High Crime in Urban Areas Travis E. Heath SOC 305 Crime & Society Timothy Knox 5 November 2012 Abstract Crime and our criminal justice system affect everyone in the United States in one way or another, weather you are a criminal or the victim. Impoverished urban areas with a large minority population are disproportionally impacted. Through my research I discovered that a higher number of violent and drug related crime occur in theses areas. I also found that studies show that people within minority groups are more likely to suffer hasher punishment for similar crimes committed by non-minority groups. In this research paper I will analyze the break down the officially recognized races in the US, crimes specifically relate to these urban areas that are not present in more rural and suburban areas, finally how are crimes handled both at the judicial and executive levels in poverty-stricken communities as opposed to upper class communities.
There are many different theories on how to decrease crime rate such as not having the right to bear arms or keeping criminals behind bars for longer periods of time, but there isn’t really one solution to fix the problem. There will obviously always be corruption and crime, it is part of life, but I think that police forces could focus more on violent crimes than they do. We could also have more neighborhood crime watches in town. That way cops could drive around neighborhoods at night to make sure everything looks like it’s in order. This is especially needed in Lancaster City where there are so many random robberies and shootings on the streets.
We know that police officers use excessive force, and they also use their authority to verbally abuse people. So what causes police officers to abuse their authority, and (or) leads to brutality? One of the challenges with this is that not every citizen reports a police brutality, whether they see one happening, heard of one happening from their friends or family or if they themselves were a victim of one. Another challenging issue too is that we know some brutalities are not reported; therefore it makes it harder to measure those versus what is actually reported. Police brutality wouldn’t be an issue if we didn’t have to police our law enforcement officers.
Running head: ASIAN AND LATINO YOUTH GANGS Asian and Latino Youth Gangs and their Impact on the Communities and the Criminal Justice System CJ 228: Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice Professor: Edward James April 17, 2010 Asian and Latino Youth Gangs, their impact on their Communities and the Criminal Justice System Gang-related statistics are maintained sporadically across the nation; make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to obtain an exact measurement of gang violence. The lack of a national definition of “gang” and the national trend of gang problems throughout our cities and towns continue to be a problem for law enforcement and communities. Only estimates of the actual number of gangs and gang members across the United States exist (2005 National Gang Threat Assessment, p ix). The changing demographics of Asian and Latino youth gangs in some small towns and rural areas may contribute to the emergence or escalation of gang problems. (2005 NYGC, Bulletin No 1, p.1) New and emergent trends in criminal activity will surface as gang migration occurs at an increasing level crossed the country.
This information also shows where and when individuals are most likely to become victimized. Victim surveys also provide more detailed information on crime events than did national data systems based on police records. These surveys would ask respondents to provide information on themselves, the offenders, the nature of the crime, and the context in which it occurred. While this type of information may have been available in local police files, it was not assembled nationally by agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a form that allowed easy access. Moreover, the detail available in police files varied substantially, depending on the willingness of police officers to ask victims systematically for the specifics of crime events.
Dismantling Gangs Throughout time, gangs and gang culture have been a distinct force within communities and social ladders worldwide. The government has implemented many ideas and put them forth to work against the gangs, but gangs continue to add to their numbers due to traditional recruiting processes. Gangs make up a significant portion of the United States subcultures in the inner cities and suburbs alike. The only way to combat them is to stick to some sort of effective deterrent against these men and women, which has unfortunately, yet to be found. The politicians and law enforcement agencies need to remember that the gangs must be targeted and attacked as a whole, and not to single out a certain individual within the group.
Controlling Police Brutality The police have served an integral part in society as out protectors. Throughout the years, however, scholars as well as we citizens have begun to question the use of force, racism and internal corruption as well as other forms of misconduct by our officers of the law. The excessive use of force by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to their accountability. For instance, when police do get in trouble, it is normally a slap on the wrist, a lecture or loss of a vacation day as it stated in the article “Good Cop Bad Cop.” This fact makes it possible for officers who commit these violations to escape punishment and then often repeat their offenses. Every report of abuse is often met with denial or explanation of why the abuse was necessary instead of taking any real action like a suspension or removal of their badge in most cases.
1 Police Brutality Police brutality is still one of the most serious human violations in the United States. The intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to accountability. Police brutality can be from calling a citizen by his or her name to a death by a policeman’s bullet. What the average citizen thinks of when he hears the term, however, it is something midway between these two occurrences which can be more common to what the police profession knows as alley court. These facts make it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often repeat their offenses.
City Demographics and Crime Profile Heide M. Banks, Shayla Blair, Neil Lammons, Daniel Stevens, Maria Torres AJS/542 April 14, 2014 Marcela Morales Abstract The effects of crime are serious for a society. Unfortunately, most cities and towns in the United States experience some form of illicit behavior by their citizens. Information concerning the number of vandalisms, burglaries, assaults, and murders of an area can sway prospective buyers from purchasing homes or businesses from settling in a select community. Some believe that urban areas struggle with higher crime rates than suburban areas. Historically, crowded, low-income neighborhoods were thought of as crime capitals.
Social Nightmares in Today´s World In Central America, there is a major problem in society known as Gangs and in some countries the circumstances are worse than others. According to John Hagedorn, researcher of the Criminal Justice Department, "A street gang is a cohesive group, with most members between ages of 11 and 21, that has a recognizable geographical territory, leadership, a purpose, and various levels of organized continuous course of criminal activities" (2). Most of the time, each of the groups is recognized by graffiti’s symbols and hand sighs that are unique and different from each other. Gangs are involved in simple criminal activities such as vandalism and robbery. Also, they might do severe criminal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and murders.