Essay Example on Plunging Crime Rates in U.S.: Urban Revival & Neighborhood Stabilization

After many years of soaring crime rates in the United States, the levels of crime plunged dramatically since the 1990s. The decline in rates of violent criminal activities is one of the most remarkable trends over recent years. Due to the decline, urban revival has helped in the stabilization of neighborhoods to make them safer places to live. Violent crimes began to rise in the U.S. in the 1960s. The rate remained extremely high up to the early 1990s when violent crimes started to decline. The reduction in criminal cases came about as a result of the transformation of city spaces (Lacey & Soskice, 2015). At the time when crime rates were high, most of the urban neighborhoods were abandoned. However, at the beginning of the 1990s, a bunch of actors came together to help transform urban neighborhoods. One of those actors was the police.

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Law enforcement agencies undertook their tasks to deal with violent crimes like drug violence and trafficking more effectively. They began to use data about the areas in which the police ought to be stationed based on the issues of violent crimes arising from particular regions within the U.S. The crack epidemic of open-air drug markets was the primary source of violent crimes in the country. The law enforcers began to shut down those markets, thereby leading to significant declines in violent criminal acts (Adelman, Reid, Markle, Weiss, & Jaret, 2017). Other changes that might have served crucial in reducing the cases of those crimes include the expansion of security forces in the private sector. In essence, private firms started hiring and recruiting private security guards. Home-owners also began installing alarms and camera systems in their homes to curb any forms of violence (Adelman et al. 2017). The local residents, as well as organizations, took the initiative to systematically and comprehensively mobilize their communities against violence. As such, the decline largely emanated from the transformation of urban spaces in the U.S. and the changes that have occurred since the 1990s, which form the basis of this paper.

Since crime rates began to decline in the United States in the early 1990s, violent crimes have plummeted by about 51 percent, while property crimes have declined by roughly 43 percent (Sharkey & Torrats-Espinosa, 2017). The declines brought about a range of theories regarding whatever might have caused it. With the expansion of law enforcement, many criminals are being put in prison. The case may seem intuitive, but as the incarceration rates are on the rise, it has been evident that the crime rates have been falling. In essence, this occurs as the law enforcers lock up most criminals who commit crimes on the streets (Lacey & Soskice, 2015). Additionally, the number of police on the streets increases substantially. As such, it becomes easier for law enforcers to respond to criminal activities and consequently apprehend criminals. When the police are visibly patrolling, they help in the prevention of violent crime as they deter wrongdoers. Hiring many police officers has boosted the fight against violent crime.

In the 1990s, New York City put in place various policing reforms to enhance the reduction of crimes. One of those reforms was known as broken-windows policing. It focused on offenses about the quality of life to ensure that the neighborhoods were safe and deter other people from engaging in serious criminal acts (Sharkey & Torrats-Espinosa, 2017). As a result, there was a precipitous decline in crime. The reform ensured that the crimes were managed more precisely in the urban settings where it mostly occurred. However, one would only tell that the policing work by seeing it up close.

Moreover, the police have ensured a significant improvement in policing. In the 1990s, a system used to track criminal activities known as CompStat became popular. The system led to a data-driven form of policing, and the cities that implemented it realized vital results. It is associated with a detailed collection of data on the trends of crimes (Lofstrom & Raphael, 2016). The process of collecting data is paired with a system of management in which meetings are organized to discuss particular information, as well as trends concerning crimes.

Various divisions are in place to incorporate new tactics that would help in addressing the crime as they arise. The police are charged with the responsibility to ensure that the rates of crime are kept low. In the U.S., the system is still used in police departments, and most police executives consider it effective in dealing with violent crimes (Sharkey & Torrats-Espinosa, 2017). Another reform is that of hot-spot policing in which the police do not focus on individuals but rather show their presence and visibility in areas where criminal activities would likely occur, thereby equipping them with adequate empirical support.

Through community policing, the focus is on partnering with the members of the community before laws are enforced against individuals. Based on this, positive outcomes are realized in trying to deal with violent crimes (Lofstrom & Raphael, 2016). In the U.S., gun laws and regulations have become more permissive. For instance, robbers may think that the people they intend to rob possess a gun and would likely shoot them hence would avoid the robbery (Adelman et al. 2017). In the mid-1990s, many gun laws were passed that allowed gun licensing and possession. The right to possess guns has led to a substantial decrease in violent crimes. Another essential aspect to consider in the decline of violent crimes is that of economic improvements.

Ideally, the lack of jobs may make most people resort to criminal indulgences as the most profitable opportunities. An increase in unemployment leads to increases in crimes. Therefore, there is a positive correlation between high levels of crime and inflation rates. With an increase in income, crime tends to reduce as the economy improves, and people feel such improvements. Consumer confidence also increases in society (Lacey & Soskice, 2015). Wealthier persons in American society and mobility of immigrants have brought many employment opportunities in the neighborhoods, which promote economic prosperity. The immigrants have not pushed older residents out of their areas but rather integrated into an accommodative and a prosperous environment in which they can undertake their activities efficiently. The poor did not move to regions with economic hardships that would expose them to violent criminal activities. Places that have been segregated based on race and economic prosperity have many problems related to crime.

Due to technological advances such as the introduction of the Internet, video games, as well as cellphones, most people keep indoors to entertain themselves. These advances have taken juveniles off the streets in which they mostly engage in crimes. When people do not hang out in most cases, the potential of indulging in unwanted activities is eliminated as they stay at home. In such cases, it may be evident that these technologies have contributed to the decline in violent acts (Lofstrom & Raphael, 2016). However, violent games may serve as a substitute in that individual involved in the games would avoid acting in reality. The advancements in technology have also ensured that some of the illegal activities are safer, thereby avoiding encounters that may emanate to violent crimes. For example, drug users can contact their drug dealers and meet with them in safe areas hence avoiding open-air drug markets that may be dangerous.

Concisely, the number of people who use cash has decreased significantly. In cases where criminals see other people with cash, they are more likely to attempt to rob them than when they carry credit cards. Cash is difficult to trace as opposed to credit cards that one can cut off through phone calls. In the U.S., people use less cash than in the previous decades when crime rates were high (Sharkey & Torrats-Espinosa, 2017). In the contemporary world, most of them use credit, debit cards, as well as other forms of electronic payments. These lead to higher drops in crime in comparison to individuals who are still stuck with cash. The electronic payments have come into use due to innovations and technological advancements.

The consumption of alcohol has decreased since the 1990s. Usually, alcohol abuse is correlated with criminal acts. In essence, most criminals in prison are found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time when they commit crimes (Adelman et al. 2017). The consumption and sale of crack had also reduced as opposed to the 1980s when it was high hence fuelling crime. Crack is cheap and easy to sell, which makes it more destructive. The network between individuals who sell the drug and the gangs engaged in crime expand when they interact (Lofstrom & Raphael, 2016). Nevertheless, most gangs have recognized the need to avoid shootings as they cause more adverse outcomes than benefits. They understand that the police would come to the neighborhoods upon hearing of particular criminal activities and may be forced to engage in shooting, which makes the gangs to avoid violence as it interferes with happiness. If a given member of a gang is part of the shooting, then their business is interrupted and would make it difficult for them to accomplish their intentions.

Conclusion

In the U.S., violent crimes have declined almost everywhere based on long-term outcomes since the 1990s. These include urban, rural, as well as suburban areas. There has been a shift in the outlook of suburbs and population proportions living in those areas. Local violence always occupies the minds of children, even if it may not interfere with their levels of intelligence. In this way, it depicts the interplay between criminal behavior, poverty and violence, and the range of effects they may have as one grows in dangerous neighborhoods. High rates of violent crimes in the U.S. before the 1990s was not only limited to the perpetrators but rather reverberated around the whole community. In such a way, it undermined the community. However, with the tremendous decline, the U.S. has been able to realize economic prosperity, and most individuals engage in more constructive tasks than previously when they were involved in crimes.

References

Adelman, R., Reid, L. W., Markle, G., Weiss, S., & Jaret, C. (2017). Urban crime rates and the changing face of immigration: Evidence across four decades. Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice, 15(1), 52-77. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/15377938.2016.1261057

Lacey, N., & Soskice, D. (2015). Crime, punishment and segregation in the United States: The paradox of local democracy. Punishment & Society, 17(4), 454-481. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1462474515604042

Lofstrom, M., & Raphael, S. (2016). Crime, the criminal justice system, and socioeconomic inequality. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(2), 103-26. Retrieved from https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.30.2.103

Sharkey, P., & Torrats-Espinosa, G. (2017). The effect of violent crime on economic mobility. Journal of Urban Economics, 102, 22-33. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2017.07.001