REVIEW OF V. BARKER, 2010 - Essay Example

For instance, the number of homicide cases reported was similar to those of the 1960s. These crimes were found in all regions including the suburbs, exurbs, cities, and rural areas. The people involved came from all races and social backgrounds. No one would accuse any group of people of being criminals (Becker 511). Consequently, there was the establishment of some laws in America. One of the laws that could have helped to reduce crimes in America is legalization of abortion in the 1970s. It was a very controversial law but according to criminal justice specialists.

It helped a lot. They argue that the unwanted children are not given proper care and end up being thugs. People started being charged with this cases and were severely punished for them. It would also help in controlling the population in order to make it manageable by the number of police officers. Initially, people know that they would not face a severe punishment that led them to go ahead to commit these crimes. Investigations have also been intensified. Nothing goes uninvestigated until the real culprits are caught.

It also made criminals to be aware that no matter the crime they commit they will be caught after an extensive investigation is conducted. These are some of the changes that could have seen the decrement of crimes in America according to Becker. Imprisonment was also prolonged. Initially, people would serve for few years no matter the degree of crime committed. The laws were changed, and criminals would face a very long imprisonment that would serve as a lesson to them once they are out. It also means that by the time they are out of prison, so many things will have changed, and the person will be focused on self-recovery and acceptance by the community (Becker 511).

Two researchers Alfred Blumstein and Richard Rosenfeld did an extensive research on crime patterns and their punishment. They agreed that long imprisonment was a solution to combat crime in