...that there was a massive crime drop in the 1990’s. They give you many reasons on why crime had such a big drop. The main reason why crime had such a big drop is because abortion was legalized throughout the country. I will get more into detail on why that particular topic in another question. But, what the author is trying to say about the subject is that abortion had a big impact on the 1990’s crime drop. Throughout the article is lists different reasons why crime may or may have dropped due to that cause. Those causes range from gun laws to the increase reliance on prisons to the aging of the population. while some of those reasons did help with the crime drop, the majority did not. One of the arguments is that we increased the reliance of prisons. For example, there was increase number of drug arrests. there was also an increase of many other sentences, including violent crimes. The evidence linking increased punishment with lower crime rates is very strong. These harsh prison terms have shown to act deterrent. Imprisonment in the 1990’s was one of the most key answers to why crime had began to drop. Roughly one third of crime dropped because of imprisonment. Another explanation for why crime could’ve dropped was the increase use of capital punishment or the death penalty. Some people thought that because of the increase of executions between the 1980’s and the 1990’s, that the death penalty had something to do with the dropping crime rate. While this may seem...
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...last ten years the United States has experienced a dramatic decrease in crime since the early 1990’s. New York, has maintained their remarkable drop in crime over the last twenty years in comparison. So it is only logical that criminologist would want to study this phenomenon to get to the root of its success. In “ The City That Became Safe” Zimring decides to go beyond New York’s surface success and find the causes in these decreases. Through his analysis of the New York’s constant decline in Zimring says: “We now know that life-threatening crime is not an incurable urban disease in the United States.” He takes the stance that improved policing strategies and systems explain New York’s constant decreasing in various area’s of crime. Dr. Zimring will further assert his stance through finding the causes of the decline and explain what else can be learned though criminological theories and crime control policy. As previously According to Zimring, New York’s decrease in serious crime is unprecedented among America’s biggest cities. In the 1990s the entire country experienced the largest documented crime decline of the twentieth century, in which the typical big city experienced approximately 35 to 40% reductions in felonies. But in most urban areas the downward trend ended around the year 2000. In contrast, Zimring notes that New York’s decline has so far lasted twice as long, and the average felony rate drop has been twice as large. The city’s felony rates have plunged by an average...
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...industrialised countries the US has one of the most significant homicide rates and crime rates. According to statistics published by the UN in 2010 the probability of being of a homicide victim is more than five times greater in the US than in the Netherlands and close to three times greater than in Canada. However in spite of these statistics and contrary to general public perception the United States have experienced a continued decline of its crime rates since the second half of the 1990’s. In 2010 there were 5.4 homicides per 100,000 persons compared to 9.8 in 1991 at its peak according to the US Bureau of Statistics (2004). Similarly, other statistics[1] published annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Justice statistics[2] have highlighted that violent crimes and property crimes rates have gradually declined, on average, in the US from their height in the beginning of the 1990’s to a low point in 2004 and continues to further decrease in spite of the current economic crisis. One would have expected that the recession would have ended this virtuous circle but instead “crimes of violence began going down in 2007, falling 0.7 percent that year and then an additional 1.9 percent in 2008. The trend accelerated [in 2009] with a 5.5 percent reduction in overall crime ...” (Jerry Markon, The Washington Post, May 25th 2010) To replicate contributing factors and ensure sustained crime decrease sociologists and economists have tried to determine the root...
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...Title registration for a review proposal: Broken Windows Policing to Reduce Crime in Neighborhoods Submitted to the Coordinating Group of: _X Crime and Justice __ Education __ Social Welfare __ Other Plans to co-register: _X No __ Yes __ Cochrane __ Other __ Maybe TITLE OF THE REVIEW Broken Windows Policing to Reduce Crime in Neighborhoods BACKGROUND Briefly describe and define the problem Crime policy scholars, primarily James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, and practitioners, such as Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, have argued for years that when police pay attention to minor offenses—such as aggressive panhandling, prostitution, and graffiti—they can reduce fear, strengthen communities, and prevent serious crime (Bratton & Kelling, 2006; Wilson & Kelling, 1982). Spurred by claims of large declines in serious crime after the approach was adopted in New York City, dealing with physical and social disorder, or “fixing broken windows,” has become a central element of crime prevention strategies adopted by many American police departments (Kelling & Coles, 1996; Sousa & Kelling, 2006). In their seminal “broken windows” article, Wilson and Kelling (1982) argue that social incivilities (e.g., loitering, public drinking, and prostitution) and physical incivilities (e.g., vacant lots, trash, and abandoned buildings) cause residents and workers in a neighborhood to be fearful. Fear causes many stable families to move out of the neighborhood and the remaining residents...
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...Since the 1890's, Americans have recognized that children who commit crime should be treated differently than adults. That separation has been eroded significantly since the 1980's and 1990's when the violent crime rate was very high. More recently, with neurological evidence of immature capacities of adolescents, we again acknowledge the differences between youth and adult offenders. Perhaps it is time for another period of reform in our juvenile justice system. When punishing crime there are four goals that can be achieved: retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence, and incapacitation. The modern adult criminal justice system focusses mainly on retribution and incapacitation. As a society, we want to be "tough on crime" so we have all but...
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...offenses include murder, robbery of a residence in which a dangerous or deadly weapon is used, rape and other sex offenses. Serious offenses include the same offenses that are considered as violent offenses, but also include other crimes like burglary of a residence and assault with intent to commit a robbery or rape. The concept of this law is just like it is in baseball, the batter has two strikes before striking out on the third strike and then they are out. The purpose for this law is to not have repeated criminal offenders. This law keeps the criminals off the streets so that they won’t commit any more crimes. This law is also one of the most popular controversial laws because it imposes a mandatory life sentence without parole on offenders convicted of three or more crimes. It is the obligation of a life sentence for any felony conviction, no matter how minor the felony may be. Every crime is different and therefore, every punishment should be made according to the crime in which was committed. I believe that the “three strikes” sentencing should be abolished because it was a law created as an emotional response to the murder of Polly Klass and is not an effective deterrent for criminals. The three strikes law was created in the early 1990’s in response to the murder of 18-year-old Kimber Reynolds in 1992; it caught full movement with the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas. The citizens of California were outraged by the fact that a repeat...
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...Abstract This paper is written in response to an assignment set by Ashworth College. The student is asked write a paper on the budgetary pressures and cuts faced by all levels of government, and explain how to justify to the tax-paying public an increase in expenditures on prison treatment and rehabilitation programs. To respond to this assignment, the student undertook desk research, wrote and submitted this paper. Keywords: prison treatment, rehabilitation programs, cost, expense, investment Introduction: The context for extra spending Many sections of the United States government over the past several years have experienced severe budget cuts due the Great Recession. Some education departments have experienced double digit percentage cuts, leading to layoffs among both faculty and administrative personnel. Hospitals, public transportation, and many other government departments have experienced layoffs, working hour reductions, cuts in pay, and cuts in resourcing. With these cost-reduction measures imposed in many government departments, it would be difficult to persuade the tax-paying public that anything currently deserves an increase in spending. If most parts of society must cut back on budgets and services, why should the public tolerate extra spending to help those who have actively broken the law? Many would argue that preference should be given to extra spending for law-abiding citizens. This paper explores how to justify to the tax-paying public...
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...STUDENT’S GUIDE TO Prepared by S. Clayton Palmer and Adjunct Instructor Department of Economics Weber State University & Westminster College of Salt Lake J. Lon Carlson Associate Professor Department of Economics Illinois State University PREFACE Introduction Welcome to the Student’s Guide to Freakonomics! The purpose of this guide is to help you better understand the analyses presented in Freakonomics by providing a sort of “bridge” between the material covered in a traditional course in economic principles and topics addressed in what we consider to be one of the most fascinating books we’ve encountered in economics literature. Many students view economics as a very difficult, if not impossible, course to master.This perception is, however, most likely based on observations of the experiences of other students who did not apply the proper approach to learning economics. In many courses, simple memorization is enough. In economics, we would argue, this is not the case.While you need to understand the meaning of basic terms and concepts, you also need to be able to apply economic concepts in specific situations. In other words, you need to develop the ability to think like an economist.The authors of Freakonomics certainly show the reader how to do just that.The material presented here is intended to make the job a little easier. Organization of the Student’s Guide We organized the material in this guide to help you identify the key points in each chapter and check to ensure...
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...aware of the bullying going on because of a lack of understanding. There was a People magazine that headlines an article Mean Girls to a case two years ago that raised questions about cyber wars and teen violence. However, these accusations are a hoax. After Males and Lind examined every huge file of crime on what authorities rely on, none has shown any uprising of girl’s violence. Violence in girls has decreased dramatically and have been for a decade. According to the F.B.I., arrest rates for violent girls have decreased by 32 percent and even crimes such as murder, robbery, and assault has plummeted drastically. A National Crime Victimization summary was conducted with more than 40,000 Americans participation by the Department of Justice of Statistics. It shows crimes not reported to the police and is one of the most reliable sources for crimes committed. Through the years 1993 and 2007, it showed less crimes of victimization. This included violent crimes, felony and misdemeanor assault, robbery, and sexual crimes. Public health associations such as the National Center for Health Statistics prove decreases in such crimes involving girls. Murders fell from 598 to 376 from 1990 to 2006. The number of adolescent girls who committed murder are at the lowest is has ever been since 1968. Although other surveys were...
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...Crime Data Comparison GEN 314: Criminology March 9, 2015 Crime Data Comparison study within two Tennessee Metropolitan Cities Utilizing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), this paper will compare burglary crime statistics between two metropolitan cities within Tennessee. This paper will discuss which area had more reported burglary incidents, what were the rates of crime for each area, did the rates change over time in either area, and what factors might explain the differences in the rates. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program was created by the FBI in 1929 as an official crime data-gathering program covering the entire United States. It was developed from a national initiative by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), whose goal was to develop a set of uniform crime statistics for use by police agencies and policymakers (Schmalleger, 2012, p.235). Under the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program burglary is defined as an unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry does not have to occur to be classified as an offense to burglary. Additionally, burglary is broken into three sub classifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible entry. A “structure” is defined as an apartment, barn, house trailer or houseboat when used as a permanent dwelling, office, railroad car (but not an automobile)...
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...CCJ 11 Introduction to Criminal Justice Topic: How does the Australian Criminal Justice system respond to one of the forms of crime? addressed in the last part of the course/unit? What are the Strengths and Weakness of this response? Crimes addressed include White Collar and Corporate Crime, Organized Crime, Illicit Drugs and Violence. Illicit drugs affect everyone. They may cause family problems, health problems even effort jobs or your performance. Even with the use of drugs that may have to be swallowed or even injected into your own body could increase chances of obtaining the HIV virus. But drugs that we smoke like marijuana could cause lung cancer. Illicit drugs can also affect the brain, by causing the brain cells to die and in cases resulting in permanent brain damage. The abuse of drugs also affect the economy, people using drugs are accident waiting to happen. Each year drug uses is the cause of a large number of accidents at home, office and on the roads. Everybody pays the price of drug abuse more cops and prisons more hospitals and treatment centers and many lives lost. Australia has approximately one drug overdose death each year. Broadly speaking, the prevalence of illicit drugs has been falling since the late 1990’s though some drugs have increased over that period. The authoritative reports below will summaries the trends as follows. In 2010, approximately 15% of the national population 14 years and above had used one or more illicit...
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...Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban Abstract Violent crime is a growing problem in our country. Politicians are always looking for new laws to impose on their people in order to combat the problem. Unfortunately, some of these laws are written by individuals who do not possess a thorough knowledge of the topic they are attempting to regulate. One example of these laws is the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was in place from 1994-2004. This law made it illegal to produce or purchase a firearm that had certain cosmetic features which had no effect of the lethality of the firearm when used as a weapon. The politicians had essentially banned firearms that they deemed looked scary. Now there is a push for a renewed Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It is imperative the people know that this infringement on our Second Amendment rights is constructed around banning firearms based on how they look instead of how effective they are as weapons. Fallacies of the Assault Weapons Ban There are many political issues in the world that incite strong emotional reactions from people from all walks of life. These issues can turn the tide of a political campaign because of the emotions involved with them. Quite often, the most emotion inspiring issues are related to individual rights and public safety. A major issue that is constantly debated by opposing interest groups is gun control. This is a topic that creates a firestorm of debate between people all over the country. On one side...
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...Argument for Capital Punishment Since the 1970's, almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate among Americans regarding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Critics charge that executions are violations of the “cruel and unusual punishment” provision of the Eighth Amendment; while supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit legal executions. In the 1972 court case of Furman vs. Georgia , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was no longer legal. However, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the court allowed capital punishments to resume in certain states, and shortly thereafter, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States,a separate penalty trial has been required for some capital cases, at which time the jury reviews circumstances that suggest the need for capital punishment. In 1982, Texas became the first state to execute a prisoner using lethal injection; other common methods of execution used in the United States include lethal gas and electrocution. In recent years, the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for death row prisoners to file appeals. Nearly 3 of 4 americans support the death sentence as a form of punishment. The other third has condemned it and their list of claims against it is long. Opponents challenge proponents on issues of deterrence, economics, fallibility...
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...CJA105 AUO Introduction to Criminal Justice M3 A2 Marital rape is one of the most under reported crimes in the western hemisphere. The common thought is how can the husband take something that belongs to him? Rape by someone you have been sexually intimate with is often not seen as “real rape”. Such attitudes are based on the premise that having given initial consent, the woman is not free to withdraw it. In a study done by Diana Russell, rape in marriage is the most common yet most neglected area of sexual violence. In a 1985 study, it is estimated that 100 to 14 percent of all married women have been or will be raped by their spouses. A study done in the 1980’s, on juvenile girls caused shock when the figures came in . Teen dating often involves rape and sexual assault, and it continues to be on the rise. 1 in 10 high school students have experienced dating violence and nearly 22% of college students. As I looked for a specific case, I began to notice something… I can’t find any. I cannot find anything in the US. You want to know why? Do I need to reiterate it? When a victim goes to file a report, to press charges and the Detectives say, “The Prosecutor will not go any further than this because you did, (such and such) before. What recourse does she have? If she has the stamina, she can leave him. If not, she lives in the hell her marriage has become. Although marital rape happens more than it should in American society, I have found that it is rampant with foreign...
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...obtaining the advantages of criminal justice privatization (Shicor & Gilbert, 2002). Militarization Despite historical efforts to make laws that enforce this distinction, during the past four decades domestic policing in the United States has become increasingly militarized. Domestic law enforcement has taken on the characteristics of the armed forces by engaging in military-style training, acquiring military weapons, and utilizing military tactics in everyday operations. To illustrate this militarization, consider the number of state and local law enforcement agencies that have acquired and maintained police paramilitary units (PPUs) or special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units. In 1982, 59 percent of police departments employed a PPU. By 1990, 78 percent of departments had a PPU, and by 1995, the portion had...
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