Analysis of Violent Crime - Assignment Example

Analysis of Violent Crime Violent crime is one of the aspects of criminal behavior in the modern world that has yet to be studied conclusively in order for conclusive solutions for it to be developed. The result has been that there have been periods where violent crime has increased and others where its rates have been surprisingly low. The ability of the government, society, and individuals to work together to fight violent crime has in recent years been boosted through the development of better technology but in some cases, this has not been effective in reducing its rates when compared to other periods. Therefore, this form of crime has to be studied further because it is the only way through which the society can be able to develop an understanding of it as well as its causes so that viable solutions can be found to help bring down the rates of violent crime. There are diverse challenges that have been throughout modern history associated with crime and criminology and these have been mainly associated with how to measure what is or is not a criminal offence, especially when the crime is violent (Deflem 2006, p.279). There are many instances, for example, where plenty of violent crime is committed against individuals in a domestic situation and these are hardly ever reported. Such crimes as marital rape as well as physical abuse by one partner against another takes place domestically and most of these cases are never reported because the victims more often than not choose not to press charges. When this happens, it leads to the underestimation of the rates of violent crime in the society by law enforcement agencies; making it difficult for them to fight these crimes more effectively. There are also instances where it is difficult to gauge the extent of criminal activities within the society because in most cases, criminal data tends to be more or less not accurate since many of the violent crimes which take place in the society tend to go unreported (Garland 2002, p.21). Criminological research is often compromised through a lack of accurate data, especially in cases where evidence is based on the number of individuals incarcerated for certain violent crimes in complete exclusion of data about those crimes, which go unreported. There is also the problem of finding out the causes of crime in the society because there are often conflicting beliefs and conclusions about these causes and their potential solutions meaning that it becomes difficult for the real causes and solutions for violent crimes to be deciphered. The society is often the main stakeholder in matters concerning violent crime because it is finding out the causes and solutions for this form of crime, which makes communities within which people live peaceful and secure. Law enforcement agencies have been put in place to ensure that violent crime is either reduced significantly or brought to an end within the society because its continued existence is considered a threat (Savage, 2012). Violent crime has, in some cases, resulted in the death of victims and this has made it imperative for all members of the society to work together to ensure that violent crime is brought to an end. It is only through the cooperation of all the relevant stakeholders within the society, namely communities, law enforcement, government, as well as companies that have an economic interest in the society to ensure that the potential causes of violent crime are dealt with. For example, such causes of violent crime as lack of employment, poverty, and drug abuse have to be addressed directly by all the stakeholders in the society because this is the only way through which they can be able to bring down its rate significantly so that society can be safer. Most violent crimes often take place in poor neighborhoods and it is essential for the communities living in these neighborhoods to work together with the government to ensure that effective programs for the alleviation of poverty are developed (Hayward 2004, p.89). Moreover, it is the responsibility of government at all levels to initiate programs designed to provide viable employment for individuals from poorer neighborhoods so that they can be able to earn a living rather than resorting to crime to make ends meet. Finally, it is also essential to increase the number of law enforcement personnel so that it can be easier to patrol and respond swiftly to potential instances of violent crime that might arise within the society. Throughout this research, most of the data acquired has pointed towards the rates of violent crime being quite high within society with the numbers increasing slightly every year. Thus, despite a significant increase in the number of law enforcement personnel on the ground, the rates of crime have continued to rise to such an extent that in 2011, almost six million individuals throughout the United States have been reported as being victims of violent crime. In addition, these crimes often take place in less to do households or neighborhoods rather than in more affluent ones where the rate of violent crime remains quite low (Criminal Victimization Survey, 2011). Furthermore, the data concerning instances of violent crime has shown that males are more likely to become victims than females and this is especially true among those who are from the low-income bracket. However, while violent crime often takes place across all the ethnic and racial groups within the United States, especially among males, the data shows that it is mostly non-Caucasian males who report when crimes are committed against them. The instances of violent crimes, which lead to murder, are fairly balanced between the white and non-white population with the rates among the white population being slightly higher. When this data is viewed from a criminological perspective, the rates of violent crime within between white and non-white individuals defeats the stereotype in the United States that African Americans are more likely to get involved in violent crime than other racial groups. Essentially, most of the violent crimes, which take place in the United States, tend to involve a firearm and these have been responsible for most of the deaths that have occurred as a result of these crimes. Throughout this research, one of the main reasons for the high rates of violent crime in the society that has been observed is poverty because most of these crimes often take place in poor neighborhoods. Many of those individuals who commit violent crimes are from poor backgrounds that see no other choice other than doing it to have an income. In addition, because of the highly stressful situations and the lives without hope that they have to live, quite a number of perpetrators also abuse alcohol and drugs to such an extent that most of their violent actions are influenced by these substances (Morenoff Sampson & Raudenbush, 2001). Therefore, it is essential for the government to develop programs, which are not only effective in the provision of employment for those individuals from poor communities, but also develop rehabilitation programs, which ensure that those with drug addictions are rehabilitated. Moreover, in such instances where individuals are arrested for being drug users, the justice system should ensure that these individuals are enrolled into rehabilitation institutions rather than being incarcerated because the latter does not help solve the problem, but rather turns these individuals into hardened criminals (Fields & Emshwiller, 2011; Weiss, 2011). The improvement of life in poorer neighborhoods will likely bring about a swift reduction of the rates of violent crime so that the domestic security of the nation can be ensured. In order to come up with viable solutions to the problem of violent crime, it is essential for all stakeholders in the society to develop a clear understanding of its causes because without such understanding, solutions, which are suggested, are likely not to work. Therefore, solutions to violent crimes can not only come from laws against it, but also from those actions taken by all stakeholders in society to help individuals who might become perpetrators to improve their state of living to such an extent that crime are no longer attractive for to them. In conclusion, violent crime is a reality within the American society and it is the society, with support from the government, which can help develop solutions that can bring it to an end. However, as has been seen above, there are diverse challenges that have been associated with violent crime in criminology and these have been mainly associated with how to measure what is or is not a criminal offence. Furthermore, there has been recognition that the society is the main stakeholder in matters concerning violent crime because it is finding out the causes and solutions for this form of crime that will make it possible to end violent crime. In addition, throughout this research, most of the data acquired has pointed towards the rates of violent crime being quite high within society with the numbers increasing slightly every year. Finally, the research has been concluded that many of those individuals who commit violent crimes are from poor backgrounds that see no other choice other than doing it to have an income. Therefore, in order to end these forms of crime, the lives of the poor communities in American society have to be improved. References Criminal Victimization Survey. (2011). Bureau of Justice Statistics. Deflem, M. (2006). Sociological Theory and Criminological Research: Views from Europe and the United States. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Fields, G., & Emshwiller, J.R. (2011, 23 July). Many Failed Efforts to Count Nation's Federal Criminal Laws. The Wall Street Journal. Garland, D. (2002). Of Crimes and Criminals. In Maguire, Mike, Rod Morgan, Robert Reiner. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 3rd edition. London: Oxford University Press. Hayward, K. J. (2004). City Limits: Crime, Consumerism and the Urban Experience. London: Routledge. Morenoff, J., Sampson, R. & Raudenbush, S. (2001). Neighborhood Inequality, Collective Efficacy and the Spatial Dynamics of Urban Violence. Criminology 39 (3): p. 517–60. Savage, C. (2012, 6 January). U.S. to Expand its Definition of Rape in Statistics. New York Times. Weiss, D.C. (2011, 25 July). Federal Laws Multiply: Jail Time for Misappropriating Smokey Bear Image? ABA Journal. Read More