Crimes in NYC Essay

For 27 continuous years, crime rates have been decreasing and the city is a far cry from how it was in the 1990s. The New York Police Department has undergone various changes over the years. They include adoption of crime analytics, stronger accountability measures of command staff, aggressive enforcement misdemeanor and traffic laws. This can be collectively termed as the new policing model that has led to low crime rates. Does crime have a particular cause? This is a multifaceted phenomenon since the definition of crime changes based on society and culture. Integration occurs either through horizontal or vertical direction. The vertical directions depict how a society is integrated through status order and hierarchical authority. On the other hand, horizontal integration shows how consensus and unity is fostered.

Sociological theories suggest that crime is determined as well as influenced by external factor such as the society and the surrounding. The social control theory is attributed to Travis Hirschi who introduced it in his book ‘Causes of Delinquency. Attachment Individuals who share a close link with relatives and other members of the society are less likely to engage in crime. This is because these vices are condemned in the society and the anticipated reactions from the society make them not to commit crime Commitment This refers to the desire to attain certain goals and adhering to that desire when one has aspiration to achieve something, they are less likely to engage in deviant behavior since it will interfere or lower their aspirations.

Involvement When time is dedicated to engage in conventional activities, young adults are less likely to get involved in crime. When one is idle, they are likely to fall in the hands of engaging in crime. Belief Variation in the power of belief is linked to criminal behavior. There has been a focus on gun-related crimes and violent drug crimes which has significantly helped in reducing crime rates. Trust in the police force has however remained constant over the years. On the other hand, there still exists racial based gap trust. At least one in every three black Americans has lost confidence with the police. This is attributed to the fact that the blacks are often the victim of stop, question, and frisk by the police.

For instance, high ranking officers are mentors to their junior rather than perform oversight responsibilities. Broken Window Policy The broken windows theory asserts that there is a relationship between crime and lack of being civilized. When left unattended to, symbols of disorder help in intensify crime in a given neighborhood. This clarifies that the police should focus on reducing and mining minor offenses to prevent serious crimes. George Keling and James Wilson coined this philosophy. He ponied that the society will always be in a state of conflict due to the unending competition for resources. This suggest that there is an ongoing struggle between the rich and the poor. The rich will do all it takes to protect their resources while on the other hand, the poor will go out of their way to obtain those resource.

Marx attempts to elucidate that conflict is unavoidable and can be used to explain violence, crime and revolutions. Class conflict is responsible for crime in the society. However, these changes are often minor and cannot cause a revolution. On the other hand, the society maintains different classification of behaviors as crime (Helfgott, 2008). However one can argue that since there is a universal codification of crime does it not signify the existence of crime? The conflict theory shows how the powerless are controlled and are often alienated. This is a depiction of an existing dominant group which is responsible for power. There exists structures which divide and cause division between these two classes. B.  Criminal behavior: Theories, typologies, and criminal justice. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.