Essay on Understanding Crime Prevention in USA

Executive Summary

Crime prevention is an important duty for the federal government of United States of America. The government works in collaboration with various players in order to prevent crime. This paper defines crime prevention, provides an overview on the criminal justice system of the country. It further illustrates different institutions and their contributions to crime prevention.

Introduction

Crime prevention according to the United States of America Justice System refers to an attempt to deter criminals and crimes from occurring. One can further define it as an activity of the government of the people of America in preventing crime. There are different approaches to the prevention of crimes in United States of America. Various aspects influence this divergent view on crime prevention. Aspects like religion, enforcement laws and other political influences may force the criminal justice system to transform its strategies in crime prevention. Criminologists in the Justice system play an important role in crime detection and prevention. These individuals need to be in handling different crime scenarios.

Their contributions in the criminal justice system assist in the creation of action plans, enhance collection of data on violence and crime, promote primary prevention measures and strengthen responses to victims of violence. The criminal justice system’s mandate through its staff assist in the integration of educational and social policies, which assist in promoting social and gender aspect in the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system on the other hand collaborates with international bodies such as the world health organization, Audit commissions and the Human Rights bodies (Welsh, Farrington, & Sherman, 2001). Such collaboration ensures that crime prevention mechanism in the country complies with international standards and human rights needs. International collaboration also assists in tackling international crime syndicates. For example, the country will effectively handle international drug related offences in cases where there is international collaboration.

Crime prevention in the United States of America is the function of the federal government. However, due to the huge volume of criminal activities in the country, the federal government saw the need to distribute its role. Therefore, municipalities now have the authority to detect, prevent and develop strategies in collaboration with the criminal justice system. This decentralization of task has made municipalities develop and organize their own strategies in crime prevention.

This strategy by the criminal judicial system has tremendous benefits in crime prevention. It is obviously easy for mayors in these municipalities to detect crime and institute strategies among different groups than would foreigners to these municipalities. The criminal justice system in the United States of America, works with the help of various bodies in preventing crime. These bodies include the C.I.A, F.B.I, police and municipal police force. Although for efficiency in crime, prevention these teams need to work with communities, schools, socials services and religious groups.

Programs, Institutions and Practices in Crime Preventions

Crime prevention is a daily task that involves various institutions. These practices involve all groups of the society. A program on crime prevention in the country will not be effective without the assistance of social players, employers, family members and institutional leaders. Policies agencies that include politicians and technocrats at the criminal justice department have a role in crime prevention. Therefore, programs and policies on crime prevention need to include various institutions and players in the society. However, procedures in attainment of these goals need careful considerations for it to be a success. In the country, most of these programs get funds through public donations. Therefore, accountability is essential in ensuring that these programs assist in crime prevention (Welsh et al 2001).

Communities

Communities have an important role in crime prevention. These communities range from small villages to urban estates. The physical and social setting of such communities varies. Community programs constitute programs of crime prevention of their neighborhood. Neighborhood watches might be one of their strategies an example would be the CAPs strategy that has tremendous rate of success in Chicago. Some communities in the country have influential church programs. Such church programs assist law enforcers in preventing crimes. Churches have an influence in preventing drug related crime through their counseling programs and educational programs for the youth (Sullivan & Tifft, 2001).. Studies reveal that crime prevention strategies work effectively in those communities that need them the least. Crime prevention programs in communities include mentoring, training and censorship programs. Such programs assist in prevention of drug related crimes and benefit families.

Schools

Schools as institutions for learning have a duty in crime prevention in the society. School programs targeted at crime prevention acts a buffer in reducing crime risks. Schools do mould individuals for future endeavors this is therefore the most important institution in crime prevention. In the United States of America, various programs on crime prevention take root in classrooms. However, this is not the case for many schools. There has been growing discontent in response to different crime prevention programs in schools. Scholar attributes this outcome on a breakdown in classroom programs. These programs in schools are unrelated to academic learning thus they do not receive serious attention from students and teachers alike, as it would have been. These programs include reduction of aggression among students, risk of drug abuse and gun related crimes (Sullivan & Tifft, 2001). Results from studies, reveal that crime prevention strategies in schools are responsible for developing social adaptation and thinking skills of students. Such efforts move towards reducing substance abuse and other crime factors.

References

Welsh, B., Farrington, D. P., & Sherman, L. W. (Eds.). (2001) Costs and benefits of preventing crime. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Sullivan, D., & Tifft, L. (2001). Restorative justice: Healing the foundations of our everyday lives (p. 8). Monsey, NY: Willow Tree Press.