CRIME VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION RESEARCH PAPER 1

Crime Violence and Prevention Research Paper

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Crime Violence and Prevention Research Paper

Gun violence is the most prevalent cause of crimes caused in the United States. Crime

control is a hotly debated public issue where proponents claim that it can be prevented through

gun control, but opponents refute the position. For instance, gun violence perpetrates crimes such

as homicide, violent crime, attempted murder/suicide, robbery, and unintentional death and

injuries. The research paper will be investigating whether gun violence could be prevented or

minimized through gun control policies. The purpose and intent of this research paper is to

illustrate how crime control can be achieved through gun control. To dispense this practical

analysis of the crime control through gun control, the report shall provide an overview of the

position, discuss counterarguments and other positions served with supportive assertions and

evidence. My position is that a well-planned crime control policy prevents crime and

victimization and promotes community safety, thus contributing to the sustainable development

of the communities.

Gun violence is an issue that is facing the United States society. As a result, gun violence

control policies are essential to the United States (Congress, (2017). The Article H.R. 2598-Gun

Violence Restraining Order Act of 2017 is a crucial regulation article. The article has

exhaustively provided a complete and accurate display of the motion tabled on the floor of the

House of Representatives in the 115th Congress First Session. The article presents a restriction

and retraining act aimed at providing the family members of an individual they mainly fear and

perceive as dangerous with new tools to prevent gun violence. This Bill presented on the floor on

23rd May 2017 is expected to be approved by the United States Senate and House of

Representatives in Congress Assembled. The article has clearly defined the terms such as family
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member, firearm, gun, gun violence prevention warrant, and law enforcement officer, among

others, as they have been used in the Act presented (Congress, (2017).

The United States Supreme Court ruled that the 2nd Amendment allows states to have

militias but does not give private individuals freedom of owning guns. According to the

proponents of gun control laws hold that criminals use guns because they are easily accessible.

These criminals will use the weapons as far as freedom and limited control over their sale and

ownership (Watkins, 1997). Instead of offering protection, gun ownership is more likely to cause

harm to the members. Although opponent suggests that it is an American culture to have guns,

Americans required guns when the nation was an uncivilized wilderness. Today, the country has

police departments to protect its citizens (Watkins, 1997). Therefore, strict gun control laws are

likely to promote crime control because they will make it harder for criminals to buy and use

guns.

Crime management, prevent and control is an important perspective in any society. The

society needs peaceful coexistence among people for every other function of the society to be

implemented. There are several approaches used to control crime. Most of the crime prevention

programs work but others fail to work (Meško, 2009). Gun violence is the most prevalent cause

of the crimes caused in the United States. For instance, gun violence perpetrates crimes such as

homicide, violent crime, attempted murder/suicide, robbery, and unintentional death and injuries.

The purpose and intent of this position research paper is to illustrate how crime control can be

achieved through gun control. To dispense this practical analysis of the crime control through

gun control, the paper shall provide an overview of the position, discuss counterarguments and

other positions served with supportive assertions and evidence. Crime control is a hotly debated

public issue where proponents claim that it can be prevented through gun control but opponents
 CRIME VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION RESEARCH PAPER 4

refute the position. My position is that well-planned crime control policy prevents crime and

victimization and promotes community safety thus contributing to sustainable development of

the communities.

Gun and crime control is the policy under the scrutiny. Crime control policy in America

is founded on two fundamental conservative traditions. The first tradition is that conservative,

hierarchical types of social assortments created based on values have positive effects on society.

The second tradition is that any kind of reform is subversive while radical reforms are

anarchistic. Ideally, crime control is beyond prevention. Crime control policies focus on crimes

that have already occurred where critical management approaches are needed to maintain

criminal activities (Chainey & Ratcliffe, 2005, p. 18-19).

Controversy regarding crime control during 20th century has influenced the proliferation

of new laws and intervention programs focusing on preventing crime and delinquency, punishing

or treating criminals. Most of these crime control policies and interventions were experimental

and some depicted little to no criminological research and theories. Free possession of guns in

society has led to higher rates of violent crimes. Annually, gun violence in American society

accrues approximately $220 billion. In recent years, "firearm viciousness has ascended to the

cutting edge of public awareness. A significant part of the discussion has zeroed in on firearm

guideline and keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of possible executioners, especially

those with psychological instabilities.” Simple admittance to guns, regardless of whether

legitimate or unlawful, is one of the primary drivers of crime control.

In the contemporary society, crime control in the United States of America is closely

connected to the loss of confidence with the criminal justice system because of high rate of crime

rates. Several factors influenced such poor confidence on crime control including lack of public
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support for the criminal justice system, escalation of fear of crime and criminological exploration

that showed that large numbers of the conventional methods of wrongdoing control were

ineffectual and wasteful in diminishing wrongdoing and working on the wellbeing of networks

(Meško, 2009). Gun control or firearms regulation policy is a set of laws and programs to control

the manufacture, sale, transportation, possession, modification, and use of guns by civilians. Gun

control has been a social problem or concern for many reasons.

Deterrence is the crime control approach that focuses on punishment and sentencing

programs. Deterrence is basically expressed rationale and reasoning approving death penalty.

The significance of deterrence approach of crime control is that the threat for execution in future

is sufficient to trigger a people to refrain from committing heinous crimes. However, deterrence

does not focus on preventing further killing by convicts of death-penalty defendants. According

to Wright (2010), deterrence crime control policy suggests that punishment is core in preventing

people from committing crimes in future. The institution of the criminal punishment is morally

acceptable since it focuses on deterring the crime. In this case, the fear of external sanction plays

as critical incentive of preventing one from committing a crime. Lee (2017) further holds that

deterrence program is mainly interconnected with the concept of severe, disproportionate

punishment.

Criminal deterrence policy or program can be applied in two different approaches: 1) if

corporal punishment is subjected to the criminal will prevent that person from offending again

and 2) public understanding that some crimes are punished severely prevent people from

committing such crimes (Mendes, 2004). The two perspectives of punishment may influence

deterrence either by certainty of punishment, and increasing the probability of apprehension and

punishment (Mendes, 2004). The second impact is linked to the severity of punishment. In this
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case, the severity of a given crime can be effective if the potential criminals conclude that the

punishment of the crime is severe thus impacting their behavior change (Nagin, 2018). The

underpinning principle of deterrence policy is utilitarian or forward-looking. As with the

intention of the rehabilitation, deterrence is structured to modify future behavior rather than

retribution for the present or past behavior. Most common types of punishment applied as

deterrence for crime control include “capital punishment, corporal punishment, incarceration,

probation, intensive supervision, community-service and word programs, fines, restitution to the

victims and forced participation in treatment program” (Cherrington, 2007, Pg. 4).

The empirical and research-based evidence shows that application of punishment in

crime control is practically ineffective and have detrimental impacts instead (Cullen &

Gendreau, 2001). Research shows that punishment such as imprisonment penalty increases

recidivism because punitive measures towards crime control result into destructive impacts.

Punishment-based programs have high chances of influencing re-offending rates by around 25%

over control group. For instance, in Lipsey & Wilson (1998), a meta-analytic study of programs

for severely violent youth punishment-based programs influenced high rate of reoffending.

Punishment-oriented crime control programs are destructive especially for the low-risk

criminals. Stricter sanctions for these low-risk criminals do not prevent crime commitment as

compared to lighter supervisions (Kelly, 2018). For last few decades, the United States criminal

justice system exclusively integrated punishment as a core approach of reducing and controlling

crime and recidivism. As a result, a tough crime era was launched leading to massive arrest,

prosecution and incarcerations. As a result, the prison population skyrocketed thus giving the

highest rates of incarceration internationally. The focus of the system is punishing more and
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more people and punishing them more severely (Kelly, 2018). Therefore, punishment proved too

ineffective to deter crimes.

Crime deterrence program uses the threats of punishment and incarceration to discourage

criminal activities. The debate on whether deterrence or punishment is effective in crime control

has been prevalent in the United States of America. The position of the paper is that punishment

and deterrence cannot be effective as crime control program. Criminal deterrence policy or

program can be applied in two different approaches: 1) if corporal punishment is subjected to the

criminal will prevent that person from offending again and 2) public understanding that some

crimes are punished severely prevent people from committing such crimes. However, Severe or

hard punishment like death penalty does not deter criminals from committing crimes and does

not prevent other people from committing heinous crimes. The empirical and research-based

evidence shows that application of punishment in crime control is practically ineffective and has

detrimental impacts instead. Punishment such as long imprisonment penalty increases recidivism

because punitive measures towards crime control result into destructive impacts.

Crime management, prevent and control is an essential perspective in any society.

Society needs peaceful coexistence among people for every other function of the society to be

implemented. There are several approaches used to control crime. Managing criminal justice

organizations and departments is important in ensuring the success of the criminal justice system.

Effective leadership and management functions promote the identification and implementation of

the criminal justice system goals and objectives. Gun violence is the most prevalent cause of

crimes caused in the United States. Crime control is a hotly debated public issue where

proponents claim that it can be prevented through gun control, but opponents refute the position.
 CRIME VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION RESEARCH PAPER 8

For instance, gun violence perpetrates crimes such as homicide, violent crime, attempted

murder/suicide, robbery, and unintentional death and injuries.