Crime in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Education Attainment - Research Paper Example

Correlation between Crime in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Education Attainment Abstract Numerous studies have revealed that there is a correlation between the level of education and the likelihood of an individual committing a violent crime. The society also has stereotyped criminals to be lowly educated and people desperate for certain resources. However, other studies also note that the increase in education levels does not entirely stop crime. This research proposal seeks to evaluate the need for the study of the relationship between the levels of education and crime in Fayetteville, a city located in North Carolina. The city has a crime rate which is higher than 91% of other communities in North Carolina and is quite high compared to other cities of similar size in the USA. By examining the effect of education levels on the crime rates in the city, the city leaders can develop more sound means to curb crime in the city. The results from this study will seek to fill a gap in identifying how the level of education affects different cities, considering Fayetteville has high employment rates compared to the rest of the country. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page ………………………………………………………………………………..1 Abstract …………………………………………………………………………….........1 Chapter 1: Introduction to the Research…………………………………………….. 3 1.0 Introduction to the chapter ………………….…….…………………….……….….. 3 1.1 Statement of the problem ……………………………….…….……………………...5 1.2 Purpose of the Study …..………………………….………………………………….5 1.2.1 Objectives of the study/ Research Questions………………………………..5 1.3 Delimitation of the research ………………………………….……………………...6 Chapter 2: Literature Review ………………………………….……………………....7 2.1 Crime Rates in USA ...….………………………………….………………………...9 2.2 The Gary Becker theory of crime motivation ……………….…………………….....9 2.3 Crime in Fayetteville ……………….………….……………….……….………….10 Chapter 3: Research Methodology ………………..….……….……………….…….11 3.1 Research variables ……………………….………….……………….……………..11 3.2 Data Collection and Analysis ……………………….………….……………….….11 3.3 Limitations of the Research Design .......…………………………………………...11 3.3 Data sources ……………….………….……………….…………………………...11 Chapter 3: Preliminary Suppositions and Implications …….……………….……..12 Chapter 3: Conclusion ………………..….……….……………….………………….12 Correlation between Crime in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Education Attainment 1.0 Introduction J. Edgar Hoover once expressed his view on crime by saying, “The cure for crime is not the electric chair, but the high chair.” This implies that the best way to eradicate crime would be through education, the high chair. Numerous studies have sought to highlight the relationship between crime and the level of education, some suggesting that a lower level of education increases the chances of a person engaging in criminal activities. However, other studies suggest that the higher level of education does not necessarily prevent one from engaging in criminal activities as it enables them to get smarter while committing the crime (Zhao, Lawton and Longmire, 39). On the other hand, modern society sees education as the moderating factor which influences the quality of opportunities people can get in the society. For instance, the level of unemployment and low income earning opportunities are usually higher for people with lower levels of education. Higher the level of education one has, the more likely that their income-earning opportunities will have higher monetary rewards too. The lower income is earning or lack of employment has been theorized to be a factor influencing people with lower education levels to commit a crime, especially violent and property crimes at much higher levels. However, with this concern, income is not the only factor that can motivate crime, and this calls for more scrutiny in other factors that may influence crime in a given society such as Emotional Quotients and personality traits (Zhao, Lawton and Longmire, 39). Fayetteville city has been awarded the All-America Award three times, an award which recognizes the city's effort to incorporate different communities and stakeholders in addressing community issues in the county. For this city located in Cumberland County, in the state of North Carolina, the All-America Award shows a strong integration of different communities in the discussion of issues facing the county. One of these challenges is crime. According to Johnson (27), Fayetteville has one of the highest crime rates in the country, with the current rate of 23 in every 1,000 people, which is worse than 91% of communities in North Carolina. This high contrast greatly with the high employment rates and the fact that Fort Bragg, the world's largest military installation borders the community. Furthermore, by 2012, the Department of Defense based in Fort Bragg had the highest number of employees based in Fort Bragg, employing at least 15,000 of the over 200,000 populace in Fayetteville. This raises concern as the place close to a large national military installation would also be expected to have lower crime rates. Furthermore, the high employment index would also suggest a lower crime rate which is not the case. By examining the relationship between the level of education and the crime rates in Fayetteville, a better crime prevention system can be developed by improving one of the several indexes of quality standards of living, safety. 1.1 The Problem Statement Fayetteville city is the sixth-largest largest community in North Carolina and boosts a high number of its populace being employed by the Ministry of Defense. Furthermore, Fort Bragg, which is the largest military installation in the world - with over 50,000 people living within the base – is located in the Northern part of the city (Johnson, 22). The city also boosts a high level of employment rates, although its average wage bill is lower than the average wage rates in other larger cities in North Carolina (Mills, 7). Additionally, Fayetteville has been crowned one of the most livable cities in the country, and one of the best destinations for new graduates seek jobs. In contrast, in comparison to other cities and communities of similar population size in the country, Fayetteville has a higher than average crime rate. Education forms an important part in determining the human development index as higher education is attributed to higher security independency rates. There have also been strong links between the level of education and level of crime in certain communities, with different scholars suggesting people with lower level of education are more likely to engage in criminal activities than people who have trained higher level of education. However, there are other studies whose findings contradict these findings which creates a gap in research that calls for an examination of the relationship between education and crime. This research seeks to determine the relationship between the level of educational attainment and violent crime in Fayetteville, North Carolina to determine the best strategy that can be used to combat crime in the city (Johnson 28). 1.2 Purpose of the Study This study seeks to identify the relationship between the level of education and violent crime in Fayetteville to determine what to what extent does the level of education affect one's likelihood of conducting violent crime. This can help the Fayetteville develop better strategies for managing crime in the city by determining to what extent education as a crime prevention technique can be conceptualized in the strategy. The study is also useful to other communities which face crime as challenges as it can create strategies to reduce educational levels as factors in committing crime. 1.2.1 Objectives of the study/ Research Questions The study will seek to accomplish the following objectives: 1. The study seeks to determine the different levels of education found in the Fayetteville population. 2. To determine whether the level of education influences the likelihood of an individual committing a violent crime in Fayetteville. This also includes measuring the likelihood of educational level influencing the factors leading to the crime. 3. The study also seeks to recommend strategies that can be used to reduce the susceptibility of lower education level affecting the likelihood of someone committing a crime. In accordance with the research objectives, the study seeks to answer the following research questions. 1. To what extent does the level of education influence the likelihood of a resident in Fayetteville to commit a crime in the country. 2. Which strategies can be developed to reduce the crime rate in Fayetteville? The following null hypotheses have been developed to guide the research process. 1. There is a positive relationship between the level of education and the susceptibility to committing a violent crime. 2. Increasing income earning opportunities can reduce the level of crime in Fayetteville. Delimitation of the Study This study is a correlational study which will have a mixed method research approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods to evaluate the influence of education on crime in Fayetteville. The study will first identify the objectives and research questions which will inform the design and the delimitations of the study. For one, the study will design will limit the study to an examination of the education level and the crime levels in Fayetteville, North Carolina and will not exceed beyond the city. The study will also be limited to education level as a factor that influences communication and no other factors such as drug abuse that may influence the likelihood of committing a crime (Neuman 19). 2.0 Literature Review Harry Hall pointed out a perspective of crime by saying, "Crime prevention is everybody's business." And indeed crime has been a challenge ever since the cradle of humankind and civilization. Crime affects every faction in the society such as making them make extra security measures including buying guns, the injury, death or incarceration of loved ones and the loss of property. The most effective means to prevent crime has always been the use of the law, some of them being quite tough on the punishment crime yet this, although reducing the levels of crime, has not stopped crime in the society (Gentry et al., 3). The study of crime has been incorporated in many studies too such as psychology, law and social sciences in hopes that good explanations on why people commit crime can be developed. Furthermore, lack of education has always been associated with crime, with societal stereotypes that those who commit crime are usually uneducated and desperate (DePaoli 3). This is reinforced by the fact that education is treated as a human capital investment which discourages participation in crime and increases opportunities in the future. Fella and Gallipoli (517) in the study of the influence of education on crime concluded that completing high school completion provides welfare gains and also improves coping skills and Emotional intelligence, minimizing the urge to divulge into criminal activities. Wortley and Townsley (2) identify environmental factors as strong influences to the likelihood of an individual engaging in crime. These factors include the neighborhood levels, economic conditions, population density, peers and people one associate with. Other factors include individual factors such as personality and previous experiences. As Mills (5) note, unlike the perception that schools create the productive, law-abiding citizens, several factors that relate to schooling such as quality of studies and trained personnel, high suspension rates, peer groups and dropouts are likely to influence individuals to engage in crime. A revealing study by the American Civil Liberties Union (2) identified a phenomenon which they called the ‘school-to-prison pipeline' in which children/students are susceptible to be transferred from the public education system and end up in juvenile and senior criminal justice institutions. The study revealed the case that while schools aim to liberate students, the public schooling system may not offer favorable conditions for children who are disadvantaged or who would benefit the most from the public education system. The disadvantage students that the public education system is developed to help are the ones that these systems heavily isolate and punish, both in the school and in the criminal justice systems. Hence the study suggests that public schools may offer poor quality education, and influence the attitude of us versus them among the disadvantaged communities against the general public hence increase the inherent conflict even if they graduate from high school. High school dropouts are classified as young people ranging the age of 16-24 who are currently not studying and neither did not complete high school studies. Maynard, Salas-Wright and Vaughn, (294) about 1.3 million students drop out of high school in the USA annually, and this makes them ineligible for at least 90% of the employment opportunities in the country. Surprisingly, this is an improvement from the 1990s school dropout rates as dropout rates decreased from about 12% of students in 1990 to about 7.5% in 2010. Maynard, Salas-Wright and Vaughn, (295) Also point out that the percentage of young American school dropouts has reduced from 15% of the population in 1970 to about 6% in 2015. However, as DePaoli et al. (15) point out, the likelihood of Latin-Americans and African-Americans to graduate from high school is considerably lower than white and Asian-American students, making them a high-risk factor to societal challenges such as drug abuse and trafficking, crime and prevalence to incarceration. Furthermore, the dropout rates are higher for Latin-American (9% of Latin American) and foreign-born (10% of foreign-born students) DePaoli et al. (15). The trends in school dropouts also reveal that young adults who did not complete high school have higher incarceration rates as compared to those who completed high school. This suggests that school dropouts are more likely to commit crime than those who complete high school. The American Civil Liberties Union suggest that the public education system also has a great influence in a person committing crime, yet little research has been done to determine the extent to which the public system influences crime rate in the USA (Maynard, Salas-Wright and Vaughn 294). 2.1 Crime rates in the USA According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the level of crime has decreased over the 21st century after high crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s, falling by 70 percent between 1993 and 2016. This includes adding the metrics of increased crime reporting rates in the country. However, the public perception is that crime has increased over the years, which has led to increased panic atmosphere characterized by increased security measures and pressure in government agencies to deliver more security. Zhao, Lawton, and Longmire’s (33) study show that about 3 in every 5 Americans say that the crime rates have been on the rise yet actually crime has decreased over the years. This suggests that perception of crime could tamper with the actual evidence that the level of education influences crime rather than societal profiling of criminals. 2.2 The Gary Becker theory of crime motivation Gary Becket developed a theory which suggested that one's motivations to participate in crime are usually economic ones. The theory suggests that people engage in criminal activity by first gauging the rewards from the crimes versus acquiring legal employment and decide which covers the greater economic value. Mills (6) not that the quality of schooling may influence one’s likelihood to engage in small criminal actives, it does not affect the person’s decision to participate in more serious crimes. Mills (7) also rejects the hypothesis that lower quality schools are associated with higher crime rates or higher quality schools associated with lower crime levels. Becker's theory suggests that when the likelihood of earning more from committing crime such drug smuggling arises, cognitive dissonance is highly likely to occur, and also result to the criminal act, even with higher education levels. 2.3 Crime in Fayetteville Gentry, Mokkapati and Rampersad, (16) in their comparison study across metropolitan cities in the country noted that few research studies evaluate the relationship between education levels and crime. Their study notes while the attainment of high school reduces these crime rates, there is a low level of correlation between completing high school education and the rates of crime as even with high education levels, there will still be a prevalence of crime. They describe that the conflict comes when it becomes limited versus unlimited resources, increasing chances of people committing a crime to gain limited resources such as economic crimes and property crimes. In Fayetteville, the current likelihood of one becoming a victim of crime is one out of every 19 people, which higher than the majority of similar communities in the country. The level of crime is quite high in some neighborhoods such as Shaw Heights that the city has considered annexing the neighborhood. The city's demographics include a majority white (45%), followed by African American (41%) and Latin, mixed-race, and Asian American population. There is a gap in literature that can help determine how education uniquely influences the odds on residents in the city committing d\crime, and by uncovering it better strategies to curb this factor can be developed by the city and members of the community (Mills 5). 3.0 Research Methodology The research methodology seeks to offer an oversight on the methods that the research will use and the justifications for these methods. The methodology provides detail on the criteria for the selection of the study, the limitations and ethical concerns the study seeks to meet (Neuman, 23). 3.1 Research variables This research identifies two main variables that will be investigated I the study. The first variable is the education level, which will serve as the independent level that influences the outcome of the dependent variable, which for this study will be crime rates. 3.2 Data Collection and Analysis This study plans to carry out a mixed method research model of which the main sources of data identified include documents on crime and incarceration rates, as well as documents the rates of school dropouts from the Cumberland County Schools in the last five years (2012-2017). The data herein will be analyzed using document analysis to derive both qualitative and quantitative data. Besides, 100 questionnaires will be sent to people involved in crime to investigate the factors that influenced their crimes. For one, qualitative data will provide explanations on the influences to the crime while quantitative data will offer mathematical statistics that can show a pattern of relationship between the two variables to answer the research questions more effectively. Document analysis can save time as more time can be spent selecting the desired data rather than collecting data itself while qualitative data helps identify the underlying motivations for certain decisions that people make (Neuman 17). 3.3Limitations of the Research Design Document analysis might be time-consuming and may not offer the perspective of all the parties involved as it is likely to have been written by one party such as the school administration. Questionnaires lack the human touch and restrict the non-verbal and verbal communication which reveals much stronger information, hence may affect the quality of the final results (Neuman 41). 4.0 Preliminary Suppositions and Implications The results, implications and recommendations from the study will have different implications and influence several processes and decisions within Fayetteville, North Carolina State and in the country. For one, it can help determine the extent to which education levels influence crime which can influence the city's education policies to ensure they minimize the level of crime in the community. The study findings can highlight issues in the dedication system which may need to be addressed as well as the needs that push the members of the community opting to indulge in criminal activities. This can determine what the community can focus on, develop ideas on what to implement and further reducing crime rates. This study will benefit the city authorities by offering factors that influence crime, also potential crime perpetrators to learn how they can avoid indulging in crime, and the community by determining how they can improve their response to crime (Fello and Gallipoli 517). 5.0 Conclusion Crime is one of the major problems that human societies, especially in the USA face up to date, attributed to many factors such as social inequalities and the level of education. Fayetteville has high employment rates yet still face slot of crime and by examining the influence of education levels in the city and its influence on crime. This proposal highlights the need to study the effect of educational level on the crime rates of Fayetteville, North Carolina and see it as an opportunity to develop better crime prevention strategies based on evidence can be developed to minimize crime, and to improve human welfare, not only in the city but to other communities in the country as well. References American Civil Liberties Union. (2014). School to Prison Pipeline. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/school-prison-pipeline Child Trends’ calculations based on: U.S. Census Bureau. School enrollment in the United States: October – detailed tables [Table 1] (2017). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/topics/education/school-enrollment/data/tables.html Child Trends Databank. High school dropout rates. 2018. Available at: https://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=high-school-dropout-rates DePaoli, Jennifer L., et al. "Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic. Annual Update 2015." Civic Enterprises (2015). Fella, G., and G. Gallipoli. "Education and Crime over the Life Cycle." The Review of Economic Studies 81.4 (2014): 1484-517. Web. 26 Sept. 2016. Gentry, Brian, Rishab Mokkapati, and Kiran Rampersad. "Impact of Educational Attainment on Crime in the United States: A Cross-Metropolitan Analysis." (2016). Johnson, Elizabeth Wrenn. "Community-Oriented Policing and Crime Rates and Crime Clearance Rates in North Carolina." (2017). Maynard, Brandy R., Christopher P. Salas-Wright, and Michael G. Vaughn. "High school dropouts in emerging adulthood: Substance use, mental health problems, and crime." Community mental health journal 51.3 (2015): 289-299. Mills, T., D. Northeastern North Carolina: A Study of School Quality in Public High Schools & County Violent Crime Rates (Masters). The University of North Carolina. (2015). Neuman, W. Lawrence. Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pearson education, 2013. Wortley, R., & Townsley, M. (Eds.). Environmental criminology and crime analysis (Vol. 18). Taylor & Francis. 2016.  Zhao, J. S., Lawton, B., & Longmire, D. An examination of the micro-level crime–fear of crime link. Crime & Delinquency, 61(1), 19-44. (2015). Read More