Issues in Criminal Justice

Introduction

The contemporary television channels and communication media usually incorporate a number of themes related to criminal justices. Ideally, criminal justice is a comprehensive institution whose obligation is to alleviate crime, control crime, and impose penalties on crimes committed.  There are several levels of the criminal justice system in America at the local level, federal, and state level. For instance, in a situation where an individual is searching for a police agency, there is a high probability to find town police, federal agencies (F.B.I), or state police. However, the whole criminal justice system involves law enforcement processes consisting of lawyers, courts, and police. The purpose of this assignment is to explore a criminal justice issue and an associated justice process. The assignment will draw upon an article titled ‘A Radical Grounding For Social Disorganization Theory: A Political Economic Investigation Of The Causes Of Poverty, Inequality, And Crime In Urban Areas’ to address the key issue. 

Article Title: A Radical Grounding For Social Disorganization Theory: A Political-Economic Investigation Of The Causes Of Poverty, Inequality, And Crime In Urban Areas

Authors: Michael Lynch & Lyndsay N. Boggess

Urban Poverty, Inequality, and Crime

Michael and Bogess (2016) elucidate urban inequality as a criminal justice issue in urban centers. To comprehensively explain the issue of urban poverty, Michael and Bogess (2016) draw heavily from radical criminology. Issues related to inequality and urban have been correlated with an influx of crime in the country. In fact, many criminologists are usually influenced by the need to understand crime and poverty affect each other.  Due to industrialization and urbanization in the United States, there has been high crime rates and high inequality rate. To curb crime, reduce poverty, and inequality, it is the responsibility of the criminal justice system to establish a strong framework consisting of agencies and infrastructures. Hence, poverty and crime have been linked to the impacts of political economy and social disorientation. A weak social organization results in the poor criminal justice system and increased level of poverty and crime rate. 

Crime Prevention through Social Development

The process entails the application of health and training programs, social, and education to prevent the occurrence of crime. The objective of these programs is to incorporate social and resilient skills to children as they grow. The program usually targets specific young people or children, especially those residing in informal settlements or street children. The process entails creating pro-social behavior through health and economic measures, social, economic, and education measures. 

Social Disorganization Theory (SDT)

The main purpose of the social disorganization theory is to explain patterns of crime and deviance in a particular location. The theory is more concerned with how to minimize crime, poverty, and inequality by initiating change in urban areas. The idea is to instill positive change as a child grows. The theory takes into account the importance of human ecology in determining the causes of urban poverty, inequality, and crime. Based on this theory, juvenile criminal justice is essential in urban areas to prevent crime and poverty. It emphasizes the need to mold children as they grow to achieve positive behavior. An application of SDT can assist in making crime prevention through social development program to be a success in a given geographical region. The theory attempts to bring into the limelight the development of capitalist inequality.

References

Lynch, M. J., & Boggess, L. N. (2016). A radical grounding for social disorganization theory: a political-economic investigation of the causes of poverty, inequality, and crime in urban areas. Radical Criminology, (6), 11-69.