Criminal Prevention and Punishment Program - Essay Example

Sociology 11 July Criminal Prevention, Treatment and Punishment Program Introduction The current escalation in crime levels has been too high, a situation that has forced many governments to reflect on their approaches to crime. Even though crime has changed as compared to the past, people routinely practice various forms of crime prevention in their day to day live by avoiding dark areas, avoiding tough looking individuals, and locking doors. The issue of crime prevention has therefore been within the community, it’s not a new concept. According to Gabor, crime prevention is an initiative meant to reduce or eliminate crime or any act of violence (3). The fight involves governments and nongovernmental efforts to reduce the impact of crime. Crime prevention is an art which can be evaluated by science of measuring programs event. In order that a program is evaluated, it has to be based on the specific knowledge. It is always uncertain to achieve accuracy in generalization of all programs. Farrington et al suggests that “the major strength of scientific evaluations is that rules of science provide a consistent and reasonably objective way to draw conclusions about cause and effect” (8). Crime Prevention Approaches 1. Social prevention It’s a measure undertaken to promote the well-being of people through encouragement of social behavior via social, economic, health and education platforms. The main aim of this is to intervene early in the lives of people who are at most risk of encountering or developing crime at one of their stages in life. The focus is towards promoting protective measures associated with crime through parents, school and government programs. 2. Community based crime prevention program This mechanism works to prevent crime from occurring by putting in measures that reduce crime opportunities; the neighborhood tackles conditions associated to crime. Communal resources are pulled together and members of a community are encouraged to work together for a common goal. To enhance this program, a communal watch program is put in place; this goes further to improve cohesion and the image of the society. 3. Situational based crime program This mechanism addresses the occurrence of crime due to available opportunities. To prevent such a situation, occurrence opportunities are reduced. Gabor (qtd. in Clarke, 1997) suggests that situational crime can be prevented by use of environmental tactics, surveillance, and environmental design. Gabor further suggests that (qtd. in Brantingham and Faust, 1996) criminology can be used as a tool to classify crime prevention, just as in the health field whereby diseases are classified in form of models and disease prevention mechanisms are adopted. Some experts have classified crime prevention mechanisms as either primary, secondary or tertiary. Primary prevention targets a population including measures that prevent crime. Secondary prevention identifies individuals and groups who are at a risk of getting involved in crime; it targets areas with high crime potential. Tertiary programs are those that are intended to prevent the reversion of convicted offenders. At this stage, efforts are put in place to revert, dissuade and incapacitate offenders. Whichever the method used, approaches to prevent crime help to identify loopholes in judicial the system. This paper discusses the Evidence Based Crime Prevention Program. Evidence Based Crime Prevention Program Evidence Based program traces its birth in the medical field. In this case, evidence based program is rooted to food and drug administration. Food and drug administration is a medical programme responsible for efficacy and safety of drugs. The testing of drugs must be in two steps before approval by FDA. A series of research and evaluation mechanisms landed in a conclusion that demonstrated how crime prevention and treatment programs yielded results. The current challenging environment underlines the fact that evidence based program acts as a rear resource that offers an alternative to ineffective programs that fail to successfully prevent crime. According to the United Nations, there is clear evidence showing that well planned crime prevention programs prevent crime and victimization, furthermore there is promotion of community safety and sustainable development (Farrington et al 4). When crime is well prevented, it promotes efficiency and quality life for all. In terms of cost reduction, crime prevention eases the need and complexities associated with the judicial system. The UN provides guidelines based on crime prevention strategies and programs. They are deeply clinched to knowledge about crime, their causes and practices. These guidelines provide a structure with which governments are expected to be, for example: They should provide information for a community to fight against criminality. They should support available knowledge. These UN guidelines provide a description that is closely, if not exactly, similar to what is given by evidence based prevention mechanism. The similarity is evidenced in the manner with which the two invest on development and implementation of programs. Assessment of the outcome is emphasized rather than unsubstantiated trust in what a function is. Importance of Evidence Based Crime Prevention Program Many prevention based programs have been implemented although most of them have not met the most basic evaluation. Many of them are for political reasons or personal gains. The main aim of evidence based crime prevention is to create a coherent foundation for crime prevention scheme by restricting political and ideological influences and participation of vested interests. The intention is to reduce bias in the evaluation of programs, so that policy is based on a careful assessment of the pragmatic facts as to what works. Criminological Theories Criminological theories are means of providing cautious answers to queries about criminal behaviors and the process of criminal justice, thus the answers of social control system are achieved as one may wonder about the reason, process and interlinks of events. The definition of criminology has been expressed by Edwin H. Sutherland (1947 qtd. in Alkers, 2) as the study of the whole process of making law, its enforcement, and breaking. This definition provides a basis for classification of criminological theories. Law Making and Enforcement Theory This theory provides answers explaining the reasons concerning the definition of people and their behavior in the society. The theory also explains the reasons on how particular conducts are treated, as well as how and why they are classified as crime. Through theories, people tend to get the explanations that social, political and economical variables affect the legislation of law, administrative decisions and the rules, as well as the implementation and operation of law in the criminal justice system (Akers 3). Crime Control Theory Crime control theory also defined as the social process theory implies that as a result of inefficiencies of social crime control mechanism, which has resulted in continuous breach of law, a prevailing preventive mechanism was to be put in place to curb the issue by considering preventive measures through socialization and recommitment to the moral order. This theory believes in crime prevention by control mechanism. For an individual to reduce the chances of committing a crime, he must curb his exposure to defiant individuals. According to Einstadter, “the whole process of control theory emphasizes on the micromanagement of human development to keep their nascent deviancy in check” (89). Under the practice of control theory, the common behavior of a criminal is taken understudy, as well as the pattern of prevention mechanism. According to Einstander , “control theorists’ preventive policy is aimed at producing the maximum amount of conformity by ensuring that social bonding takes place, and self- controls are built in from infancy through childhood” (90). Techniques of Crime Control Crime control varies depending on the type of control theory applied, such as the self control theory, social learning theory, or the control balance theory. Differential association provides a way through on how adolescents and students should be handled during recreational facilities to avoid hanging with wrong groups. It provides a guide to encourage parents to remain vigilant to their children, ensuring that they get to know whom their children socialize with. Crime control requires that where people have already encountered crime and unworthy behavior, such people and places should be rehabilitated through educative and socialization programs. There is a strong calling that to prevent crime, offenders have to be excluded from the law abiding individuals. This prevents contamination of the bad behavior as well as its spread among the good citizens. Control theory believes that efficient crime prevention that results in durable consequences should be attributed to the concerned individuals, like parents and adults, who have the responsibilities of developing the children. With the policy of crime prevention in place, self control theorists suggest that a variety of hardening and practices of rational choices are exercised. In this case, the theory suggests that a crime can be prevented by making it more complex. An example is that since alcohol is one of the major causes of crime, complicating the means of accessing it for example, by raising its price or banning their consumption in a particular manner, it would limit the chances of crime occurrence. Works Cited Alkers, Ronald L. Criminological Theories: Introduction and Evaluation. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Einstadter, Werner J. Criminal Theory: An Analysis of its Underlying Assumptions. Washington: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print. Farrington, David P. et al. Evidence- Based Crime Prevention. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print. Gabor, Thomas. “Evidence Based Crime Prevention Programs: A Literature Review.” March 2011. Web. 10 July 2014. Read More