Category: Crime

Introduction

The contemporary society experiences a huge burden that is linked to crime and violence alongside the negative consequences on the quality of life that people live. There are several impacts of crime such as reduced lifespan, intense fear of insecurity and lack of social comfort as well as reduced working hours due to less time that is spent on the streets.

The rising crime rate is a global challenge that can only be tackled with a vibrant criminal justice system in place. One of the devastating effects of crime that has been associated with violence is that it brings about social waste which emanates from the loss of value of goods as well as the destruction of assets and the fabric of social worth and dignity.

Significant wastage also results from the expenses incurred in the course of crime prevention alongside other costs that are linked to the correctional and rehabilitation centers for offenders. In addition, the criminal justice process is also a costly affair that consumes a significant portion of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Furthermore, crime brings about myriad of other negative impacts which may not be monetary but have the potential of precipitating a reduction in productivity and also thwarting the planning horizon on various investment projects, disruption of human capital which is usually the main victim of social crime, not to forget the physical capital which may equally be short-changed though in an indirect manner.

This paper offers a succinct exploration of some of the terse measures that should be put in place to curb the rising crime rate crime as well critically discussing the role played by the criminal justice system. The essay argues that the conventional measures taken against crime control in the society may have been surpassed by time and aggravated by the numerous loopholes in the criminal justice system. Behavioral correction and rehabilitation of offenders should be given top priority in alleviating crime rate.

Literature review

Measuring the level at which crime becomes toxic or unbearable is pretty hard. Although the empirical measurement may be obtained, it is definitely a daunting task. It may demand significant time and monetary resources to gather and analyze data over a relatively long period of time.

It is also vital to take into account several dimensions and approaches of fighting crime even though there is no common framework that can handle the challenge posed by crime in our society today. The direct costs and expenditures which are associated with criminal justice process and the prevention of crime escalation has been identified as adding up to a significant portion in all the regions of the world.

Crime rate has been increasing by double-digit rate in each single year in most parts of the world with some regions doubling others in terms of crime rate. As a precautionary measure, community policing is one of the strategies that has been adopted by most government agencies charged with the duty of maintain peace and order. Nonetheless, this approach to crime reduction has seemingly achieved minimal success.

Annotated Bibliography

Bourguignon, F., (1999). Crime, violence, and inequitable development. In: Boris Pleskovic and Joseph Stiglitz (editors). Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics 1999/2000, Washington DC, World Bank, 2000, 199-220

According to Bourguignon (1999), the costs associated with crime constitutes an estimated 2.1 percent of the GDP in the United States of America while in Latin America, the fraction is 3.6 percent of the total GDP. The author further points out that crime costs that are directly attached to monetary spending are put into consideration, the costs are even higher in United States, skyrocketing to 2.6 percent and up to 5.1 percent in Latin America.

However, the raging debate on this issue is on the actual osty of crime as computed in the aforementioned figures. There are those who argue that in actual sense, the said crime costs are merely normal social costs which ought to be incurred by the government of the day. On the other hand, there are those who hold the view that this is merely resource transfer within the society.

Glaeser, E., L. (1999). An Overview of Crime and Punishment, Hague:The World Bank.

Glaeser (1999) presents an argument that since in general terms, there is less valuing of commodities by criminals as compared to the valuing that is carried out by the people in the society who lose those commodities, following this, there must consideration of this as a social loss. By fact, and disregarding these arguments, this value is supposed to be equal to the opportunity cost of the time of the criminal.

So to speak, this is the time spent on dealing with crime rather than the time consumed on the legal process or justice system. It is in line with the welfare loss. In addition to loss that is linked to material, among the significant direct crime consequences is the rise in injury as well as the death rates.

In the recent times, there has been development of the mechanisms that make it possible to estimate the social cost that come from lowering the level of life expectancy. This has vividly indicated that it can be of great significance in quantitative terms. In considering violence, it has been demonstrated that it represents a significant level of welfare loss which is the same in regard to the magnitude and order of the crime material costs which is usually direct.

Soares, R., R. (2006). The Welfare Cost of Violence across Countries. Journal of Health Economics, 25(5): 821-846

Soares (2006) carries out estimation on the basis of the willingness to pay approach; that the loss of one year in terms of life expectancy to violence is linked with the annual social cost on average that stands at 3.8 percent on the domestic gross product of United States of America alone. This estimation does not include the injury costs as well as the reduced health.

Injury and reduced health costs do not have the estimates that can be trustworthy which are based on economics. The crime costs that are non-monetary along with the age profile that is specific may as well bring about economic consequences of indirect nature.

These effects result from the changes that occur in the way people behave and which are brought about by the reduced length of productive life. It may include reduced level of investment in the human health and capital, a reduction in the level of investment in the physical capital and thus, in general terms, a reduction in growth in the long term.

Lorentzen, P.,McMillan J., Wacziarg R. (2005). Death and Development London: Stanford University Press

The life horizons that are shorter bring down the level of incentives for people to engage in taking action that can lead to benefits that are long term and the costs which are short term which can also include carrying out investment in education and people saving for the time to come.

According to Lorentzen, McMillan and Wacziarg (2006), among the main channels that connect growth and mortality is fertility. A positive relation does exist between fertility and mortality. Among nations with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS for instance, parents have approximately, in average terms, at least two children in comparison with those nations where the prevalence rate is relatively low

Londono, J., L., & Guerrero R. (1999). Violencia en América Latina – Epidemiología y Costos. Inter-American Development Bank, Documento de Trabajo R-375.

Furthermore, there exist intangible costs in the labor market as well as the negative consequences on the business environment. Londono and Guerrero (1999) point out in line with crime in Latin America that “intangible costs of crime-deterioration of productivity, consumption, and labor force – constitute the major part of the Latin American’s estimated cost of violence, corresponding to 7.1 percent of the region’s GDP.” (p. 2).

However, these figures are not very clear and it is cumbersome to carry out the estimation in a manner that may be convincing. Yet, it is of great importance to carry out the highlighting of the implications of crime on the stability of institutions as well as the business environment and especially in the case where there is a substantial existence of organized crime.

Crime prevention and the criminal justice system

Arguments are presented by Gaviria and Velez (2002) that crime has a bad effect on the efficiency of the economy, bringing down the level of employment as well as investment in the poor communities of urban Colombia. In considering the report issued by the World Bank (2006), 52 percent of the managers in Brazil consider crime as a great constraint to business.

The negative effects of crime are thus of many dimensions and the scope of the costs that are associated with it are dependent on what is put in to account. Whatever the case, the costs that are directly or indirectly linked to crime represent a substantial portion of the overall production in terms of GDP.

In relation to crime incidents that are attached to drugs, research indicates that the market for the illegal drugs is partially concentrated in certain metropolitan regions (Rengert et al., 2000). Very minimal concurrence does exist that attempts to explain give why these areas turn out to be drug trading hot spots.

Robinson (2003) gave an indication that the determination of the drug dealing markets is carried out by the social status of the immediate environment and also by the level of economic wellbeing. Presumably, there are three broad categories of measures that need to be taken in order to curb the rising crime rate.

For a long period now, the detection of crime hot spot has not been embraced in most countries especially those located in the third world. The second category of measure that is worth considering is community policing. Thus has been a point of focus in crime prevention among nay countries.

In reiterating the importance of identifying the crime hot spot zones, it is crucial for such zones to be avoided at all costs. According to Robinson and Rengert (2003), the neighborhoods that have recorded high crime rates should be closely monitored and thereafter clearly categorized as hot spot zone.

Unfortunately the categorization of such regions as hot spot per se has never worked magic in the bid to control crime rate owing to the fact that wrong or misplaced measures such as advising residents to avoid such areas are taken without much follow-up on cracking down the haven of criminals.

Besides, there exists very minimal public action that could be taken in regard to crimes in such areas because residents of most crime prone areas some times fail to fully cooperate with law enforcers in divulging any relevant information that may be of great help in curbing crime and insecurity.

In fact, the fear that has been instilled by the very criminals runs deep into veins of the victims, who are usually intimated to report individuals suspected to be criminals since they have been threatened not to do so lest they are beheaded. This is a common scenario in poor neighborhoods.

Such crime prone neighborhoods are supposed to be ‘written off’ by thorough screening of all on gong activities while the concentration of the police is supposed to be put on the “tipping point”. Hence, the third category of crime prevention strategy is developing a thorough action plan and crime alleviation program that encompasses all the major stakeholders in security, most important of whom is the general public.

The latte r is overly important when include din crime prevention since the very hardcore criminals reside within the public domain and thus the only way to stamp it out is by injecting the securiity machinery deeper into the society through the public. At this point, it is imperative to offer an incisive look at the role played by the criminal justice system in alleviating the devastating effects of crime.

As expected, the social justice system is largely mandated to deter mitigate against crime, execute social control practices that enhance peace as well as carrying out rehabilitation to offenders so that they can become social instruments of peace and security. Ideally, this should be the case. Nevertheless, there is a lot to be desired in the ever-increasing cost of crime in the society today. Is the criminal justice system not up to the task of ‘refining’ individuals who have been considered to be social misfits?

The Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice of the United States has been on the forefront in developing policy papers aimed at providing guiding principles on the best way to go in as afar the fight against crime is concerned. We need not belabor on the efforts this commission has put into the crime free society agenda (Robinson, 2003).

By all standards, we need to applaud its contribution towards the noble call of alleviating crime. There were over two hundred recommendations that were put forward by this commission sometimes back. Sincerely, it has taken quite a number of decades (from1969) when the radical recommendations to fight crime were launched.

Needless to say, the systems approach that was proposed by the commission to the country’s legal system did not work wonders judging from the sight of the flooding inmates behind bars. One of the vivid responsibilities of any criminal justice system is to bring offenders to book.

If this call is anything to go by, then the general public, in any set up, should be left with a feeling that the justice system in place is not only capable of delivering its primary duties but also able to deliver justice to citizens who obey the law. Most aptly, the criminal justice framework that has been adopted by Canada, it were to be put into practice, is the most correct way to go about crime prevention in society.

The country’s criminal justice system has divided a two-tier strategy in fighting crime. On one side of the crime prevention strategy are the objectives of crime control while the other side focuses on how to go about the protection of rights of individuals, whether innocent or convicted of crime. The system ensures that justice, in its true meaning, remains the center bolt of the entire process of crime prevention and reduction (Moran, Fleming &Salisbury, 2002).

Boosting the security of the public alongside reducing the rate of crime is the overarching role of the justice system in Sweden. When individual case studies of the criminal justice system are explored one by one, the roles seem to overlap or are similar altogether.

This implies that the rising crime rate throughout the world is as direct result of relaxed or outdated methods of crime prevention that do not match or are not compatible with modern forms of crime. As the society becomes complex socially, politically and economically, the level and complexity of crime perpetrated on each single day is also rising (Gaviria & Velez, 2002).

What about the courts? Do they too influence the process of criminal justice system as well as crime prevention? Realistically, the courts system are also an integral part of the criminal justice system since it is the formal venue location where conflicts related to crime are heard as well as the point at which relevant justice is delivered on either the plaintiff or defendant.

For a complete process of criminal justice, professionals in the field of law namely the defense attorney, prosecutor and the judge must be present. However, the justice process tat will eventually fight crime in the society will largely depend on how the aforementioned personalities discharge their individual roles.

Corruption and other acts such as bribery, ethnicity, racism and nepotism may significantly strangle the criminal justice system. The bribery index report in some countries like in the Third World is a clear indication why crime rates continue to rise. Generally, the police effectiveness can be realized if the latter finally manages to down the level of violent crimes.

There is need for the law enforcing agencies to be proactive and use viable and up to date strategies that are specific in nature and put more focus on the locations that are prone to criminal activities. Solutions that are tailor-made should also be set. This will utilize an analysis that is careful of the problems of the locality and the local conditions as well.

The crime intervention procedures that are proactive offer challenge to the reactive nature of the existing practices associated with enforcing of the law. By employing the analysis of crime to forecast crime level of a place, time and the way incidents come about, the effectiveness of the strategies put in place to prevent crime increases to a very significant level.

In general terms, the police effectiveness can be realized among the police in bringing down the level of the violence crimes the moment they become proactive and use those strategies that are specific in nature instead of using the strategies that are general and put much focus on the locations that are smaller and set up the solutions that are tailor-made which utilize an analysis that is careful of the problems of the locality and the local conditions as well.

The interventions that are proactive offer challenge to the reactive nature of the existing practices associated to enforcing of the law. By employing the analysis of crime to forecast the place, time and the way incidents come about, the effectiveness of the strategies put in place to prevent crime increases to a very significant level.

Those approaches that are reactive and based on arrest which put focus on people at the time they have already engaged in the criminal activities, are in general terms ineffective and they are likely to bring up the level of recidivism. Those interventions that focused and specific in nature are the strategies which put much focus specific kinds of criminal activities or focus on specific factors that contribute to people engaging in criminal activities as opposed to those strategies that are general.

More so, focusing on a small fraction of the locations in a particular city in which there are widespread cases of violent crimes, in most cases about 1/20 of the whole jurisdiction, have a high likelihood to bring down the level of the general rate of the violent crimes in that particular city. A tool that is even much more powerful is carrying out the combination of the targeting of these geographic regions that are small together with the interventions that are much focused, tailor-made and multi-agency.

One of the best examples an approach that problem oriented which is employed to bring down the level of crime at the hot spots where violent crimes occur which encompasses gang activity. In summing up, it is vital to emphasize that approaches which are reactive and based on arresting suspected criminals and which also lay more emphasis on individuals at the time they have already engaged in crime, are simply ineffective and are likely to be counterproductive in combating crime as well as improving the criminal justice system.

References

Bourguignon, F., (1999). Crime, violence, and inequitable development. In: Boris Pleskovic and Joseph Stiglitz (editors). Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics 1999/2000, Washington DC, World Bank, 2000, 199-220.

Gaviria, A., and Velez E., C. (2002). Who bears the burden of crime and violence in Colombia? In: World Bank. Colombia Poverty Report. Volume 2, Chapter 4, World Bank, Washington DC, p.146-61.

Glaeser, E., L. (1999). An Overview of Crime and Punishment. Hague: The World Bank.

Londono, J., L. & Guerrero, R. (1999). Violencia en América Latina – Epidemiología y Costos. Inter-American Development Bank, Documento de Trabajo R-375.

Lorentzen, P., McMillan, J. & Wacziarg R. (2005). Death and Development, London: Stanford University Press.

Moran, R. L., Fleming S. & Salisbury, T. (2002). Antidrug Sweep Begins in Phila. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Thursday, May 2, pp. B1 and B3

Rengert, G., F. et al. (2000). Analysis of Illegal Drug Markets. In Mangai Natarajan and Hough (eds.) Illegal Drug Markets: From Research to Prevention Policy. Monsey, New York: Criminal Justice Press.

Robinson, J. & Rengert, G.F. (2006). Illegal drug markets: The geographic perspective and crime propensity. Western Criminology Review, 7(1): 20 – 32.

Robinson, J. (2003). The Drug Free Zones, the Police, Locations, and Trends in Drug Sales in Portland, Oregon, 1990-1998. Dissertation submitted to Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Samaha, J. (2005). Criminal justice, Belmont: Thomson Wordsworth

Soares, R., R. (2006). The Welfare Cost of Violence across Countries. Journal of Health Economics, 25(5): 821-846.

World Bank (2006). Crime, Violence and Economic Development in Brazil: Elements for Effective Public Policy. Report n. 36525, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region.

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Introduction

Transnational organized crime is a big business in the current international system. It takes place when individuals engage in the sale of goods without acquiring necessary documentation. This affects the operations of the state because individuals conduct business without paying taxes to the state. For instance, they import goods that are of low quality, which offer unnecessary competition to local industries.

Billions of dollars are generated each year through illegal trade yet such money is never captured in the GDP. In fact, studies show that organized crime has the capability of destabilizing countries and even regions if preventive measures are not put in place¹.

Development is usually affected when groups engage in illegal business that cannot be included in calculating the country’s economic growth. Studies show that transnational organized criminals tend to interfere with local peace and stability because they fund local terrorist groups, as well as other criminals. This leads to augmented rates of bribery, extortion, clamoring, and organized bloodshed.

Since transnational organized crime results to violence, it would be difficult for investors to operate in major cities. Studies show that organized crime affects both developing and developed countries. Money laundering affects the banking system globally because it takes place through financial institutions. Many people are victims of identity theft in the current international system mainly because of transnational organized crime.

Women and children are kidnapped to be exploited sexually whereby they are recruited as prostitutes while young children are forced to beg in the streets. Carjacking is on the increase because of the availability of markets abroad. The health of individuals is also at risk because substandard medicine has gotten its way into the market through transnational organized crime.

It is approximated that each country suffers from the problem of counterfeit goods, which are produced and distributed with the help of transnational organized criminals². This hurts the investors who engage in legal business, as well as the government because it cannot collect taxes.

This article explores the effects of transnational organized crime to economies of many countries in the world. The paper conducts a brief literature review by analyzing two articles that are related to the topic. In the subsequent section, the paper suggests a method that would be utilized in understanding the effects of organized crime on the economic policies of states.

The paper utilizes a quantitative data collection method. The major data collection instrument would be the questionnaire, which will be delivered to the sample population on-line. Finally, the paper suggests a data analysis method whereby the research hypothesis would either be rejected or upheld.

Problem Statement

Transnational organized crime is responsible for the increased public spending, particularly in security and policing because such crimes demand advanced technological skills and equipment. This is perceived to undermine the human rights standards, which are always the core of any particular state in the world.

Many states struggle to preserve sovereignty, but transnational criminals tend to interfere with this because they force the state to liaise or even sign agreements with other non-state actors in an effort to end organized crime³.

Kidnapping and extortion are the two major forms of organized crimes, which the actors in the international system are trying to provide solutions⁴. Pirates operating in the Indian Ocean have always interfered with the peace and the economy of many states around the region because goods do not reach their destination in time.

Due to terrorism, tourists shy away because they feel their lives would be in danger. It is upon the state to design strict policies that would stamp out organized crime. This would be facilitated through foreign cooperation⁵.

Sampling

The study will obtain its sample from the governmental policy makers in three states perceived to be worse hit by terrorism. Those sampled would be 102 foreign policy decision makers. A sample of approximately fifty individuals, both male and female would be recruited for this study.

To recruit foreign policy makers with adequate knowledge of transnational organizations, the researcher would obtain membership information from embassies and diplomatic missions of the states based in the country that the researcher would be conducted⁶.

The eligibility criteria would include individuals who are over have an experience of over eight years, they should be English speakers, their countries ought to be affected by transnational organizations, and they should not be currently engaged policies aimed at reducing the effect of transnational organizations on their economies. The participants would be recruited through a process of practical mail.

Therefore, a convenience sampling technique would be the most applicable sampling method since the participation in the study would be voluntarily. After completion of the baseline assessment, participants would be assigned to a group that demonstrates very frequent effects of transnational organizations, frequent effects, and frequent underperformance, as indicated by the economic performance indicators.

Instrument Used: Questionnaire

There would be one major method to be used in gathering information in this paper. This would be through a questionaire, which will be delivered electronically to the sample population. The questionaire will seek to capture various actions of the sample population regarding their opinions on effects of transnational organizations on the economy. The questionnaire will have four parts.

The first part will seek to capture the background information of respondents. The second part will deal with the demography and gender of the respondents. This will be to ascertain the prevalence of views in varoius categories in order to ensure that if any differences will come about then they would be captured in their demographic space.

The third part will deal with academic credentials and work experience of the respondents. The motivation for this section came from the understanding that different sections of the population respond differently to issues, based on age and academic status. The fourth part will delve into the specific issues related to the perception of the state officials on the effects of transnational organizations on the country’s economy.

The questionaire will also employ a mix of open and closed ended questions to capture different aspects of issues studied. Open ended questions will be used because they give respondents more time to figure out their opinions, which would make them volunteer more information related to feelings, outlooks and comprehension of the subject.

Validity

The validity of a measurement instrument can be measured by the degree to which the instrument measures accurately what it is supposed to measure In this survey, content validity was measured where the representativeness or sampling adequacy of the content of the measurement instrument was checked with the help of experts in the field.

In this study, the validity of the instruments was preserved ensuring the accuracy of the measurement where each variable’s indicators were extracted solely from the literature of the work of previous researchers in well-established papers.

Data Analysis

Data analysis refers to the process of transforming raw data into refined useful information that can be of use to people. Before settling on a method of data analysis, it is important that a clear data analysis approach be developed. The research can take quantitative, qualitative, or categorical approach. This research took a quantitative approach.

Depending on the type and accuracy needed, data analysis can take a simple descriptive form or a more complex statistical inference. The technique used in the analysis can be univariate analysis, bivariate analysis or multivariate analysis. In selecting the appropriate method, a researcher should ensure that assumptions relating to the method are satisfied⁷.

In analyzing the collected data, the researcher will use appropriate statistical data analysis tools such as descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing quantitative data. In relation to the quantitative analysis, the most commonly used sets of statistics include mean, frequencies, standard deviation, median, and percentages.

The researcher will code and enter the quantitative data into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Using SPSS, the researcher will use cross tabulation to present the information. The tabulation would help give a clear picture of the impact of drug abuse on the psychological health of an individual.

The researcher will also use descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, percentage, and frequencies to describe the properties of the target population. Further, the researcher will use tables, figures, and charts to present the findings of the study. Because the research entails determination of the impact of drug abuse on the emotional wellbeing, there will be some form of comparison.

The comparison will be done on how depression changes the attitudes of individuals. Correlation analysis would be important to make this a success. Therefore, chi-square tests will be used to test the hypotheses. Inferential statistics like chi-square tests help to test whether the observed relationships between the variables are genuine.

The statistical significance level used in the research is 0.05 indicating whether the observed association occurred by chance in 5 out of 100 results. Chi-square is the most widely used measure of association in social science research, being suitable for use on nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio data.

Bibliography

Enemark, Christian. “Farewell to WMD: The Language and Science of Mass Destruction.” Contemporary Security Policy 32.2 (2011): 382-400.

Hakim, Catherine. Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research. London: Routledge, 2000.

Hoffman, Esther. Postgraduate research guidelines. Vanderbijlpark: Vaal Triangle Technikon, 2001.

Holsti, Kalevi. Peace and War: Armed Conflicts and International Order 1648-1989. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Huntington, Samuel. “The Clash of Civilizations.” Foreign Affairs 72.2 (1993): 112-167.

Mearsheimer, John. “Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War.” International Security 15.1 (1990): 37-89.

Morgan, Matthew. “The Origins of the New Terrorism”. Parameters: US Army War College Quarterly 34.1 (2004):29–43.

Steigerwald, David. “The Reclamation of Woodrow Wilson.” Diplomatic History 23.1 (1999): 79-99.

Williams, Phil. “Transnational Criminal Organizations: Strategic Alliances.” The Washington Quarterly 18.1 (1995): 57-72.

Footnotes

¹ Kal Holsti, Peace and War: Armed Conflicts and International Order 1648-1989 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), 67.

² Christian Enemark, “Farewell to WMD: The Language and Science of Mass Destruction,” Contemporary Security Policy 32.2 (2011):390.

³Morgan, Matthew. “The Origins of the New Terrorism”, Parameters: US Army War College Quarterly 341 (2004), 43.

⁴David Steigerwald, “The Reclamation of Woodrow Wilson,” Diplomatic History, 23.1 (1999): 88.

⁵Phil Williams, “Transnational Criminal Organizations: Strategic Alliances,” The Washington Quarterly 18.1 (1995), 70.

⁶ Catherine Hakim, Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research (London: Routledge, 2000), 12.

⁷ Hoffman, Esther. Postgraduate research guidelines. Vanderbijlpark: Vaal Triangle Technikon, 2001.

Introduction

Control of criminal behavior, proper analysis of crimes, and abilities to comprehend society’s demands and incitements to crimes are considered the major issues in criminology. It is inhere to people to commit crimes, become arrested and judged, and be able to response for own actions, ideas, and outcomes. Western culture is the one that may become influential for any race, for any nation, and for any person in committing crimes. The desire to earn more, the necessity to eat and have apartments to live, and finally, the wish to meet own interests, demands, and needs – all this may serve as a possible ground for making crimes, killing people, sexual offences, rape, and other poverty crimes. Asian migration to Unites States and some European countries leads to changes in populations, abilities to get education for people of different races, conditions under which incomes may be equal for each citizen. Organized crimes may happened on absolutely different grounds, and one of them is social discontent and the desire to have more, and Asians have all chances to represent how crimes are started, developed, and finished. It is necessary to have time and abilities to analyze crimes, and in spite of the fact that Asian crime is not as frequent as the crimes of white or black people, the abilities, which are opened for Asians, provide them with a chance to change their rates. This is why it is crucially important to control situation, to remind people about the essence of crime, its causes, and outcomes, and present more or less clear examples, which help to explain the bases of criminology. Asian crime is one of the concepts that are hard to investigate because of racial prejudice, mistrust, and suspicions, which are directed to police, government, and citizens; many Asian people can hardly comprehend that their activities are illegal and they commit crimes, which are prosecuted.

Main Body

Asians and their place on global arena

The place of Asian crime in the world criminology. Asian crime plays a crucial role on global arena, as it adds to the whole picture of criminology in general. The significant feature of Asian crime is that the crimes, which are committed by Asians are traditionally organized, that is prostitution, gambling, violence, or extortion, while American criminology world is focused more on transactional crimes. Referencing to the United Nations’ Center for International Crime Prevention, the organized crime group is defined as “a structured group of three or more persons existing for a period of time acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences… in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit” (in Finckenauer & Chin, 2006, p.22). Having considered the crimes and the crime organizations in such countries as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia, it was concluded that the leading organized crimes in those regions are penetration in the legitimate business, drug production and trafficking, the nexus between organized crime and politics and official corruption, human smuggling and trafficking in women and children. All mentioned problems are significant and both American and Asian authorities consider them as the first consideration in the question of decision the problems, which exist in Asia (Finckenauer & Chin, 2006).

Asian population rates in the society in the comparison with other races. The place of Asian criminology on the global arena may never be analyzed till the end without the consideration of statistical data of Asian society in general from different points of view. Taking the census data by race from 2008, it may be summarized that white race consists of 79,8% of one race and 81,27% are the white race in the combination with other races. Taking black race, the data will be as follows, 12,85% are black race and 13,53% are black people in the combination with other races. Asian race alone consists of 4,46%, and 4,96 are Asian people in combination with one or more other races. Moreover, the number of Asian population in different states of the USA increases from year to year. Looking on the current situation, it may be pointed that California is the place, where the number of Asian population is on the highest level. Taking Hawaii, the rate of Asian population there is highest than native one, 55%. Furthermore, the rate of Asian population in Texas and New York states suffered the highest numerical increase from 2006 to 2007. In addition, 2,9% – is a percentage growth of the Asian population between 2006 and 2007, the highest of any race group during that time period. So, it may be concluded that the number of Asian people in the world increases and the rate of that increase is high. The Asian race is the smallest one for now, and it is impossible for them to be on the first place in the criminal world.

The level of education is one of the main activities of the level of the society from the international perspective. The higher level of education, the higher cultural level of people in the society, and thinking logically, the lower the level of crime should be in such society. Analyzing the level of educated people of white race, black and Asian one, the following conclusions may be provided. The percentage of single race Asians of 25 and older, who received the bachelor’s degree, is 29.8%, and those, who got master’s degree, are 12,4%. Taking the white race population from 25 and older, those, who received bachelor degree, combine 18,1%, while those who received master’s degree, is 6,7%. The lowest rate may be observed in black race statistics, as people under 25, who received bachelor’s degree, are 12,2%, and the master’s degree was received by 4,1% of black population. The current data is collected from 2008. Having analyzed the data, it may be concluded that the level of education is the highest in Asian countries, and the crimes are less, but prejudices, which exist in the world and racial inequality continue to consider Asian nation as one of the most criminal one.

Income level from the perspective of poverty level of different races in the society. Education in the society is closely connected with the income rate of people. The level of income of different nations may be considered through the rate of poverty in different racial communities in the world. According to some data, the poorest people in the society are black race, and this activity increased on 0,2% in 2008 in reference to 2007. After black people Hispanic race comes, whose level of poverty in 2007 was 21,5% and in 2008 became 23,2. White and Asian race is almost on the same level, in 2007 the activities were about 10%, and in 2008 they increased till 11%. The level of education and the level of poverty prove that the criminology of Asian people is on the lower level than in other countries.

Having considered the mentioned data and provided the summary of the investigation, Woo Moo Hurh and Kwang Chung Kim (1989) concluded that the level of Asian achievement is equal to that of whites, but Asians pay a higher price than whites; whites and Asians are equal in the price paid, but Asians achieve less than whites; Asians achieve a higher level of status, but Asians pay disproportionately a higher price than whites, and Asians achieve less than whites, but Asians pay higher a price than whites (Hurh & Kim, 1989, p.520)

So, the theme of racial discrimination or inequality plays the crucial role in the conclusions, which are provided. In spite of the fact that Asian people are more educated, that they have lower level of poverty in their racial community, Asians are still considered as the lower class in the society. The main reason for such injustice is the disbalance between what is got by Asian people and what they pay for it. In addition, Asian people will be considered as the race with the highest level of criminology till the world community will consider them lower than other nationalities in the world.

Globalization, American and Asian Criminology

Globalization and its effects on human lives, future, and criminology. Globalization is probably one of the inevitable processes that touch many spheres of life, for example, religion, society, economy, business, education, or criminology today. As a rule, globalization is influenced by the combination of some political, sociocultural, technological, and economic factors; and in spite of such close connection to different spheres, globalizations may easily conflict with each of them. In order to meet the conditions of globalizations, achieve success, and earn enough for living, the vast majority of people prefer to migrate and change their locations. Challenges, which people face on the cultural field, has a considerable influence on people’s ways of life, ideas of how to earn money, opportunities to demonstrate own abilities, and even steps of how to develop communications. It is also necessary to admit that cultural challenges affect criminology and lead to the increasing of crime rates. Western culture and the peculiarities, which make this very culture remarkable and influential, continues its spreading over the whole world. The investigations by Susanne Karstedt (2001) show that Western cultural impact is still considerable for Asian population and some of Asian forms of control and nature of crimes are under the influence of European, American, and even Australian theories. Asian crimes and misunderstandings, which happen between citizens and law, develop day by day because of the concept of globalization and migration. New experiences, new conditions, and new people with their own demand create strong grounds for problems on the field of criminology. The idea of novelty can be hardly accepted by each citizen in the same necessary way, this is why people are not actually aware of what may be wrong and lead to negative outcomes, arrests, and trials, and what may be good and legal according to the inherent to the certain place law.

In fact, globalization may be considered as both positive and negative issue. On the one hand, people get a chance to use technological progress and make their lives more interesting and easier. Communication may happen on different levels between people, sharing of information becomes faster and more productive, and desirable results may be achieved quicker. On the other hand, people lack for time and space to analyze the outcomes and conditions of globalization can cannot grasp why this or that change happens and why their actions become illegal and wrong under new conditions. Taking into consideration this fact, it is possible to realize that Asian people have to be ready to accept globalization and technological progress and, at the same time, have to respect and comprehend Western culture that has such an effect on Asian life.

American perspective of crimes influences Asian perception of criminology, control, and laws. Nowadays, spreading of Americans all over the world happens sequentially, and today. California is considered to be the state with the highest rates of Asian population. Asians come to America in order to improve own lives and develop their skills, create business, or simply make their dreams come true. America is the major source of Western impact on Asian people that “ignores the rapid modernization of South East Asian societies and Japan during the downward changes of their crime rates” (Karstedt, 2001, p. 287). The problems of racial discrimination, the desire to elevate one nation and decrease the significance of another nations, and the habit to struggle against some kind of inequality – all this is inherent to people, and the American nation is not an exception. Nowadays, the United States of America is one of the rich and successfully developed countries in the whole world with its own traditions, preferences, and interests; and Asians, as a separate race, faces certain challenges to prove their worth and their rights as the whites already have. This desire to prove something and to demonstrate own success make Asians commit crimes, break laws, and be under a threat of numerous arrests. American perspective on the place of Asians becomes more and more suppressive: Chinese Exclusion Act, fights with civic movements, inability of Asian people to work and earn money on the same level as American people can do it, and other obstacles, which deprive Asians of the opportunities to have the same chance for self-realization as white Americans have. In spite of such unfair inequalities in the spheres of education, politics, science, and criminology, Asians are still eager to demonstrate how their knowledge and abilities may be helpful to other people and to this world. American perspective of the analysis of Asian crimes is all about race disparity and minorities’ desire to have more than they already have and to be able to do more than they try to do every day.

Asian crimes and arrests take place because the vast majority of people cannot realize how serious and illegal their actions can be. Development of drug industry, presence of illegal workers, and spreading of sexual workers – all this creates a powerful base for Asian crime development. The report of Chin and Finckenauer (2004) helps to recognize how serious the picture of Asian crimes actually is. First, it was observed that transformation of Asian women from China to other countries is one of the most successful and beneficial businesses for Asians. Weak and beautiful Asian women find it very captivating and easy to earn money by selling own bodies and using their sexuality as the main source of incomes. Some women cannot even comprehend that they commit crimes: all they want to know that their actions cost some money and they have a considerable financial support.

The production of heroin is another activity that brings money and satisfaction to many Asians around the whole world. Thailand and China are regarded as the most popular contributors of qualified heroine and other types of drugs, which are so popular among people of different nations. Amphetamine and methamphetamine are produced by the Asians mostly in Taiwan; and their producers have access to many other countries (America, England, France, Germany, and Canada), where the use of these drugs is sometimes legal, and even it is forbidden, people like to break laws.

Asians crimes are also closely connected to illegal work and preference to use undocumented employees. Asian undocumented workers are a serious point in Asia, United States, and some European countries. Employers try to use any possible means to pay small taxes and earn more money on the work of other people. Some Asians have purposes to earn for more or less comfortable living, eating, and dressing. Some workers can present services for food only or for places of temporary living. This is why people do not appreciate such concepts like moral values, human rights, and humanities, and put money and financial prosperity on the first place. Due to such preferences and money significance, people are blind while committing crimes. And Asian arrests because of breaking numerous laws become more frequent, more unreasonable, and more dangerous. Even if statistics shows that Asians’ rates are lower than of the rate of white and black people, the presence of crimes and arrests is noticeable and plays an important role in general development of society, proper communication, and clear identification of purposes.

Cultural gap and its effect on Asian crime

Transfer of cultures: the effect on crimes. Immigration is one of the main factors, which influences the crime world. The increase of international traveling, the quick exchange of information and other facilities lead to the fact that people are eager to exchange the experience between each other in different spheres of their life and the crime world is no an exception. Having visiting different countries and communicating with different crime authorities in different nations, the cross-cultural exchange occurs and it is impossible for now to say that this or that type of crime is popular in this very country and is not widespread in the other. Of course, it is impossible to avoid the opportunities to provide this or that type of crime in reference to cultural significances, but still the drugs are sold all over the world, the women and children slavery is distributed over the glob and a great deal of other examples may be offered, but at the same time some countries are considered to be dominant in this or that sphere. Susanne Karstedt (2001) underlines two significant features of the cross-cultural transfer, processes of cultural transfer and the stability of cultural patterns in immigrant communities that are related to crime means that migrants bring their own culture to the foreign country and in the situation of immigration, specific cultural patterns might be strengthened even if they are in contrast to the surrounding culture. So, the work of crime is not specified now, the Asian crimes schemes are used worldwide, while in Asian countries criminal organizations use the schemes and techniques, which were created in America or Europe. Moreover, the mutual exchange of both information and criminal products is provided. The examples of criminal products may serve drugs and slavery in the modern world.

Changes Asian people are faced in the reference to crimes. Asian people have always been considered as the most criminal nation, but in fact the level of education and the low level of poverty show different activities. Moreover, looking on the historical perspective, the Asian crime world has undergone the significant changes. Some time ago, the American borders were closed for Chinese people just because their reputation was poor in the relation to criminal activities. Further, the negative relation was also transferred to Japanese, Korean and Filipino. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had allowed for Asian people to visit America, that says about the change of image about Asians in general. The prejudiced attitude to Asian people was changed for more objective one. Professionalization and upward social mobility of young college-educated Chinese and Japanese Americans show that Asian people began to be preserved as separate personalities, paying attention to the personal achievements and traits and consider all according to the behavior of one. But still, due to some prejudices of Asian people to be criminally directed, native-born Asian males earn less than white males under the equivalent condition of investment and in spite of their high education, Asian Americans are repeatedly found to have experienced a great deal of difficulty in getting jobs commensurate with their education (Hurh & Kim, 1989). So, Asian people are considered to be criminal race due to some prejudices, which still remain in the world, but with the official refusal from such prejudices the consideration of Asians as less criminated had not occur.

Efforts to solve cultural gap between Asians and other races. The crime is combated in every country separately, but at the same time there are some international organizations, which are aimed to combat with the crimes all over the world, as well as the communities, which provide the combat with criminal world in some special regions. Taking CACS (The Center for Asian Crime Studies), this center deals with the crimes, which exist in the Asian community, and cope with the criminal organizations, which have Asian origin. The mission of this organization is to organize education and training of professionals, who will consider the criminal world, connected with Asian race. The aim of the center is to reduce the Asian criminology in the world and to create positive consideration of Asian nation in the world. The other organization, which deals with the Asian criminal world, is the Asian Task Force, which directs its efforts on the reduction of domestic violence in the reference to Asian people or committed by Asian people. The mentioned organization primarily serves Asian families and individuals in Boston who suffer from or are at risk of suffering from domestic violence. Their clients include a range of Asian ethnic populations. In addition, there are a lot of other organizations which try not only to reduce the crime rates in the world, but also to show that Asian race is the same as others, and in some characteristics may even be better then others, but the historically provided image of the criminal Asian nation does not allow for Asian people to lead normal life and to avoid the prejudice in their reference. The national government of Asian countries and some other governments in the modern world have understood that it is the time to be free from prejudices and try to judge people according to their real behavior, but not coming out of social opinion about the nation as the whole.

Conclusion

The analysis of Asian crime turns out to be helpful in several perspectives. First, Asians are the group of people with high rates of education, this is why they are open to different possibilities. However, such availability to numerous services and possibilities leads to people’s inability to control own behavior and ability to break the law. If Asians migrate to different countries, they face cultural gaps, which deprive them of the opportunities to take into consideration own interests and skills. This is why to show their abilities and to achieve the necessary goals, Asians commit crimes and undergo arrests. People also have to remember about such issue like responsibility, and if they break law or harm other people, they should be responsible for their actions and think about improvement of their behavior.

Racial inequality should not be the major factor the definition of Asian crime. Usually, the ground for crime are similar to all people, the point is that some groups of people are able to evaluate own behavior and predict negative outcomes to improve situation, and some people cannot even learn on their own mistakes and continue breaking law in order to satisfy personal needs and interests.

Reference List

Finckenauer, J. O. & Chin, K. (2006). Asian Transnational Organized Crime and its Impact on the United States: Developing a Transnational Crime research Agenda. Trends in Organized Crime, 10(2), 18-107.

Hurh, W. M. & Kim, K. C. (1989). The ‘success’ image of Asian Americans: its validity, and its practical and theoretical implications. Ethic and Racial Studies, 12(4), 512-538.

Karstedt, S. (2001). Comparing cultures, comparing crime: Challenges, prospects and problems fro global criminology. Crime Law and Social Change, 36(3), 285-308.

Pattern evidence is one of the physical evidence that can be found in a crime scene. Forensic scientists are at times accused of neglecting pattern evidence, because they view it as being “non scientific.” This type of evidence has proven to be extremely valuable during reconstruction of crimes and the various activities that might have taken place at the crime scene.

Pattern evidence can be used to prove or disapprove alibis of suspects or the version that witnesses tell about a crime. Pattern evidence is usually created when two surfaces come into contact and impressions, imprints, or markings are formed (Saferstein, 2010).

The impressions formed may be as a result of static or stationary contact or from moving objects. Pattern evidence may also be formed as a result of fractures, breaks, or cuttings by objects (Lee, Palmbach, & Miller, 2001).

One of the pattern evidence that can be found in a crime scene is a glass fracture pattern. This type of a pattern will be found in crime scene that has broken glass. This broken glass can help an investigator to reconstruct the crime scene as well as provide information about the things that happened in the crime scene.

As mentioned earlier glass fracture pattern can be used to approve or disapprove the alibi of suspects as well as determining whether the witness is telling the truth or not. Glass fracture patterns will usually be found in crimes scenes that involve burglary, shootings, and fire. The information that can be drawn from studies carried out on glass fracture pattern includes:

• Direction of impact force applied (from inside out or inside in).
• Approximate force of impact.
• Approximate angle of impact of force.
• Determination of the type of glass fracture.
• Determination of the sequence of firing, direction of firing, and the type of firearm for the projectile holes present.
• Estimation of the fire temperatures, direction of fire travel, and the intensity of heat from the melted glass (Lee, Palmbach, & Miller, 2001, p. 298).

Although glass is known to be hard, it is flexible to an extent. The most flexible glass available is the modern day double pane glass. Glass will break when it is forced to move too much and its breakage will be in a predictable manner. Nevertheless, the amorphous characteristic of glass causes it to scatter fragments that are irregularly sized.

There are various types of fractures that can be made on glass, which include radial and concentric (Girard, 2011). When an object smashes or hits a pane of window it causes the surface of glass to compress and this in turn cause predictable fractures or breaks on it. Primary radial fractures are formed by the first compression impacted on the glass.

These are lines that will originate at the crack formed by the impact and will extend outward corresponding to the force applied on the surface of the glass. The lines will also depend on the shape of the glass. Concentric fractures are also known as secondary fractures and are formed on the same side of the initial impact. They form as the glass tries to counter the tension put by the object on the surface.

This type of fracture will usually show as circles around the hole formed on the surface of the glass. When bullets pass or hit glass panes they usually will leave cone shaped holes that follow the line of trajectory(Girard, 2011).

References

Girard, J. (2011). Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime and Terrorism. Sudbury, Mass. : Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Lee, H. C, Palmbach, T. & Miller, M. T. (2001). Henry Lee’s crime scene handbook. Boston : Elsevier Academic Press.

Saferstein, R. (2010). Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall.

A person, material article/ item, organization or occasion that operates as a catalyst for transformation is considered as a change agent. In the following scenario, the neighborhood involved is in dire need of enhanced security due to frequent cases of break-ins as well as increased insecurity. The circumstances below depict me as a change agent for the members of the community, who have not quite been able to organize some sort of defense mechanism to counter the rising insecurity in the neighborhood. The ultimate goal is to achieve total security in the community.

Apparently, countries in the world have been known to present us with new and impulsive antagonistic environments. The world is full of foreign rivals declaring war to the other countries, terrorists within the country declaring war to innocent citizens, open murders and violent crimes among others. The best course of action is to face it head-on. The best way to counteract this in a communal setting is to link up with the other members of the community in creation of safe environments. But the question remains, how can this be done?

Taking a situation whereby members of a particular community are experiencing residential burglary as well as violent crimes; there must be a way in which this can be stopped. This necessitates a change agent to initiate a neighborhood watch program that will deter intruders. A change agent within the community will be a huge milestone in the implementation of a neighborhood watch program. Change agents as well as other community members are charged with apprehending and reporting criminals to the necessary authority. Therefore, to counteract criminal activities within a community, one has to consider first the residents of the region (Beaufort-Moore, 2009, p. 119).

As a change agent I will have to first of all take the responsibility of sending messages to all the criminals to stop their unusual activities before the law takes its course on their side. There is need to call for a meeting where I will encourage the community members to be on the lookout for any strange activities taking place. This can be termed as neighborhood watch. A neighborhood watch necessitates working jointly in protection of children, property and threatening activities, improving the quality of life by stripping away fear after averting crimes and provision of safety among the community members (Clair, 2002, p. 107).

First of all, I will have to begin by contacting the local enforcement within the community if they have already incorporated the Neighborhood Watch Program within their system. If not, I will have to offer myself to not only initiate the program but also increase its awareness.

This will be followed by running background inspections in the houses of the neighbors. This can only be done after asking for permission from the local law enforcement. However, if time is a limiting factor, then individuals have to carry out limited background checks online. I will then have to walk from one home to the next with any other community member, introducing myself to the community members. Talking to them and also getting to know them will also be of great importance.

Informing them that I am a change agent who is concerned with the community’s security and safety will act as a leeway to my agenda. I will have to clarify to the community members how Neighborhood Watch has successfully reduced the rates of crimes in other communities. This will be followed by an invitation to a Neighborhood Watch meeting where there will be a demonstration of how the members of the community can work jointly with a common aspiration of offering protection to not only children but also property. As Leicht (2011) observed, this will be demonstrated through the fight against both criminals and terrorists. The available funds will have to be incorporated in the preparation family datasheets to monitor vehicle movements, suspect and vehicle description sheet to be used when crimes are being reported, neighborhood watch map and phone trees.

Being a member of public with no special exposure to significant information on criminal activities, the rates of crimes within the community may be unknown to me. This will be taken care of by the law enforcement as they will have to give me the statistics on the rates of crime within the community.

While facilitating a neighborhood watch program, one will have to ascertain the key staff by focusing on their dedication and tasks that match with their talents. The level of dedication should be gauged as one walks while discussing with the community members. I will have to encourage them to participate and inquire over their abilities.

I would recommend the Neighborhood Watch Program strategy whenever one wants to reduce crimes within the community since the activity does not consume a lot of time. The program is suited for its purpose as it aims at improving the quality of life and freeing the community members from terrorism threats. This program has been attested to avert the rates of terrorism and crimes. Neighborhood Watch ensures documentation, monitoring and reporting of any unusual and suspicious activity.

References

Beaufort-Moore, D. (2009). Crime scene management: Blackstone’s practical policing. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Clair, J. (2002). Crime laboratory management. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Leicht, L. H. (2011). Exploring social change: America and the world. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Our world is full of different captivating things, which may entertain, disappoint, make us happier or sadder, and just fulfill our existence. Of course, it is impossible to say that our life is all about good things only. There are so many negative issues, which turn out to be an integral part of this life, and we should not forget about them. Peer pressure, alienation, teenage gangs – all these are the components of one word with huge meaning, all these issues are about crime. What is a crime? Who or what may perfectly define crime and present a clear explanation? Is it possible to fight against crime and improve this society? The answers to these and many other questions I want to give in this paper. Lots of writers have already tried to introduce a more or less clear explanations of crime, define its nature, clear up what anti-social behavior means, and find out the types of crime; with the help of examples connected to peer pressure, sociological positivism, teenage gangs, and so on, we will try to present a clear picture of what crime is all about and whether it is possible to prevent crime.

Many theorists admit that not only criminologists should be able to define crime; those people, who study or just try to comprehend and prevent all those outcomes of crime, should be also able to realize what crime may count. (Henry & Lanier 2001) This is why our discussion should be started with a clear definition of crime and its major components. For example, in their book Crime, Bancroft and Darrow define it as “an act forbidden by the law of the land, and one which is considered sufficiently serious to warrant providing penalties for its commission.” (Bancroft & Darrow 2007) After we get a clear explanation, it is high time to think about the nature or crime that is closely connected to the causes of crime and offenders’ characteristics. These and many other characteristics “show a pattern of crime consistent with the recreational patterns of youth and inconsistent with the vocational patterns of adults…they show that accessibility increases the risk of potential victims.” (Gottfredson & Hirchi 1990) These authors argue concerning criminal behavior, make a wonderful attempt to explore the nature of the crime, and choose the best conceptions only for their General Theory of Crime.

As crime is considered to be a kind of violation of settled rules, it is necessary to mention the influence of deviance and other kinds of anti-social behavior. Deviant behavior is considered to be those actions, which violate certain cultural and even social norms. For example, deviant behavior may be caused by peer pressure, when the members of one group try to persuade another person to take some illegal steps and break the law. When a person is affected by his/her peer, it is hard to clear up his/her own intentions and find out the causes of crime. Taking drugs, smoking, and rapping are considered to be the cruelest outcomes, to my mind. Also, because of peer pressure, people may get married, have children, and create families at a young age that may also be a strong reason to commit a crime.

It is also necessary to admit that anti-social behavior plays a very important role in the sphere of criminology. In his researches, Millie admits that “ASB has a significant impact on the lives of a minority of people in Britain, particularly in areas of social deprivation and inner cities.” (Millie et al. 2005) So, peer pressure and teenage gangs are considered to be good examples of anti-social behavior that leads to numerous crimes and other negative outcomes. Teenage gangs are such groups of people, usually at the age of 12 till 17, who prefer to gather in order to violate the norms and commit crimes. The purposes of the creation of such groups are quite different: to make money, to find drugs, to rape, or even to murder. The major point is that such teenage gangs may appear everywhere. For example, the case when a member of one gang was attacked by several members of another gang and a teen gang member was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (Jackman 2004) Or the case, when 12-year-old members of one gang conducted numerous robberies, also deserves certain attention. These teenagers were sentenced to 40 years in prison. “Young men have been responsible for over £800,000 being stolen. That is extraordinary.” (Telegraph 2009) With the help of such examples, it is quite clear that the reasons for crimes may be rather different, and it is impossible to predict who will be next to commit this or that crime. Collective crimes are rather frequent in our society, unfortunately, not each member of a gang may be punished, and, usually, only a few people may suffer. In order to prevent any kind of law violation or collective crime, it is better to concentrate children’s attention on the consequences of any crime and motivate them to participate in some activities with a lower levels of criminology. Some children may suffer from social alienation, this is why they can join numerous teenage gangs in order to find themselves and be worth this world.

When we concentrate on the ideas of criminality, we cannot but take into consideration the ideas of social positivism that is all about different external factors like wealth, class, social status. With time, social positivism became one of the most significant theories of crime, developed in America. Social positivism does not pay any attention to human choice and creativity; human activity is not that meaningful as lots of people think. This is why social positivism usually creates certain limitations of the scope of agency within crime causation. “Social positivism is imbued with a sense of the objective, the mechanical and the instantaneous.” (Walklate 2007)

Without any doubt, there are so many negative issues that may force someone to take some unpredictable steps and breaks the law. Labeling theory is one of those theories that concentrate on human behavior and various influence from other people’s sides. “Label theory represented a shift toward the study of the effects of negative labels such as ‘troublemaker’, ‘delinquent’, ‘drug user’, ‘criminal’, and so forth.” (Finley 2007)

Is it possible to comprehend the essence of crime? Of course, it is! In order to realize what the components of crime are, it is better to focus on real-life examples and investigate what cause children to start their criminal career. Analysis of labeling theory, evaluation of teenage gangs, and thorough attention to outside pressure – all this will help to explain the essence of crime and find out its weak and strong points and prepare the future generations to overcome criminal cases and negative outcomes.

Reference List

1. Bancroft, E. & Darrow, C 2007, Crime. BiblioBazaar.
2. Finley, LL 2007, Encyclopedia of Juvenile Violence. Greenwood Publishing Group.
3. Einstadter, WJ & Henry, S 2006, Criminological Theory: An Analysis of Its Underlying Assumptions. Rowman & Littlefield.
4. Gottfredson, MR & Hirchi, T 1990, A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press.
5. Henry, S & Lanier, M 2001, What Is Crime?: Controversies over the Nature of Crime and What to Do about It. Rowman & Littlefield.
6. Jackman, T 2004, ‘Teen gang Member Gets 15 Years in Machete Attack’, Washington Post, p.B05.
7. Lott, JR 2000, More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws. University of Chicago Press.
8. Millie, A, Jacobson, J, & Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2005, Anti-Social Behaviour Strategies: Finding a Balance. The Policy Press.
9. Telegraph 2009, Teenage Gang Robbed £1 Million in Series of ‘Sophisticated’ Raids. Web.
10. Walklate, S 2007, Understanding Criminology: Current Theoretical Debates. McGraw-Hill International.

The Edward Norris case is very essential for business people given the various crucial lessons it has. To begin with, the case puts forward various strategies that have been used to combat crime in Baltimore. From the case study, it has been proofed that not all the strategies that are implemented by somebody can work.

While the commissioner of Baltimore Police Department (BPD) had been trying to come up with the best ways of addressing the rising criminal activities in the area, crime was on the rise. There had to be a change not only of policies, but also of the people involved in implementation of these policies in order to mitigate criminal activities.

On the same note, the case study explicitly outlines the security situation in Baltimore. It should be noted that security is key for every business person.

People want their property to be safe. Moreover, nobody can feel safe and confident to work in a place where it is highly likely to be killed by criminals. The case study outlines clearly the security situation of Baltimore and how the police department is tackling the issues. Arguably, investors and even customers tend to shy away from a place that has high crime rates.

Notably, the case study provides a very candid picture regarding the state of affairs in Baltimore. The economic ability of the residents is depicted as being poor. This is supported by the facts like high unemployment rates, high poverty rates and the housing problem.

This information is quite crucial for business people who depend on it in making decisions on whether to invest in the area or not. The purchasing power of the residents of an area is a crucial determinant when one makes investment decisions.

The case study also brings forward the dilemma that Norris faces when he is making a decision on whether to accept the invitation to join Baltimore police department or not. As a matter of fact, Norris not only considers his experience but also other factors including the culture of people at Baltimore as well as his family needs.

This is crucial to business people since it informs them that every issue must be considered when making any decision. To many people, the culture of BPD might not have been crucial when making a decision regarding the invitation. However, Norris considers every detail so as to make an informed decision.

Regarding whether Norris should take up the job or not, there is more to consider. Firstly, Norris has been used to an organized police department where everybody is committed to succeeding in his or her duties. However, at Baltimore police are demoralized and disdainful of their work. People just work because they have no other thing to do having joined the department.

Secondly, while at New York where Norris works the police work in collaboration with one another for the success of the department, this is not the case at BPD. At BDP the police work individually and they show open hatred to one another. This is shown when Norris sees a police officer kicking down a reserved parking sign belonging to another police officer.

It is also important to note that Norris has been used to working in an environment where they are well paid and where equipment is not a problem. As a result, there are very low crime rates in New York.

On the contrary, BDP is severely ill-equipped. They have no surveillance equipment. The vehicles they use are also dilapidated. The crux of the matter is, however, the fact that the police of Baltimore are poorly paid.

Nevertheless, Norris has stayed at his current place of work for a very long period of time. During this period, he has helped in reducing crime rates sharply in New York. Therefore, he has a lot of experience that can be very crucial in enhancing security at Baltimore.

Moreover, after doing a round trip of Baltimore, Norris is able to outline all the problems facing the BPD which are hindering their success in curbing crime rates. This shows that he has gained a lot of experience in the security department during his 20 year career as a police officer. He is also a person who does not hesitate to share his mind. This is the person that BPD requires for the post.

He has also been keen on working with highly educated police officers at New York. Fortunately, BPD has highly trained and educated officers who just need good management to work at their optimum.

Norris can easily achieve this. Additionally, Norris has discovered that he can easily advance himself economically in Baltimore than in New York. Due to this reasons, Norris should accept the invitation. He needs a change of environment.

If I was the one offered the position, there are many things that I would have changed at BPD. To begin with, police officers are demoralized. It is important to note that demoralized staff cannot in anyway be productive at work. This is the most likely reason why police department is unable to curb the rising rates of crime.

Therefore, I will organize for a session to get feedback from all officers on what they do not like about their work. This will enable me to know how to increase their morale of work. Nevertheless, it has been pointed out that the police officers at Baltimore are not ready to embrace change.

They are particularly annoyed by the fact that the deputy chief will be coming from outside Baltimore. I will therefore find ways of managing the change process by involving them in the change so as to avoid rubbing shoulders with them.

Arguably, one cannot work well without the required equipment even when they are ready to work. People in any organization will be discouraged when they realize that their work is made difficult due to lack of necessary equipment.

As a result, I will strive to get the necessary equipment to enhance service delivery. This can be achieved by cooperating with the new Mayor who has already shown his willingness to help.

There needs to be a culture of self responsibility among the BPD staff. It has been noted that the police officers at Baltimore will take ages before responding to a distress call by the residents. This not only sends a bad picture to the residents who will in turn refuse cooperating with the police, but also encourages criminals who will know that they can safely commit crimes.

By encouraging police officers to take personal responsibility of their duty, I will be able to make them more active in the event of distress calls. This will increase the speed of response to crime scenes and thus help in curbing crime. On the same note, it will send positive messages to residents. Police and residents need to work together since security can be enhanced through combined efforts.

The society today is full of criminal activities. When one watches the news over the radio or television or reading newspapers, one of the most common reports is a case where one or a group has committed a crime.

Social scientists have come out to try and find out some of the possible causes of crime in society. People hate crime. A criminal would be furious when he or she realizes that one has acted criminally against him or her.

The biggest question that comes out, therefore, is, if people hate crime that much, why have criminal activities happening almost on a daily basis. Social scientists have come out with theories trying to explain the possible genesis of crime in society.

According to Campbell (119), crime is more common in an urban setting than it is in rural set-ups. It would be interesting to know why this is so. The researchers have been trying to explain why crime would be more common in an urban setting than in rural-like regions.

The motivation of an individual to commit a crime depends on various factors. It is interesting to know why the motivational factors to committing crime are more common in town settings than it is in rural areas.

Altman (95) laments that life in some urban centers has become unbearable due to increased cases of crime.

According to this scholar, the reason behind this increased crime is unemployment among the youth that leads to boredom. This scholar says that boredom is one of the major motivators of crime.

According to Campbell (129) the society can only be safe when motivators to crime are eliminated or reduced to a minimum level. It may not be possible to eliminate all possible cases of crime. However, it is possible to have a society where crime is reduced to a bare minimum.

For this to be possible, causes of crime must be identified so that they may be addressed. If crime is an alternative to play, how can the society address the issue to ensure that this is solved? These are some of the questions that various stakeholders are grappling with.

The rate of committing crime is so high in urban areas to the extent that in some countries, the government has come up with mechanisms to help in regulating such cases through community policing.

Cases have been reported where people living together kill one other, steal from each other, engage in illegal businesses, and commit other crimes. In many countries, politicians have been reported to incite people to rise against one another to the extent of killing their opponents.

Street gangs, pick pocketing and the practice of illegal activities are very common in urban centers. Developing countries face several crimes, which are committed in urban centers.

The rise of this vice in the urban setting is serious to the extent that in some countries, people live like prisoners in their own country, but in the real sense, they are free citizens.

Day light robbery cases are common in urban settings. Rape cases are on the increase in urban centers. Generally, people in urban settings encounter serious challenges due to the rise in the rates of crime.

Relationship between Play and Crimes

According to Atkinson (68), play is a very important activity that helps regulate crime. According to this scholar, most youths involve in criminal activities because they have a lot of time doing nothing.

Youths are very active, and their energy should always be tapped in a positive way in order to make them not use the energy negatively.

When they engage in games, they get to use their energy positively, and by the time they are through with their games, they are always too tired to participate in any other demanding activity.

The time that they would have spent committing a crime would be spent in the fields or resting after heavy activity. According to Paynich (48), play helps in reducing crime, especially among the youth. When one lacks something to do, one may easily be swayed to engage in criminal activities.

This is because of the nature of the mind. The mind acts as a special machine that is always in action. When this mind is not engaged in activities that bring positive change to society, then it can easily engage in criminal activities. Boredom should be avoided at every stage in life (Cools 89).

This is because it is always an alternative to such positive activities such as plays or other positive activities.

Relationship between Boredom and Crime

According to Joseph (67), boredom may encourage an individual to commit a crime, depending on the extent. Although some argue that boredom sometimes makes one more innovative, it mainly leads to trouble and crime.

This is because a boring environment always makes a person’s mind battle with what to do in order to change the environment. People with good morals may opt to read storybooks or do any other constructive activity when bored.

Those with bad morals will automatically think of doing a bad thing. According to Roberts (94), poor living conditions have a strong link to crimes. Poverty results to frustration due to failure by an individual to get the necessities that encourage good living.

Continuous frustration may create a boring life, which forces an individual to engage in illegal activities, such as burglary in order to satisfy his or her needs. In many countries, teenagers admit that they engage in crime because they lack something to do.

Delgado (78), in his literature, strongly argued that boredom, especially in youths, is a great threat to a country. Therefore, there is a need to create jobs for the young people in order to avoid vices that come because of bored.

Conclusion

Crime is a concern that many societies are struggling to find its solution. Various members of the society have been making concerted effort to counter criminal activities in places they stay, especially in the urban centers.

Cases of women and young girls being raped are now common in urban centers. As shown in the above discussion, there has been a consistent increase in crime at a proportionate level with the increase of unemployment.

Youths move to the cities hoping that they will find employment opportunities. When they realize that such opportunities are hard to come by, they opt to engage in criminal activities, either to earn a living or to demonstrate their frustration.

It is true that boredom has some relationships with crimes. However, the choice of an individual to engage in a crime depends on his or her personality.

A morally upright person, if bored, may choose to sleep, go for a football match, or engage in any other creative activity that brings some value to the society.

At some point, every person experiences boredom. Regardless of the degree of boredom, it is not ethically right for one to commit a crime to solve the situation.

Works Cited

Altman, Irwin. Environment and Culture. New York: Plenum, 1990. Print.

Atkinson, Michael. Tribal Play: Subcultural Journeys through Sport. Bingley: JAI Press, 2008. Print.

Campbell, Lindsay. Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being through Urban Landscapes. Newtown Square: USDA Forest Service, 2011. Print.

Cools, Marc. Safety, Societal Problems and Citizens’ Perceptions: New Empirical Data, Theories, and Analyses. Antwerpen: Maklu Uitgevers, 2010. Print.

Delgado, Melvin. Social Work Practice in Nontraditional Urban Settings. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.

Joseph, Lawrence. Crime, Communities, and Public Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1995. Print.

Paynich, Rebecca. Fundamentals of Crime Mapping. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2009. Print.

Roberts, Albert. Social Work in Juvenile and Criminal Justice Settings. Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 2007. Print.

Articlesbase. (2008). White collar and its effect on consumers. Articlesbase. Web.

This article discusses the effects of white collar crime. It shows that white collar crimes have far-reaching effects to consumers. For instance, when crimes are committed by political and state officials, consumers are denied access to variety of quality goods. The article gives the effects of white collar crimes in different areas of the economy. For example, the article gives data of cost of white collar crime in health and overall cost of living. Finally, this article explains in detail challenges of political and government officials to adopt new strategies to fight white collar crimes.

Brenner, C. (2009). What exactly is a white collar crime and how are they defended? HG.org. Web.

This article discusses white collar crimes in the perspective of the court. The article starts by defining white collar crime in legal terms. The article further explains how white collar crime can be identified and how it can be represented in court. It also identifies white collar crime as crime committed by professions and individuals in influential positions. This article explains in depth the conspiracy of politicians and state officials in these crimes.

Hochstetler, A. & Shover, N. (2006). Choosing white-collar crime. New York: Cambridge University Press.

This book explains why white collar crime is on the growth while blue collar crimes are decreasing. The books make use of rational- choice theory to explain the growth in white collar crimes. It postulate that people choose to commit white collar crimes due to the low risk of being caught and high returns from this crime. The author proposes more severe punishment for those who commit white collar crimes.

Israel, J. (2003). White collar crime: law and practice. New York: Thomson.

The author relates white collar crimes to legal issues. The book expounds on the long procedure needed in order to prove white collar crime in a court of law. From the book one is able to see the importance of mitigation rather than proving occurrence of the crimes in court.

Johnston, R. (2002). The battle against white-collar crime. BNET. Web.

The author addresses the fight against white collar crimes in the country. From the article, one is able to see the struggle to control white collar crimes in the country. The article give conspiracy between white collar criminals with politicians and some state officials as one of hindrance to success in fighting white collar crimes.

Reid, S. (2003). Crime Criminology. New York: McGraw.

This book gives the nature and trend of crimes in our society. The author addresses the nature of crimes in the past and compares it to nature of crimes in the society today. The author emphasize on the need for change in strategies for fighting crimes as crime change from blue collar crimes to white collar crimes.

Sunderland, R. (1961). White-collar crime. New York: Rinehart and Winston.

The author in this book explains whit collar crime as it was understood in 1950. The book gives a good background to white collar crimes. From this book, the definition of white collar crime according to Sunderland is given.

Weisburd, D. & Schlegel, K. (1994). White-collar crime Reconsidered. Lebanon: UPNE.

The book is in four major parts that address the nature of white collar crimes. The first part deals with definition and explanation of white collar crimes. The author then addresses the nature of white collar crimes in the society; conspiracy, victimization and legal issues that result from these crimes.

Wickman, P. & Dailey, T. (1982). White-collar and economic crime: multidisciplinary and cross-national perspectives. New York: Lexington Books.

The authors view white collar crimes and other economic crimes in a social perspective. The author addresses white collar crimes in various parts of the country and compares the nature of the crimes across different areas. The book also addresses the social effects of white collar crimes in the society.

Meier, R. (1884). Major forms of crime. New York: Sage Publications.

The author addresses the different forms of crime in the society including organized crime, economic crimes, government crime and white collar crime. The difference between these forms of crimes in clearly stated. Crimes have taken different forms over different period of time.

Reference List

Articlesbase. (2008). White collar and its effect on consumers. Articlesbase. Web.

Brenner, C. (2009). What Exactly is a white collar crime and how are they defended? HG.org. Web.

Hochstetler, A. & Shover, N. (2006). Choosing white-collar crime. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Israel, J. (2003). White collar crime: law and practice. New York: Thomson.

Johnston, R. (2002). The battle against white-collar crime. BNET. Web.

Meier, R. (1884). major forms of crime. New York: Sage Publications.

Reid, S. (2003). Crime Criminology. New York: McGraw.

Sunderland, R. (1961). White-collar crime. New York: Rinehart and Winston.

Weisburd, D. & Schlegel, K. (1994). White-collar crime Reconsidered. Lebanon: UPNE.

Wickman, P. & Dailey, T. (1982). White-collar and economic crime: multidisciplinary and cross-national perspectives. New York: Lexington Books.

Analytical writing gives concise and informative details that make readers understand the intended message very easily. It involves an analysis of firsthand information into concise and succinct conclusions for the targeted audiences to comprehend easily without any undue confusion. “Crime analysis writing is effective when it incorporates the elements of good writing, including sufficient supporting details, clear purpose, logical organization, communicating a sense of completeness, and demonstrating an understanding of technique and style” (Bookover, 2004, p. 12).

Customization of the information to suit diverse kinds of audiences is imperative to enhance effective communication in the field of crime analysis. In the crime alert website, the logical organization of the wanted criminals and the missing persons in a limited space attracts the attention of the viewers as described ineffective crime analysis and presentation chapter readings.

The crime alert website is informative because it gives concise details that do not cloud the minds of the readers. The crime website is overwhelming because if many people can log onto it in every part of the world, they could aid the Federal Bureau of Investigation in tracing the suspects and the missing persons. In some instances, the images of the suspects or the missing persons are not available thus compels the police to draw their images.

References

Bookover, B. (2004). Effective Crime Analysis Writing. Chapter Readings, 1-15.