Crime Theory Essay

This paper purpose is to identify and discuss three findings from the Brennan Center for Justice Report, and three criminological theories that either support or reject how the theory effect crime rates. The Brennan report discusses the analysis of crimes rates and variables that causes the decline in crime and crime trends. The three findings discussed in this essay are incarceration, policing programs, and the decrease in lead in gasoline.

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The United States has high incarceration rates, and the rate is steadily growing (Weiss & Mackenzie, 2010). The assumption that those who commit crimes will eventually commit more crimes in the future, so it is the belief that by incarcerating criminals for long periods can reduce crime rates (Weiss & Mackenzie, 2010). However, the Brennan Center for Justice reports has shown that while incarceration rates go up the crime rates in the United States has declined. The group of theories that rejects the findings that incarceration of those who commit a crime for long periods of time leads to a decline in crime rates is deterrence theory, social control theory, and self-control theory. Deterrence theory, basically states that the punishment for the crime should deter one from committing a crime, but studies show that it does not deter incarceration rates (Akers, 1990). Social Control theory, does not support the policies passed that incarcerates individuals for an extended time, more prisons or to increase police presence to reduce crime rates. However, does promote creating strong bonds between people and society. Self-Control Theory is when an individual act out physically on impulse because of their attitudes and other behaviours whether or not they will commit crimes out of gratification to commit crimes (Cullen, Unnever, Wright, & Beaver, 2008).

Policymakers desire to control the national crime rates, spurred crime control initiatives that lead to an increase in the employment of police officers (Browning, Dirlam, & Boettner, 2016). The presence of more cops on the streets was part of the effort to get tough on crime, all crime. The Brennan report depicted that having policing programs like the CompStat plus additional police force in areas known for the crime would cause it to decline. The CompStat program identified hotbeds for crime by analysis of crime rates in those areas and determining the height of crime in them. The data-based program would inform the police force of the areas to focus. As a result of deployment of police force in such areas, the criminal activities would cease thus reducing crime rates generally. This claim supported by criminological theories are social disorganisation theory and the broken windows theory. The social disorganisation theory claimed that the disorganisation in communities led to break down of social controls, thus leading to uprise in crime in such places. However, the policing programs in the 21st century have reorganised the communities so much so that the social controls have been regained. Therefore the reduction in crime can be attributed to the rise of these policing programs and the increased deployment of police force in crime hotbeds (Bursik, Jr., 1988). The differential association theory depicts that crime is learned through association with antisocial peers. Associating with criminal definitions led to repeated criminal behaviour which would, in turn, lead to chronic criminal cases. With the existence of a criminal subculture, many individuals can learn to commit a crime in specific criminal hotbeds thus increasing crime rate in these areas. However, with the adoption of policing programs like the CompStat such repetition of crime in one area would not be possible as the program would detect and notify authorities of upcoming hotbeds. The deployment of authorities in these hotbeds would, therefore, reduce crime rates (Skogan, 1997).

The final discussion is a decrease of lead in gasoline. The Clean Air Act policy was enacted to clean lead from gasoline for healthy and clean air. Studies have shown the lead in gasoline released dangerous toxins into the air and the environment; the exposure of these toxins caused developmental problems in children, cognitive delays, and low IQ scores (McMenamin, Hiller, Shigekawa, Melander, & Shimkhada, 2018). The removal of lead from gasoline has boosted the economic worth of gasoline. As a result, the economy has grown positively thus reducing the possibility of crime rates. From the Brennan report, economic, social and environmental factors led to the reduction in crime. The report claimed that consumer confidence and inflation reduced crime rates significantly. With the removal of lead from gasoline, consumer confidence would stabilise and hence help reduce crime. The criminology theories that support this claim is the general strain theory. In this theory, individuals experience to strain when they cannot achieve their success goals. As a result, they respond to the strain by committing a crime. Since the strain can be linked to blockage of success goals, the removal of lead from gasoline has improved the efficiency of gasoline in the market today. As a result, the economy has stabilised thus reducing the strain that could be felt by individuals who would have resorted to criminal actions (McMenamin, Hiller, Shigekawa, Melander, & Shimkhada, 2018). By doing so, the stability in the economy is what has led to a reduction in crime in the 21st century.

References

Akers, R. L. (1990). Criminology: Rational Choice, Deterrence, and Social Learning Theory in Criminology: The Path Not Taken. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology., 81(5), 653-676.

Browning, C. R., Dirlam, J., & Boettner, B. (2016). From Heterogeneity to Concentration: Latino Immigrant Neighborhoods and Collective Efficacy Perceptions in Los Angeles and Chicago. Social Forces, 95(2), 779-807.

Bursik, Jr., R. J. (1988). Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency: Problems and prospects. Criminology, 26(4), 519-551.

Cullen, F. T., Unnever, J. D., Wright, J. P., & Beaver, K. M. (2008). "Parenting and Self-Control." In Erich Goode (ed.). Out of Control: Assessing the General Theory of Crime, 61-74.

McMenamin, S. B., Hiller, S. P., Shigekawa, E., Melander, T., & Shimkhada, R. (2018). Universal Lead Screening Requirement: A California Case Study. American Journal Of Public Health, 108(3), 355-357. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304239

Skogan, W. G. (1997). Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities. The American Journal Of Sociology, 2, 510.

Weiss, D. B., & Mackenzie, D. L. (2010). A Global Perspective on Incarceration: How an International Focus Can Help the United States Reconsider Its Incarceration Rates. Victims & Offenders, 5(3), 268-282. doi:10.1080/15564886.2010.485910519-552.