Crime Policy: Tough Crime Policy or Humanistic Approach
The author of a new book titled Freakonomics contended, in a recent interview on the Today show, that the reason for the falling crime rate in the 1990s was not 'get tough' crime policies, but rather the fact that in the mid-1970s, abortion had been legalized. That meant babies that would have been born into poverty and possibly turned to crime had not been born. That reduced the number of potential criminals on the street. Whether or not that provocative statement is true, the debate about whether a tough crime policy or a more humanistic approach is more effective continues. Following are some of the argument on both sides, followed by a workable plan for the state of Massachusetts. Some experts prefer to focus on the end-result of the criminal justice process, favoring punishment for its own sake as well as its deterrent effect. They believe the death penalty and long prison terms will cause wrongdoers to think twice. Even if the wrongdoer doesn't think twice, the long incarceration or even loss of life will provide some justice for society. It is modeled on the Old Testament "eye for an eye" idea. Usually, this belief is accompanied by one that prefers strict sentencing guidelines, remo
The number of convicts admitted to the nation's state and federal prisons in a year swelled 120 percent, from 246,260 to 541,434, boosting the total incarcerated 116 percent, from 419,346 to 904,647. The taxpayers' overall bill for criminal justice-police, courts, and corrections-also nearly doubled in the period, from $45.6 billion in 1985 to $93.8 billion seven years later, with corrections' share of the total increasing from 28.6 percent to 33.6 percent, or $31.5 billion (Anderson 1997). Those who could not produce proper ID were arrested, interrogated by detectives ad otherwise 'mined' for information the 'street punks' might have bout other illicit activities going on. The effects were stunning. Homicides began to decline steeply, falling by 57 percent between 1990 and 1996. One might fling dollar amounts around for decades and, depending on who was 'massaging' the financial information, never arrive at a truly definitive picture of the costs of a 'tough on crime' stance. ON the other hand, it is much easier to justify what might be called a New Testament approach, one in which the criminals are assumed to have made mistakes for which they might atone, if only they could be helped to see the errors of their ways. The four-point plan for fighting crime in Massachusetts is based on this model. The points are: Reform the parole system so that those who are truly rehabilitated and have achieved some life skills and work skills improvement are not unduly penalized as they re-enter society. This is perhaps the trickiest part of the plan because it involves reforming the feelings, fears and beliefs of citizens and employers as well. However, incentivizing businesses that employ rehabilitated offenders is one possibility to investigate.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sentencing Commission, ID Opponents, Bureau Justice, , Yglesias Wages, Atlantic Monthly, RAND Corporation, David Dinkins, Athletic Leagues, Supreme Court, quality life, crime rate, fighting crime, crime policies, anderson 1997, babies born, anderson 1995, yglesias 2003, prison population, tough crime, babies born poverty, fewer babies born, fighting crime massachusetts, tough crime policies, quality life crime,
Approximate Word count = 2202
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
