conditional cautioning is another technique in this strategy. A drug-dependent offender undergoes rehabilitation for example drug treatment. If the offender refuses at some point, they are cautioned that they will face prosecution for their original offence (Fish, 2006). Prison-based therapeutic communities have proved to be effective in offering of prison-based drug treatment. These have reduced the rates of illicit drug use and re-offence. A support for this strategy is the drug courts the maintenance opioid detoxification and methadone in communities and in prisons, prison-based therapeutic communities and the RAPt 12-Step abstinence-based programme. Conclusion Traditional methods of curbing crimes like enforcement and suppression are not sufficient in controlling the existing and emerging criminal activities. Further more, these approaches are harsh and create rebellion. They do not prevent crimes but deal with its aftermaths. Therefore there should be a shift from these traditional to strategic policies. Reduction of crimes should be a shared vision and responsibility. Necessary resources, knowledge and skills should be incorporated in order to see the success of this Five Point crime reduction plan. There should be adequate and continuous support for local communities. The public should be informed and engaged. Their support and co-operation is also very necessary because they are the main victims of such criminal activities. They should show willingness to support this plan. References Audit Commission (1996). Misspent youth: Young people and crime, London: Audit Commission for Local Authorities and NHS in England and Wales. Braga, A. and Glenn, P. (2005). “Disrupting Illegal Firearms Markets in Boston: The Effects of Operation Ceasefire on the Supply of New Handguns to Criminals”. Journal of Criminology and Public Policy, (4) pp 23-30. Bullock,K. and Tilley, N. ( 2003) : Crime Reduction and problem Oriented Policing. Devon, UK. Willan Chin, G.(2002). “Race, the War on Drugs, and the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Conviction”, Journal of Gender, Race, Justice, (6) pp 253. Clarke, R. (1997). Situational crime prevention: Successful case studies (2nd ed). New York. Harrow and Heston Fish, M. (2006). Drugs and society: U. S. public policy. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Garland, D & Alison, W. (2000). Ethical and Social Perspectives on Situational Crime Prevention : Oxford. Oxford, Hart Publishing. Ofsted (2009).The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2008/9. London. Ofsted. Rosenbaum, D. Lurigio, A. and Davis, R. (1998). The prevention of crime: Social and situational strategies. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth. Appendices Table 1 Respondent’s rating of 25 SCP Techniques Poor Not effective Average Effective enough Very effective Target hardenin 01 06 11 25 03 Control Access 01 02 07 27 09 Screen Exits 01 06 18 15 06 Deflect Offenders 03 09 18 12 01 Control tools/weapons 00 01 24 10 12 *Extend guardianship 02 18 20 06 00 Assist natural surveillance 02 12 05 27 00 Reduce anonymity 01 07 25 10 02 Utilise place managers 02 03 15 24 02 Formal surveillance 01 02 10 20 13 *Conceal targets 00 10 30 05 01 Removal of targets 01 05 15 20 05 Identify property 00 02 03 29 12 Disrupt market 02 16 20 02 03 Deny benefits 00 05 24 10 07 *Reduced frusteration/stress 02 10 19 15 00 Avoid disputes 01 11 18 16 00 Reduce emotional arousal 01 10 15 14 06 Neutralize peer pressure 00 12 13 15 06 Discourage imitation 02 10 10 22 02 *Set rules 02 03 10 25 06 Post instructions 00 01 12 28 05 Alert conscience 01 00 03 35 08 Assist compliance 00 00 02 39 05 Control drugs/alcohol 00 00 00 35 11 Figure 1 Assessment of the impact of individual deterrence on vehicle theft in Winnipeg Read More