Diversity in Criminal Justice - Essay Example

Furthermore, the analysis will consider the classes that are “at risk” within society; alongside a discussion of why. Additionally, the paper will analyze typical community perceptions of law enforcement; with a discussion of what classes are most likely to engage law enforcement and why. Lastly, the analysis will reference factors of recidivism, poverty, alienation, and collective efficacy (Yamatani & Spjeldnes, 2011). Through such an analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader can gain a more informed understanding concerning the importance and relevance of considerations of diversity in criminal justice theory and application.

Firstly, the concept of an individual being a product of their environment is drawn from the sociological influences that an individual faces within a unique spatial or cultural setting. Within such an understanding, those individuals that are exposed to especially difficult situations, whether this be poverty or high crime rates, will likely gravitate towards these as an understanding of the way in which life is supposed to be defined. By comparison and contrast, an individual that is from a more affluent environment will generally seek to further this experience within their own lives; seeing it as an acceptable status quo; in an almost identical way to the manner through which those that grow up within a poorer or more crime ridden environment will gradually accept this as a reasonable expectation for how life should be defined.

Further, an individual that lives within an urban environment is much more likely to be experience extreme levels of poverty. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that almost all forms of government housing have been constructed near the urban centers; as a means of encouraging these individuals to find jobs and better themselves through immediate access to the city’s center;