Analyzing Crime on Aggravated Assault - Statistics Project Example

Aggravated assault is a heavy violence crime with the intentional causing of serious bodily harm or the intentional attempt or threat of serious bodily injury or death. It includes aggravated battery, attempted murder and ritual mutilation. This essay deals with analyzing crime statistics on aggravated assault gathered in recent decade and its most troubling part, i.e. cases of aggravated assault among juveniles. The results found with this essay show that while proper functioning of a police has a positive impact on overall index crime rate decreased in 1990s, current policies implemented by Chicago Public Schools have a sever negative impact on crime rate among juveniles.

More importantly, it is argued that zero-tolerance policy of CPS is direct schoolhouse-to-jailhouse leading way for youth. Medill News Service has reported on January 12, 2005 about a prosecution of a 17-year-old West Town youth for the brutal assault of 43-year-old motorist Shelley Lescester as he was parking his car. "'This is the first step in a long process,' Emily Leuin [sssistant state's attorney] said after the hearing, referring to similar cases dealing with a crime that qualifies a juvenile to be tried as an adult" (Bloustein, 2005).

Recent increase of crime rate in Chicago, including aggravated assault, especially amongst juveniles has become a serious issue for the city council. Tracking back the history of crime rate in the past decade one can see a troubling trend emerging. In 1998 Chicago saw an unprecedented decrease of crime. From 1990 to 1998 index crimes including murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson have fallen significantly from 350,000 to 250,000 per year.

"We saw this trend emerge in 1992, and except for 1994, when we saw a fractional increase, the trend has been positive ever since" said Terrance W. Gainer, Illinois State Police Director (Illinois State Police, 1998). Statistics from the same press release shows 5.9 per cent reduction in aggravated assaults. This was a decrease reported for the fifth time in six years, which definitely reflected in higher satisfaction with the police work. However later years were worrying indeed. In 2001 rate of aggravated assaults committed in Illinois was about 50,000, including 25,500 of crimes that occurred in Chicago.

Overall increase was induced by a severe rise of crime committed by juveniles. The research by Illinois Violence Prevention Authority held in 2001 has found that 21% of Chicago students had carried a weapon (gun, knife, or club) during the past month; and nearly 41% of them were in a physical fight during the year 2000 (IVPA, 2001). Police reports disclose that students are often arrested and charged with "aggravated assault," which requires use of a weapon. This weapon is often nothing more than a student's bare hands and feet.

Many juvenile public defenders of Chicago found that the number of school-based referrals to juvenile court has increased significantly over the past five years, especially for schoolyard fights. The reason of such troubling increases partially lies within the harsh zero-tolerance policies held by Chicago Public Schools. Meant to impact positively on public safety, these policies have an opposite effect instead. "CPS has aggressively ignited a schoolhouse-to-jailhouse track that is ravaging this generation of youths.

CPS's failure to provide reliable school discipline data gives rise to concern that the impact of this track is even more alarming than it appears" (Advancement Project, 2005, p. 31). Doubled with the annual number of suspensions from 1994 to 2003, Chicago Public Schools has developed a reputation for routinely using a more drastic and devastating measure for typical misbehavior-expulsion. While law enforcement and juvenile court system works hard to spare youth from the devastation of crime track, it appears that CPS is doing the hindering job with its zero-tolerance policies, promoting further criminalization and racial intolerability.

Current situation with aggravated assaults committed by juveniles in Chicago requires great attention from the authorities to be regulated. Arrests in Chicago public schools occur upon determination that the conduct at issue constitutes a criminal act. Often it is a stretch to characterize the acts of these students as criminal; however, school officials may instigate an arrest. Chicago Public Schools' use of zero tolerance and school arrests is ruining the lives of many Chicago youths. These practices not only place the opportunity to learn in grave jeopardy, they also put youths at risk of incarceration, negatively influencing on both youth and society.

References Advancement Project. 2005. A Tale of Three School Districts: Chicago, IL. Retrieved June 5, 2005 from http://www.advancementproject.org/reports/EOLchicago.pdf Bloustein, J. 2005. "Youth To Be Tried For Car Theft, Battery". Medill News Service, January 12, 2005. Retrieved June 5, 2005 from http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2005/01/carjack_a_juven.html Illinois State Police. 1998. Press Release on Statewide Serious Crime. April 26, 1998. Retrieved June 5, 2005 from http://www.isp.state.il.us/media/pressdetails.

cfmID=66 IVPA. 2001. Illinois Violence Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 5, 2005 from http://www.ivpa.org/factsheets/illinoisviolence.html