Crime Control in the United States of America



Abstract

This paper looks into the sentencing aspect of the criminal justice system and tries to understand if they help in deterring crime.

Crime control policy in the United States of America

Introduction

Crime is currently one of the most concerning global issue. Crime which can be classified as any action that involves breaking the law or rules established by the legislature which can lead to the conviction of a criminal who may be imprisoned or sent on probation, rehabilitation or in the worst case death penalty. Even though crime is an international concerning phenomenon, for this research paper the focus will remain of Crimes in the United States of America (Gendreau, 1999).

There has been an increase in the number of criminal occurrences in America since the past few years and people have demanded stricter policies and government interventions for the purpose of reducing criminal activities and the government and the criminal justice system have implemented a number of correctional policies and it is highly apparent from the crime rates that the policies need to be revised and reforms need to be brought in order to control the growing crime concerns. According to Saad, there has been a plunged in the number of violent crimes in the United States, however crime includes many other aspects then violent crimes and that is a matter of concern for many people (Saad, 2007).

Table 1 Crime Trends in the United States of America (Saad, 2011)

It is quite apparent from the diagram that the perception that crime is decreasing is a myth and criminal activities still dominantly lurk in our society. For this research paper we will be assessing the Crime Control Policy of Sentencing mentioned in the book, Crime Control in America: What works? By Worrall, John, L.

Discussion

Crime was at its peak in the United States in the 1970's and eventually declined, however it again soared in 1980'es and since then has faced and on and off decline and incline. Only recently after terrorism came into the picture that people became growingly concerned regarding their safety.

Crime control and prevention

Crime is undoubtedly a huge issue and crime is inevitable, there has never been any society from crime and no matter how severe the consequences may be people will still pursue committing crime the current crime control system in the United States specifies how the criminal justice system is being managed in the country, how the police force is effectively controlling crime but keeping wrong doers in jail, law enforcement has the primary role of ensuring that criminals are imprisoned and trialed, the court ensures that convicts are trialed with justice and they decide the fate of the convicts. Lastly the institutions are the prisons, detention centers, rehabilitation centers that ensure that criminals are taught to respect law, the correctional facilities also aim at reducing crime by providing correctional facilities to the convicts.

Types of Crimes

The United States faces a number of crimes which include:

Drug crimes: Crimes involved in the use, ...