Solving The Problem Of Crime And Criminal Justice System In Developed Nations: An Essay.

In many of the developed countries throughout the world, the most notable example being the USA, the issue of crime and crime prevention has been steadily increasing regardless of economic growth. The cost to these nations and society as a whole is becoming increasingly unsustainable, with the financial cost in countries like Australia reaching into the billions and in the case of the USA spiralling into the trillions, on an annual basis. The causes surrounding this issue are far-reaching and complex, with many governments and communities displaying as inability to adequately adapt system, beliefs, traditions and culture to deal with this situation.

“our approach to this crime problem for more than two decades has been the mass incarceration of millions of Americans and the industrializing of our criminal justice system. Over the last 25 years, the prison population has quadrupled. This is a race to the bottom and a waste of human capital. A prosperous country cannot remain so by the following this path”. (by The pew Centre)

What is the best way for developed nations to solve the problem of crime and the criminal justice system in terms of not only economic cost but also the negative social impacts as well?

Problem

Crime refers to such an act which breaches the laws and regulations which have been laid down through the statutes and which attract punishments and penalties under the law. Criminal justice system is such a system where the practices are undertaken by the institutions of government so as to mitigate and even deter the crimes, and where the ones who violate the laws are awarded criminal penalties, and in cases, rehabilitation efforts of the criminals are undertaken (Tonry, 2011).

In the developed nations, in the recent decades, a trend is being seen where the crime is rising and the criminal justice system is failing in preventing the steadily rising crime. The prime example of this is visible in the rising prison population in the US. And if such is continued, the developed nations would not be able enjoy their esteemed status for long (Currie, 2013).

In the following parts, an attempt has been made to discover the best possible manner, in which this problem associated with crime and criminal justice system, can be resolved, has been evaluated. This is not just with regards to the economic costs associated with this problem, but to also deal with the negative social impact which has been caused.

The problem of crime and the failing efforts of the criminal justice system in rehabilitating the criminals have resulted in high costs for the governments of the developed nations. Due to the rising number of criminals in the prisons of the developed nations, the costs have gone up. Not only the criminals have to be provided the basis amenities, like food, shelter, medicines and the like, steps have to be done for their rehabilitation. These are not as easy to come by, especially in financial terms (Neubauer and Fradella, 2015).

The costs and benefits, along with the consequences of the criminal justice policies have to be evaluated for doing the economic analysis (Kearney, 2014). Between the drug rates of 1980 and 2014, there has been a 90% growth. The state prison rates have increased by more than 125% since 1984. The incarceration rate has seen a growth of 220% since 1980 till 2014. Owing to the rise in the incarceration rates, a decline of 39% has been noticed in the violent crime rates and the property crime rates have fallen by 52% (Council of Economic Advisors, 2016).

Even though the crime rates have declined in the recent time, the benefit of eliminating the crime existing presently is quite extensive and it totals to hundreds of billions of dollars per year. The benefits of bringing down the crime include reduced quality of life, the indirect costs of fear, pain and suffering, the damages to property, the loss of life, the medical costs. Expanding the resources of police has shown to bring down the crime but the same results in costs of using the resources of police. The real expenditure with regards to the criminal justice system totals above $270 billion, in other words it is $870 per capita and this amount has grown by more than 70% in the last two decades (Council of Economic Advisors, 2016). The figures are equally high for Canada (Department of Justice, 2008).

Solving the Problem

The crime is not only associated with high costs but also creates a negative impact over the society. Even in the developed nations like UK and US, the crime rates are quite high (IAS, 2017). And the prison population shows the failed criminal justice system and also creates a negated impact over the society. This is because the majority of prison population is filled with ethnic groups. So, Hispanics, Africans, Asians and such other groups form the majority of prison population. USA is particularly famous for its bias towards the black people and a common perception is that the black people are the prime target when it comes to being arrested without a genuine cause. So, the individuals belonging to such ethnic groups form an opinion which is not favorable towards the criminal justice system. This also is the reason why lesser number of ethnic groups prefers to indulge in police services (Gaines and Miller, 2016).

Crime not only has an impact over the victims, but over the non-victims too. A crime not only impacts the economic productivity, but the communities have to bear the loss too (Encyclopedia, 2017). The community has to bear the costs as the victim has to miss the work, which could translate into a loss of retail sales. Further, the tourism is affected in nations where the crime rates are high, even when they are developed nations (Law, 2017). The traumatic impact of the crime over the friends and acquaintances of the victim are also an issue of concern. The psychological impact is such in such cases, that again costs have to be incurred to deal with such negated impact of the crime (Whittaker-Augustine, 2013).

Even though the solution to this problem is well known, its proper implementation is what stops the solving of the problem. This solution is of education. If the education in the developed nations can be further improved, the crime rates could be brought down. Through education, the people are not educated about the laws and the proper conduct which has to be followed but also aspects like how to deal with a situation which may end up in crime. Education has to go beyond educational subjects and has to be furthered into making the individuals aware about the negative impact of crime on their surroundings and the manner in which crime can be evaded (Ward, 2008).  

The education has to be especially focused upon such groups which are prone to being indulged in criminal activities. It is also important that those who do not have the means to go to school, due to the lack of money, are provided admission in schools. This would enable them to steer clear of the path of crime. This has to be specially undertaken in such cases where the students drop out of schools and indulge in crime. The best way to deal with this problem is not only to educate these students but also provide them the necessary counseling so that their paths can be changed before the problems arise (Magnan, 2010).

Apart from this, there is a need to put the blame where it belongs. In other words, in order to bring down the costs of crime and the negated impact of it over the society, it is necessary that the criminal activities are stopped before they arise. In this regard, it is necessary to identify the key cause of the problem and deal with it as soon as possible. In US, one of the major problems which contribute to the crime relates to gun problem. So, it is crucial that the gun problems are adequately dealt with through stricter norms and laws. Even the previous president of US, Barack Obama emphasized upon restricting and even the banning of guns in the nation to bring down the crime rates (Miniter, 2016).

Once the efforts have been undertaken to bring down the rates of crime, the next step is to take steps to deal with the flaws of the criminal justice system. There is a need to created well-targeted prison programs through which the population in the prisons could be brought down (Larsson, 2015). So, such programs have to be implemented, which held in improving the criminals and their perspective towards crime. They have to be taught the negative impact of their actions, on the society as a whole, and they have to be provided with adequate platform through which they can get a chance to change themselves. When the prison population would be reduced, by adoption of such measures, the costs would automatically be brought down (Walker, 2014).

Another manner in which the economic problems can be dealt with is by giving the criminals in the prison system, the opportunity to earn livelihood. This has to go beyond the normal activities which are presently being undertaken. And instead, their skills have to be harnessed in a careful manner, so that they could not only earn their livelihood, but also develop the skills which could help them when they leave the prison system.

Conclusion

This thesis was focused upon finding the best manner in which the problem associated with crime and criminal justice system could be resolved. After showing the problems which are present, the best possible solution for dealing with crime was contributed towards the education and the related reforms. In order to deal with the economic costs and the negated impact of crime on the society, it is crucial to educate the ones who are prone to criminal activities. Further, to deal with the problems in the criminal justice system, it is significant that such programs are adopted through which the individuals could be given a chance to transform their lives. Even though the problems associated with crime and criminal justice system have resulted in high costs and negated social impact, through the adoption of education and prison programs, there is hope to cope with these issues.

References

Council of Economic Advisors. (2016) Economic Perspectives on Incarceration and the Criminal Justice System. [Online] Executive Office of the President of the United States. Available from: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/page/files/20160423_cea_incarceration_criminal_justice.pdf [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Currie, E. (2013) Crime and Punishment in America. London: Picador.

Department of Justice. (2008) The Economic Impact of Firearm-related Crime in Canada, 2008. [Online] Government of Canada. Available from: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/crime/rr13_7/p3.html [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Encyclopedia. (2017) Economic and Social Effects of Crime. [Online] Encyclopedia. Available from: https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/economic-and-social-effects-crime [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Gaines, ‎L.K., and Miller, R.L. (2016) Criminal Justice in Action. 9^th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

IAS. (2017) Crime and social impacts. [Online] IAS. Available from: https://www.ias.org.uk/Alcohol-knowledge-centre/Crime-and-social-impacts.aspx [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Kearney, M.S. (2014) The Economic Challenges of Crime & Incarceration in the United States. [Online] Brookings. Available from: https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-economic-challenges-of-crime-incarceration-in-the-united-states/ [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Larsson, N. (2015) 24 ways to reduce crime in the world’s most violent cities. [Online] The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/jun/30/24-ways-to-reduce-in-the-worlds-most-violent-cities [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Law. (2017) Economic and Social Effects of Crime - Growing Interest In The Costs Of Crime, Determining Costs, The High Cost Of Crime, Community Efforts To Avoid Crime Costs. [Online] Law. Available from: https://law.jrank.org/pages/12125/Economic-Social-Effects-Crime.html [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Magnan, R.A. (2010) Reinventing American Education: Applying Innovative and Quality Thinking to Solving Problems in Education. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation.

Miniter, F. (2016) How To Fix The Crime Problem In Chicago. [Online] National Rifle Association of America. Available from: https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2016/4/28/how-to-fix-the-crime-problem-in-chicago/ [Accessed on: 09/06/17]

Neubauer, ‎D.W., and Fradella, H.F. (2015) America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System. 12^th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Tonry, M. (2011) The Oxford Handbook of Crime and Criminal Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Walker, S. (2014) Sense and Nonsense About Crime, Drugs, and Communities. 8^th ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Ward, C.S. (2008) Community Education and Crime Prevention. Westpoint, CT: Bergin & Gravey.

Whittaker-Augustine, E. (2013) The Psychological Impact Of Crime And Violence. [Online] Amadala. Available from: https://amandala.com.bz/news/psychological-impact-crime-violence/ [Accessed on: 09/06/17]