Comparison of Two Crime Reduction Strategies - Coursework Example

Comparison of two crime reduction strategies Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Background 5 Presentation of option 7 Better policing 7 Introducing Broken window policy 8 Compstat 8 Role of education 8 Requirements 9 Cost 9 Effective Legislation 9 Effectiveness 9 Comparison of options 9 Policing 10 Effective control through education 10 Conclusion 11 Recommendation 12 List of References 13 Executive Summary Crimes like robbery, rape, murders, drug, and other violent assaults are common in the United States. These crimes are causing huge damage to the government’s efficiency. They are draining away a huge budget towards security measure that would otherwise be spent on public welfare of the society. Crimes also cause bad name for the society and to the country as a whole. Though the crime rate plummeted since 90s, it is on exorbitant rise since 2008. According to the website, the data was based on crimes which included murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto-thefts and arsons. Except for murder and auto-theft, all other crimes have been on rise since 2008-2009. There are various methods to control or reduce crimes in a society. All of them employ specific techniques and methods that have differences in its costs and effectiveness. Police reform and education are important strategies to curb the menace of high crime rate. Education has a big role in preventing crimes but it is not effective to curb ongoing crimes. Awareness and education takes long time to effect on the society therefore, it alone cannot affect the high crime rate in New York City. Policing is another tool which includes various strategies, such as community policing, ‘Broken windows’, and Problem-oriented policing etc and these are costly but effective in reducing the crime rate. Hence, this report found that improved policing is effective in tackling crime rates. Comparison of two crime reduction strategies Introduction Crimes are social evils that are committed in every society and in the United States of America the situation is not an exception. Crimes take $428 billion each year in United States of America (Lenhardt, 2006). Crimes like robbery, rape, murders, drug, and other violent assaults are common in United States. These crimes are causing huge damage to the government’s efficiency. They are draining away a huge budget towards security measure that would otherwise be spent on public welfare of the society. Crimes also cause bad name for the society and to the country as a whole. Reduction in crime would create great benefit that otherwise are spent on fighting with crimes. The reduction in crimes would create savings for American citizens as individuals, property owners, and taxpayers. Data shows that murder, rape, assault and robbery cost over $42 billion as direct cost in U.S.A during the year 2010. Crimes of violence also inflict pains and suffering of people who are victimized in such accidents. Furthermore, crimes push people to live a reduced quality life, reduce investments and property values. Efforts of reduction in crimes would only be successful if pragmatic strategies are developed and applied. There are various methods to control or reduce crimes in a society. All of them employ specific techniques and methods that have differences in its costs and effectiveness. Improved policing and control through education and awareness are important ways to reduce controls. These two strategies are practiced worldwide in order to curb menace of crime. This report will also compare and contrast about the effectiveness of the two strategies with respect to the New York City. Background Overall in United States more than 20,000 incidents of homicides occur. The huge figure is enough to impose emergency if killed by single disease in the U.S. However, the rate of crimes is on sheer fall in United States. For the last 20 years, rate for violent crimes is on constant fall. During the years 1960 to 1990, crime rates within U.S.A increase at an alarming rate. During that period murder rate increased by two folds, rape and robbery incidents increased quadrupled and also assaults rate increased by five times. Since, than rates of all of the above mentioned crimes dropped down by at least 50 per cent. For this study, I have selected New York City to check the feasibility of the two strategies i.e., improved policing and using education and awareness as possible strategies to plummet the crime rate in the city. According to city-data.com, the U.S. national average for crimes is 298.7. However, New York had a higher value of 256.1. Though the crime rate plummeted since 90s, it is on exorbitant rise since 2008. According to the website, the data was based on crimes which included murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto-thefts and arsons. Except for murder and auto-theft, all other crimes have been on rise since 2008-2009. For example, assaults were recorded in 27,295 in 2007, which dropped to 24,831 in 2008. After then the rate went on to 26,457, 27,309, 29,829, and 31,211 for the years of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In the same fashion, data for rapes shows that the rate dropped down to 875 in the year 2007 but after that it again rouses to 1162 in 2012. The number of sex offenders is high in New York i.e., 3,376 registered sex offenders. The ratio of number of residents to that of sex offenders are 2,469 to 1. However, the ratio is less than overall New York State’s sex offenders to population ratio. The data also shows that New York is more dangerous city than its neighboring cities except Jersey City. The crime rate of neighboring cities of Hoboken (187.1), Union city (198.5), West New York (192.2), Guttenberg (161), Fairview (121.2), Secaucus (125.5), Cliffside Park (83.2) are lesser than New York (256.1). Only Jersey City is ranked higher in crimes with crime rate of 331.1. The violent crime rate for the New York City i.e., 343.3 remained higher than the national average of 214.0. However, Property crime rate in New York that is 133.2 is lower than the national average of 266.5 (City data, 2015). Source: Data retrieved from Presentation of option There are many strategies that can be employed to reduce crimes in New York City (Cordner, 2010). Better policing It includes presence of Polices in the community. Community safety office is a typical example of this strategy. Furthermore, police improvement requires increase in human and financial resources with increasing population, use of latest technology in crime prevention, reporting and responding and developing benchmarking and performance indicators (Trujillo, 2015). Introducing Broken window policy It is also called zero tolerance policing (Greene, 1999), which focuses on the strict enforcement of law against minor and offenses (also called quality of life offenses). Its effectiveness is much debated, however, it is believed that ‘Broken window policy’ had a vital role in reducing crimes rate during 1990’s (Bration & Kelling, 2015). Compstat Compstat is a specific strategy that was implemented during 1990s. However, it become rapidly common to many polices around the world. Compstat analyze and produce maps and statistics using computer data related to crimes, arrests and quality of life. The Compstat system is build for accountability and strategic problem solving. The system provides up to date crime data to the New York Police Department managers and harmonize the whole process in order to achieve crime-reduction goal (Jang, 2008). It is based on four principles; accurate and timely intelligence, rapid deployment of personnel and resources, using effective tactics to face the threat, and most importantly follow up and assessment. Role of education Education plays vital role in reducing crimes. It enhances chances of income resources. Education increases cost of crime and time, making it more difficult for educated individual to commit. Education has direct effect of inculcation of morality and rationality that enables individuals to abstain from committing crimes. Requirements Keeping following points in mind employs these strategies. Cost Cost is one of the main reasons for the suitability of any strategy. Those strategies are considered more appropriate and pragmatic that is low cost but high efficient. Measure taken to reduce crimes consumes huge amounts of public money. New strategies are required to reduce financial expenditure on policing in the city (Levitt, 2004). Effective Legislation Reduction in crime requires back up from appropriate and effective legislation. Legislation declares legality of matter involving crimes and determines the most appropriate way to handle such situation. Legislator support provides suffice human and financial resource to reduce crimes in a society. It also sets the limits for the law enforcement agencies to tackle the threat effectively (Silverman, 1999). Effectiveness The effective strategy involves tackling the crime to produce the most effective result. The effectiveness depends upon the cost and the time taken from implication of the strategy to the control of the threat. In order to reduce crimes in lesser time span, it is necessary to use a strategy that quickly responds the crimes and take the perpetrator to the punishment. Effectiveness of the strategy also includes the low expectation of similar crimes. Comparison of options There are two proposed strategies, which are deemed as appropriate with the social and legal requirement in order to reduce or eliminate crimes in the city of New York. Policing The Police department has effective strength in terms of human and material resources. The police department also has a huge budget for the policing of the State. Policing include better, well equipped as well as manageable. The challenges to NYPD include modernized terrorist threats, lack of effective coordination, and lack of resources. NYPD and other security agencies are demanding to increase their financial resources from the State and local government to meet enhanced security requirements at border areas, key assets, airports and seaport as well as for critical infrastructure. For the two years before World trade center attack on 9/11 an average of $200, 00 was approved for small-scaled operation named Operation Bravo. However, the amount dedicated preventive anti-terrorism operation swelled up to $32 million, which accounts for nearly half of the total unplanned events spending. Furthermore, the NYPD is dependent on the federal assistance of $200 million annual tab subway security as well as for ‘Operation Atlas’ (Eckert, 2007). Policing and tackling with crimes needs modernization of police department. New York is facing the world worse threat of global terrorism and that needs latest technology and resources to counter them. It is also necessary to increase police personnel within the city and should be up dated with the changing demographics. Effective policing also draws huge amount of funds required for training, equipment, weaponry, and transportation (Andresone, 2014). All these are necessary to effective fight crime threat within a city. Concept of community policing is also important for close collaboration with the local people (Palmiotto, 2000). Effective control through education Researchers have shown that education has considerable effect on criminal decisions. Schooling or early education increases wage rates and therefore, inevitably the costs of crime increase. Furthermore, punishment becomes more costly for educated individual than the others. The stigma of crimes is less likely to bear by educated individuals of a community. Researches further disclose that education enhance patience and cause aversion from the crimes. Education can also act through psychological satisfaction, which does not allow individuals to commit crimes. Education engages people into positive activities from early childhood therefore, they less likely to diverge into criminal path. Therefore, these arguments suggest that individual’s education may reduce chances to become involved in criminal acts. Furthermore, education has direct implications on overall rationality and morality, which inculcate students to abhor and avert crimes. Education particularly trainings would provide educated individuals with more chances of getting an appropriate livelihood, thus blocking the way to crimes for financial reasons. Though, these effects are not direct but have huge influence on the society (Nichols, 2010). This strategy of education and training needs little extra investment on crime reduction. However, it is lengthy process, which may produce delayed result. Furthermore, it is more a preventive measure of future rather than reduction measure of current crime rate. Even after its implementation, it takes a long time to see the outcome, whether it had worked or not? This is not permissible in internal security matters. Though it is considered successful in most of the society and ordinary education system have some elements of anti-crime propaganda. Due to its delayed result and lack of effectiveness, it is not preferred over police improvement (Behrman & Stacey, 1997). Conclusion Police reform and education are important strategies, which are applied worldwide to reduce crime. Education and awareness are important part of all police strategies and can never be ignored. However, education strategy is a supplement to policing. Though this involves very little financial resources, it is effective in controlling the future generations from crimes. Improved policing includes various strategies, such as community policing, ‘Broken windows’, and Problem-oriented policing etc. These strategies are costly but they guarantee the immediate security of the people within the New York City (Shaw, 2005). Recommendation 1. The containment of crime is a process for which it is recommended to focus on the following points. 2. Improvement in policing by community police, increasing well trained personnel, better equipment, and incentives etc. 3. Conduct researches to determine nature of crime and the suitability of strategies to tackle with the existing crimes. 4. Ardent campaign for Education and awareness is needed to aware the people about the crimes and to get their trust. 5. Effective identification of environmental design (CPTED) and its implementation 6. An early childhood and youth intervention programs to divert youth towards positive healthful activities. List of References Andresone, M..A., 2014. Environmental Criminology: Evolution, Theory, and Practice. London: Routledge. Behrman, J..R. & Stacey, N., 1997. The social benefits of education. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Bration, W..J. & Kelling, G..L., 2015. why we need broken windows policing. [Online] Available at: http://www.city-journal.org/2015/25_1_broken-windows-policing.html . City data, 2015. New York crime rate. [Online] Available at: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-New-York-New-York.html . Cordner, G., 2010. Reducing Fear of Crime: strategies for police. Kutztown,m Pennsylvania: US department of justice. Eckert, R.T., 2007. NYPD: past and present. [Online] Available at: http://www.communitypolicing.com/nypd-past-and-present/ . Greene, J.A., 1999. Zero tolerance: a case study of police policies and practices in NY. Crime and deliquency, 45(2), p.171. Jang, H., 2008. Evaluation of Compstat Policing strategy using broken windows enforcement in two texas police departments. Huntsville: Houston state university. Levitt, S.D., 2004. Understanding why crime fell in 1990s. JOurnal of economic perspectives, 18(1), pp.163-90. Lenhardt, A.E., 2006. The Economics of Prevention: Reducing Costs and Crime. [Online] Available at: http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=928&issue_id=72006 . Nichols, G., 2010. Sport and Crime Reduction: The Role of Sports in Tackling Youth Crime. London: Routledge. Palmiotto, M., 2000. Community Policing: A policing strategy for the 21st century. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Silverman, E..B.., 1999. NYPD battles crime: innovative strategies in policing. New Hampshire: UPNE. Shaw, M., 2005. Urban Crime Prevention and Youth at Risk: Compendium of Promising Strategies and Programmes from Around the World. NY: Un habitat. Trujillo, J., 2015. There are lies, Damn lies and then theres community policing. [Online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josmar-trujillo/there-are-lies-damn-lies-community-policing_b_6811788.html . Read More