Baltimore: Poverty, Drug Markets, & CCP to Restore Good - Essay Sample

Introduction

Baltimore is the biggest town in Maryland State, with a populace size of approximately 700,000. In this city, around 22% of the population is living in poverty, whereby approximately 44% of households have an annual earning that is less than $35000 (Roth & Kelling, 2004). Urban neighborhoods in this city are characterized by high levels of drug markets, crime, and abandoned houses. However, the city has adopted a Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) in an attempt to restore the good image of the city through crime prevention, order restoration, and improving the life quality in the urban areas (Stoker et al., 2015). The CCP has collaborated with the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA) and the Law Center (CLC) to ensure that Baltimore and its urban neighborhoods are safe for the citizens.

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The Positive Aspects of the Collaborative Initiative

Generally, the collaboration of the CLC CPHA and CCP is meant to create a joint task force whose mission is community restoration, which is intended to reduce the level of criminal activities in the urban centers. The three bodies in Baltimore city focus on deterring illegal activities by rebuilding the "run-down" buildings, engaging the community, educating and sensitizing the youths as well as developing local leadership through community policing (Stoker et al., 2015).

The collaboration incorporates both criminal and non-criminal justice programs in an attempt to its objectives. The youth program adopted by the partnership created many opportunities for youth to engage in other than involving themselves with criminal activities. Secondly, community policing put more officers in the city to reduce crimes by arresting those found committing crimes (Roth & Kelling, 2004). The Neighborhood Design Center was tasked with the responsibility of running designs and renovations for structures throughout the city. The Community Law Center played a huge role in providing affordable legal services for communities with low incomes. Through the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA), the collaboration helped the communities in fixing their organizations and neighborhoods to improve on the living conditions.

The Less Essential to the Initiative

Though the Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) and its core partners aimed at bettering the community by building better housing and eradicating crimes, some of the initiatives adopted did not sufficiently contribute to the attainment of the intended objective. One of the less essential initiative to the great mission in the Baltimore case is the Community Law Center (CLC). Though the CLC was crucial in offering legal assistance, it did not match with the overall objective of the collaboration (Roth & Kelling, 2004). The CLC did not play an essential role in the eradication of crime and restoration of the Baltimore community. The initiative was only involved in legal actions as opposed to field operations that included ensuring a crime-free society. Mainly, the CLC only came into action after the property was recovered, thus proving less relevant.

The Essential Criminal Justice Entity in the Collaboration

The Baltimore Police Department was the most important body in enhancing the success of the collaboration. The police department pioneered many security programs within the city. Additionally, the department had more than fifty officers in different locations to patrol and ensure a quick response to any emerging criminal activities. The police department also created their task force to drive drug sellers and buyers out of the neighborhood. The police department maximized on planning efficiency and problem evaluations to ensure that community policing was as effective as possible.

The police conducted long hours of policing, an element that saw an increase of drug and other crimes by 75 % and 35% for respectively between 1994 and 1995 (Roth & Kelling, 2004). Again robbery cases in the city also reduced by thirteen percent while murder cases reduced by thirteen percent. The police department in the city introduced the "zero tolerance" concept to curb order violations and delinquencies (Stoker et al., 2015). The measure was quite effective as it gave pressure to the criminals who were found no chance to engage in unlawful activities. The efforts to combat crime by the Baltimore Police made the communities develop trust in the law enforcement for the change and peace they brought.

NON-Criminal Justice Initiative

One non-criminal initiative that would have enhanced the triumph of the collaboration is counseling programs for the juveniles. The counseling program would have been so crucial in mentoring children to follow the right path by not involving themselves in criminality (Chalfin & McCrary, 2017). The creation of the juvenile department would be so effective in applying the crime deterrence theory to children in the city by showing teenagers the consequences they would face if they followed the wrong path.

The department would serve as an eye-opener and help the young generation in making wise choices to avoid facing the criminal justice system. Assisting children to follow the right path would go a long way into shaping morality in the Baltimore community, therefore, creating a better future (Chalfin & McCrary, 2017). Counseling would play a critical role in the deterrence theory as it addresses and solves mental issues relating to criminality.

References

Chalfin, A., & McCrary, J. (2017). Criminal deterrence: A review of the literature. Journal of Economic Literature, 55(1), 5-48.

Roth, J. A. & Kelling, G. L. (2004). Baltimore's Comprehensive Communities Program: A Case Study. Report prepared for the National Institute of Justice. NCJRS document, 204627. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/204627.pdf

Stoker, R. P., Stone, C. N., Worgs, D., Stone, C. N., & Stoker, R. (2015). Neighborhood policy in Baltimore: The postindustrial turn. Urban neighborhoods in a new era: Revitalization politics in the postindustrial city, 50-80.