Crime Rates and
Government Involvement
Aaron Tejada
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Professor Matyakubova
5/14/2020
Abstract
In this paper the
topic of crime rates and the reasons for their increase will be the major cause
of discussion. These reasons being mainly unemployment and drug abuse. Religious conflict and immorality also take
part in this, but not as much as unemployment and drug abuse. Those without a
job will do anything to make money, even if it means selling drugs on a corner
and doing fraud as well at the stake of whoever is being done upon. Those who
abuse drugs will do things out of the normal when under the influence,
especially committing crime for more drugs. They are addicted so they will do
what they can to keep that feeling. We also discuss the involvement of drug
cartels into the mix of crime, they are a huge reason for increase in crime
when it comes to drug abuse and drugs itself. Fighting with other cartels or
gangs over territory creates a lot of violence. At the end, we look at how the
government gets itself involved into all of this and what it tries to do to
reduce unemployment, or what it can do to reduce it, which also reduces crime,
since unemployment and crime are closely related.
Crime Rates and Government Involvement
Unemployment
In many parts of the
world, crime is rapidly increasing day by day. The primary reason behind the
growth rate happens to be the unemployment of many youths in the society. The
cost of living continues to rise, and therefore some individuals commit crimes
to fulfill their demands and needs. When teenagers meet together in one place
and try to look for jobs, they will most likely start looking for places to
steal from when the jobs do not work out. “ Statistics of crimes in several
countries prove that unemployment and crime are closely related” (Adamczyk,
Freilich & Kim, 2017). Studies have shown that some property crimes are
strongly associated with unemployment, but most brutal crimes like murder and
rape are not strongly related to joblessness. Besides unemployment; drug abuse, religious conflicts, and
immorality are also reasons of importance as to why crime continues to rise as
it does. The government has
to take the proper steps to ensure the unemployment issued is curbed, fixing
the economy is the fastest way to eliminate crime because it creates
jobs. Creating more job opportunities and better wages, should
close the gap in economic inequality, and thus crime.
In the early 1990s,
the range of unemployment was low, and so was the rate of crimes. This shows
that both unemployment and crime are equal to each other because when the
unemployment rate is high, the crime rate ends up being high as well. Most
people believe that the increase in unemployment plays a more significant part
in crime involvement. Lacking a legitimate source of income also contributes to
crimes where the individual involved is in a desperate need for more money if
they are not satisfied with the job they currently have. Another reason is that
there are many areas where rates of poverty and child neglect are high and
there tends to be an increase in crime rate as a result. “ Poverty is caused by
a lack of employment, which leads to neglected children to indulge in criminal
activities at early stages as a source of income” (Corcoran & Stark, 2018).
The particular group grows old, bearing in mind that the only way to access
food can be through criminal activities.
Experimental study design proves that
there tends to be a link between young people who have been unemployed for some
time and crime. Many young teens get into selling drugs because it is quick
money. It happens to be a result of unemployment many youths have ended up
following after. When there is a reduced number of unemployment cases, the
rates of property crimes significantly fall. Assault and robbery are examples
of crimes that relate to high standards of unemployment because money was used
as the primary motivator. It happens as a result of individuals earning low
wages because of the lack of financial resources to promote crimes. “When the
amounts of monthly happen to be less than the required utilization, crime rates
eventually rise; therefore, the economic status of a particular state has a
direct impact on criminal activities” (Engelen, Lander & van Essen, 2016).
When individuals have a legal source of income, the criminal rates reduce where
they do not have to commit crimes as they are already satisfied with their
income. The prices of illegal activities lower mostly, the same occasion
happens when unemployment reduces.
Drug
Abuse & Cartels
The abuse of drugs and
the business involved with it, is another reason for the increasing growth in
crime. When someone is actively into drugs and addicted to them, it becomes
tough to stop the habit. Drugs alter a particular area of the brain that aids
controlling thinking. When sections of the brain are infected, it results in
some individuals acting in violent ways when under the influence of the
substance. Some people active in drug addiction do not want to be involved in
crimes; peer influence is strongly connected in this case. Most periods, the
individuals addicted to drugs are often not violent but are prone to acting
with bad behaviors because of the stronghold addiction their mind and body
carry. The drug cartels contribute to millions of drug-related killings a year.
They control much of the illegal drug trade from all over the world and will
deliberately execute people for the benefit of their drug operations.“ Drugs
and violence tend to be mostly spread between the cartels, and the reason
behind it happens to be claims of owning significant parts of the city where
the trade usually happens and obviously for the money ” (Ha & Andresen,
2017). Gangs typically contribute to the increased drug-related crimes, as the
cartels operate generally. The only difference happens to be the product they
are selling in the market. Some gangs may be selling marijuana, some heroin,
while others cocaine, which may contribute to these gangs fighting against each
other when a particular group gains more. They may also be against a specific
group in which case the others may try to evict them from the area, and it may
cause significant chaos and violence in the community that may even hurt people
who are not involved in the shootouts.
In places where individual gang members are higher in the chain of
command than the rest, the rates of crime tend to be increased, and the rates
of individuals abusing drugs. They control essential things in the region, and
if a rival gang tries to oppose their role, they suffer the consequences which
is death. Communities involved in high drug and crime rates tend to be
surrounded by multiple gang members fighting for territory ownership. The use
of guns and many weapons becomes the order of the day in areas that lead to
deaths and accidents. Many urban areas of the drug trade usually consist of
low-income individuals because the cartels take advantage of the opportunity
that there will be a lot of profits because of the addiction that will come
with daily usage due to the social-economic status of the people. In particular
areas, drugs and violence go hand in hand, and so the homicide rate increases
because drug abuse has a significant influence on that society. “ Individuals
who suffer from addiction usually perform the act of crime because they are
unable to afford the price of certain drugs they use often. So bad that these
acts portray a bad image of the addiction disease making the few addicted to
drugs believe that addicts are violent and dangerous” (James & Smith,
2017). These kinds of individuals use violence to achieve their goals; they
purposely hurt people in society and commit crimes for the benefit of profits.
Morals
Morality tends to be a
system of ideas that consist of right and wrong conduct relating to the moral
standard values set by a particular society. Several theories have proven
specific criminal behavior acts happen to be a failure of proper moral development
in the nation. Usually, good morals are learned from teachers and parents as
they are the first role model of any child in development. Morals are developed
from a young age where every kid had to be valued as for the whole society
where everyone was involved in promoting ethical values. Immorality helps to
contribute to crimes in a society where criminals happen to be a result of not
having traditional values. Some immoral children are sent away from their homes
by the parents, and that eventually results in crimes. There are several cases
of adults who been immoral, and they go to the extent of raping young
girls.This act is linked with the corrupt values those men posed. Many juvenile
offenders happen to be associated with low levels of moral reasoning;
therefore, the likelihood of involvement in criminal activities rises, it
becomes a repeated cycle of prison and crime for the youth as they get older.
When there are fewer morals in society, there happens to be an increased number
of crimes. The lack of good morals in a family structure eventually contributes
to the high crime rate. Major crimes are part of moral breakdown, where
recovering the right moral code happens to be the way that society can survive
criminal activities.
Religious
Conflicts
Religious differences
have actively promoted the rise of crime rates in the various communities where
different religions occupy. The range between Islamic and Muslim power
struggles has led to outbreaks of violence affecting even the Christians. Many
parts of the world have experienced terrorism acts motivated by religious
hatred, thus violating spiritual codes and encouraging criminal activities
among the groups. “ The rise in religious violence has become a global concern
and affects many religious groups” (Ha & Andresen, 2017). Violence
influenced through religious intolerance usually rises from the beliefs that a
particular group happens to be superior to the rest. That kind of abuse often
gets support from politics in that geographical area who may be opposing one
specific religion. Muslims have the belief that Allah is greater than any other
religion, and for this reason, they commit terrorism to the faith that does not
support their culture. In some cases, as when the state and religion get entwined,
mass criminal violence may occur. Examples of this are the conflicts in the
Middle East, specifically Syria.
Income
Inequality
Income inequality and crime rates happen to be primarily connected where
low incomes persons indulge in criminal activities to acquire more to meet
satisfaction. It has a significant effect on the increase in crime in society.
The country's economic growth has a crucial influence on reducing incidences of
crime because of the reduced inequality of income gap and, a more productive
economy brings an improving impact on the level of poverty, thus implying that
alleviation of poverty reduces crime. The desire to become more productive and
have a contributing force to society provides ways of approaching inequality of
income. “ Better wages, availability of jobs, and secure opportunities,
provision of self-development initiatives programs will aid in the eradication
of crime that led to low-income people committing violence” (Wendel, Dhondt,
Curtis & Hamilton, 2016). When inequality of income gets looked at, efforts
at minimizing the income gap provides a long-term solution to crime issues, for
the weak and unsecured targeted, more affluent residents.
Government
Involvement
To control the rate of
the various crimes in society, the concerned government and other programs
should start measures to deal with the issues that actively promote the growth
of these crimes. The government has a vital role in controlling the rate of
unemployment cases among youths. Trained youths should be engaged in
income-generating projects that will occupy them and, at the same time, provide
a source of income. Job opportunities should be created for both skilled and
unskilled among the people in society to prevent the increased number of young
men who quickly get involved in crime. They should be provided with high wages
not to get tempted to join the illegal activities. The government ought to
focus on economic growth to eliminate criminal activities through job creation.
Once the economy of a country grows at a high rate, it responds directly to
increasing employment. The government should consider the change in the
national labor act to make sure the companies and other employers increase the
wages of the employees and curbs the unemployment issue. Regulating the methods
used in advertising job opportunities helps every individual to access the
information evenly. Every record of the unemployed person and the skills he has
should be readily available for all employing industries.
Young people should be provided with enough
training and education to fit into the labor market. They should also be
equipped with more important professional and practical skills that will
benefit them in the future. The government should also fund various projects
and initiatives started by the youths as it happens to be a way of creating
jobs in the society. “ Schools and other institutions have a significant
opportunity to discuss and educate the matters of criminology to young people
even before completing their careers” (Wendel, Dhondt, Curtis & Hamilton,
2016). It leaves them fully equipped with proper knowledge of self-campaign in
facing challenges in society. The government takes action in restricting the
supply of drugs and fighting with the cartels involved.
Developing more
rehabilitation centers will provide easier access to addicted individuals,
where they will be able to recover through support. Private agencies, together
with the government, should conduct educational programs about hate crime
awareness and prevention through schools to communities that need it.
Government agencies facilitate the training of teachers, members of the clergy,
and business leaders that generate a secure and healthier community where
crimes occur. Firm local policy and educational efforts reduce the tendency of
not reporting any incidence of crimes. Governments' role in society happens to
be securing the rights of every citizen and, therefore, should protect the
religious group from rival attacks. Ensuring peace and harmony among faithful
by a government helps in the promotion of a peaceful state, which supports the
growth of the community. Through its social obligation, the government enforces
excellent ethical and moral value standards in society through the cultivation
of a culture of ethical values.
Conclusion
The various crimes
that affect our society reduce the growth and development at large.
Unemployment, drug abuse, religious conflicts, and immorality happen to be
significant reasons behind the growth rate of various crimes in the society.
The country's economic growth has a crucial influence in reducing incidences of
crimes because reducing inequality of income gap and a more prosperous economy
improves the level of poverty implying that reduction of poverty reduces crime.
To control the rate of the various crimes in society, the concerned government
and other programs should start measures to deal with the issues that actively
promote the growth of these crimes. The government has a vital role in
controlling the rate of unemployment cases among youths.
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