Crime, prevention and society research paper examples

Crime can be defined in a multidimensional perspective. It simply refers to an act of commission or omission, which results into an offense that is punishable by law. Those acts that are unlawful and cause harm to the government and the society are criminal activities and are punishable by the state. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every government to defend and indorse the rights of its citizens by ensuring maximum security. Each government plays a role in ensuring the safety of its people by implementing laws and consequences that serve to deter citizens from engaging in crime. In addition, each state today is investing heavily in the crime prevention industry to guarantee the safety of its citizens. Crime prevention programs are effective programs and approaches that are meant to reduce the crimes (In Hucklesby & In Wahidin 2013). As a matter of fact, crime and criminals are not condoned in any country and whoever found guilty of the crime faces the full force of the law. Punishments include a jail term, imprisonment, huge fines and penalties and even dismissal from public duty of serving the rest of the community.
Crime in Australia and around the world is growing rapidly following the tremendous growth in technology. Studies reveal that crime and criminals have moved a notch higher from simple to more sophisticated techniques. A survey conducted by the United Nations show that a crime is increasing from the simple acts of violating the law to that of cyber-crime and terrorism. In 1989, a survey conducted in Australia indicated that the rate of crime was rising from an earlier thirty-two percent to forty-two percent. It revealed that the majority of the Australian citizens felt unsafe walking in the streets at night. It also showed that the rate of crime increased as the population rose (In Hucklesby & In Wahidin 2013). Surprisingly, majority of those involved in crime were mainly the youth and the offenses varied in accordance with the age. Indeed, the reported crime statistics in the world is attracting the debate on how the problem can be resolved. The issue of crime is putting pressure to majority of governments to employ more resources to eradicate crime and punish offenders severely.
Furthermore, the Non-governmental Organizations also serve a significant purpose in preventing crime. It does so by educating the people about the importance of observing the law and avoiding crime. The government of Australia has taken serious initiatives following increasing security threats and crimes all over the world. As part of its mitigating measures, Australian government has established programs intended to reduce the incidences of crime and other violent activities in their country (O’Donnell 2005). Such programs have been supported by the government as it shares the community’s concern about regarding crime and its effects on the people’s lives. As part of ensuring that the streets are safe, the government of Australia rolled a program that would focus on finding solutions to hot crime spots. In addition, it sought to address anti-social activities and behaviors that dominated the local crime spots and collaborated with the Attorney-General’s department in reducing the incidences of crime (Best 2011). The Crimes Act of 2002 provides the basis of tracing and confiscating activities and proceeds of crime in contravention to the Australian law.
Additionally, it is notable that most crimes committed today are computer assisted. The growth of technology has enabled the use of computers to defraud individuals of their information such as a credit card information resulting into financial losses without any trace. In fact, societal dynamism and changes in technology determines the trend of crime in the near future. Because technology has made the world a global village, crimes such as cyber bullying are increasingly being reported in many parts of the world. Thus, the trend is changing rapidly (Cherney & Sutton 2007). The perpetrators of crime in the modern day are also changing. Surprisingly, the crime statistics especially in the developing countries reveal that a crime is an organized activity in which law enforcement agencies such as the police are involved. The police are increasingly becoming involved with committing crimes contrary to the expectation of the community who knows the work of the police is to protect them (Kemshall 2007). Moreover, studies reveal that politicians and other wealthy persons who are interested with power are funding criminals to cause civil unrest. The objective of those powerful politicians is to sabotage the government by alleging that it has failed to protect its people.
Through these, the politicians can now campaign to be voted in because the other leaders have failed in their duties. In addition, crime activities involving nations fighting for vital resources has led to the development of most sophisticated weapons that can cause mass destruction. The weapons range from the military equipment such as warships to war planes. Countries such Australia and the rest of the world are investing heavily on equipping their military personnel to be able to fight their enemies (Tabachnick 2013). The conflicts among nations have led to the creation of nuclear and biological weapons that have the capability of destroying a whole city. Following such improvements, powerful states such as the United States of America have taken initiatives to prevent other nations’ interests by maintaining peace. It has collaborated with other countries in negotiating and advocating peace and prevention of crime (Kemshall 2007). In particular, the war on terrorism is a clear indication of the rapid growth in the crime prevention industry. Countries have sought to eliminate terrorist activities through combined effort of punishing criminals and bringing lawbreakers to book.
Another noticeable changing response to crime is the effect of the cultural and social life that helped shape the crime policies. Today, more emphasis is placed on the victims. There are a decline in the use of rehabilitative ideals, and punitive sanctions are becoming more dominant. Furthermore, there is an increase in the politicization of crime control to the extent that it complicates the achievement of justice. The crime prevention industry is also increasingly using prisons as the corrective areas for individuals found guilty of the crime and it is proving to be counterproductive (O’Donnell 2005). Experts in criminology have sought to bring an understanding and transform the criminology thought from that of abnormal psychology to a broader sense of situational control. It is also becoming a major concern as the commercialization of crime control takes place. Commercialization of crime control refers to the increased growth and expansion of security firms that work in teamwork with the government to eradicate crime Dean, G., & Gottschalk, P. 2007. One of the most interesting elements in preventive practices adopted by the government is the distinction between the private and the public sectors and their coordinated efforts in the control of crime.
Traditionally, the criminal justice department dominated the field of crime control for decades and treated crime as an offense that can be governed through policing, prosecution and applying negative sanction. However, today there are more developments that involve not only the government, but also the citizens, societies and companies that work to control crime. All these institutions involved in crime prevention use strategies and techniques that are unique and different from those used by the traditional criminal justice system (Cherney & Sutton 2007). Groups within the civil society including governmental agencies have encouraged the use of these methods in prevention of crime. As a result, commercialization of crime control has led to the expansion of private security industries that initially were not recognized officially by the state. These private security firms are increasingly being recognized by the state as their partner in controlling crime and the production of security services. More and more security functions are being undertaken by the private police and business people are beginning to invest heavily in the commercial security industry. It even appears that private prisons are now gaining popularity.
However, commercialization of crime control could have drastic implications on the stability of the nation and that of its citizens. These are because ideally it is the responsibility of the state through the judicial system to prevent crime and issue corrective measures with the public interest at hand (O’malley & Sutton 1997). Finding the truth is no longer a priority in the criminal justice system as commercial interests have played a critical role in the delivery of security and justice in the process. Public sector agencies such as a prison and probation now focus on emulating and implementing the strategies employed by a private security firms in the delivery of penal policy. Moreover, commercialization of the crime control affects the stability of the country in coordinating and executing its mandates (Garland 2001). These are because often conflict of interests arises leading to war between the government and the private security agency. In most cases, those security companies may not work with the interest of the citizens at heart. They may seek to overthrow the government once they are well equipped in terms of weapons and machinery.
Commercialization of crime control can lead to denial of justice and violation of the human rights when wealthy people use their resources to manipulate and win cases against the poor. An addition, commercialization leads to poor service delivery in terms of controlling crime since majority of firms are profit oriented (In Hucklesby & In Wahidin 2010). These are because the firms might wish to invest little resources in security in order to reap huge benefits from the tender. In conclusion, the level and sophistication nature of the crime in the world grows significantly, and efforts are being put in place to stun the challenge. Many countries of the world have joined hands in creating an enabling environment for its people by maintaining peace and fighting crimes. Diverse policies and programs are being created, implemented, and its effectiveness monitored to ensure that they serve the intended purpose (O’Donnell 2005). In terms of curbing crimes related to technology such as cyber bullying, laws bearing heavy penalties have been enlisted and implemented in order to deter people from committing a crime. In addition, countries such as the United States of America monitor the activities of its citizens online so that whoever is suspected to be planning to commit a crime is handled appropriately.
The commercialization of crime control may serve to help the government in implementing its duties of protecting its citizens. Policies need to be developed that regulates the extent to which the private security firms and other non-governmental agencies undertake its operations. Clear frameworks should be developed regarding the acquisition and use of firearms by the private security firms to ensure the safety of the people.

Reference lists

Best, S. 2011, The global industrial complex: Systems of domination. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books.
Cherney, A, & Sutton, A 2007, ‘Crime Prevention in Australia: Beyond ‘ What Works?’’, Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Criminology (Australian Academic Press), 40, 1, pp. 65-81, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 26 October 2014.
Dean, G., & Gottschalk, P. 2007, Knowledge management in policing and law enforcement: Foundations, structures, applications. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Garland, D. 2001, The culture of control: Crime and social order in contemporary society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In Hucklesby, A., & In Wahidin, A. 2010 Criminal justice. London: Wiley
In Hucklesby, A., & In Wahidin, A. 2013, Criminal justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Kemshall, H. 2007, Understanding Risk in Criminal Justice. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd.
O’Donnell, C 2005, ‘Toward better coordinated initiatives for community health management and crime prevention in Australia’, Journal Of Allied Health, 34, 4, pp. 223-229, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, viewed 26 October 2014.
O’malley, P., & Sutton, A. 1997. Crime prevention in Australia: issues in policy and research. Annandale, NSW, Australia, Federation Press.
Tabachnick, J 2013, ‘Why Prevention? Why Now?’, International Journal Of Behavioral Consultation And Therapy, 8, 3-4, pp. 55-61, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 26 October 2014.