Paper Example on Evaluating Crime Prevention

The contemporary society has in one way, or the other involved itself in the study of the ways to resolve the problems of crime. Crime done by both juveniles and adults has become an everyday problem in the current society making people become fed up with the unbecoming behavior. For that case, crime prevention has become an obligation for every individual, community and the government (Miller, Hess & Orthmann, 2011). In California neighborhoods, many measures for crime prevention have been laid up even though some have failed due to an inadequate research about their effectiveness and poor implementation. One areas program of preventing crime occurrence may not be effective when implemented in another neighborhood (Cole, 2014). Therefore, this article seeks to analyze California neighborhood programs for crime prevention through an analysis of history, objectives, literature, statistical analysis, the effects of crime on communities and citizen participation regarding putting an end to crime.

Community-based programs

The best way to come up with a workable plan for crime prevention in the communities or the neighborhoods of California is to apply research methods that aim at finding reliable measures of solving the problem. The Apple Valley is the neighborhood that is a case study for implementing a program for reducing occurrences of crimes in the California State. In the Apple Valley community, so many juveniles and adults involved in mischiefs that derail the progress of the people despite the fact that the culprits are known. For that case, Community-based program is the best approach toward reducing incidents of crime. Since criminals originate from the community according to Arrington (2009), and that the criminals live together with their families, the society is the closest body that can initiate a prevention of the crimes they commit. Therefore, it is a brilliant idea to involve the community in solving the latter since the law can make law enforcement bodies to come up with a precise ground for helping in reducing the prevalence of crime.

The reason for saying that the community is the perfect body that can result in a reduced crime occurrence society is that members of the society are aware of the mischiefs that a given person involves in to earn a living. For an effective implementation, then there should be policies and measures that enlighten the society members, to be frank, and point out the mess that happens in their areas without a fear of the consequences. The effectiveness of the community-based program can be ensured by assuring the whistleblower's safety in case the affiliates fight them. Crime originates from the community, and if workable measures like reporting the law offenders can be done, then the problem will seize to exist.

Community policing

Community policing as the first step for the crime prevention program is the best one since it involves making a common ground for the police and the community to understand each other. To minimize the occurrences of juvenile mischiefs, adults criminal practices, and any other unbecoming behavior the community members should know the police and familiarize with them to be free to communicate their worries. On evaluating a partnership between the police and citizens, statistics show when people interact more with the police, they do not hesitate to report any instances of crime and most people usually avoid engaging in criminal acts due to fear of destroying their friendship with the police. Therefore, community policing is a perfect tool for reducing occurrences of crime in neighborhoods of Apple Valley City (Cole, 2014). The government will handle the social evils that happen in the society affecting peoples ways of progressing in a friendly way hence making the process to be accepted well. Also, all robbery plans will leak to the law enforcement agencies which will react as a way of mitigating all physical, economic or social evil planned at the community level. Therefore, community policing is an arena for prevention of crimes in the whole nation if started at the community level.

Community Watch Groups

Another way of preventing criminal activities occurrence is the formation of community watch groups. Gangs will as much as possible avoid evil plans when they here of community watch groups that are all over the community. Even though some community watch groups may live in fear of an attack from undercover criminals, many crime offenders will fear to perform their illegal activities if the whole community joins hands in their plans to end crimes. An analysis of community organized groups shows that many criminal groups will be scared from operating in the city for fear of being caught unawares by the law enforcers through the surveillance of the community watch groups. For the community-based groups to function smoothly, the government of California State should effect measures to secure their existence and also offer the necessary resources to help them carry out the surveillance measures (Cole, 2014). Ownership of firearms as stipulated by the government is a tricky situation since if the government does not offer some help to the neighborhood watch, it will be a killing arena in the community. Therefore, even though community groups assist in ensuring security, the government should as well back up the efforts of the community.

Weed and seed approach

This is a prevention plan through which will also minimize occurrences of criminal acts in the California neighborhoods. In the prevention program, its relevance is enhanced by making the community to work with important private sectors, the government and other independent bodies in the long run of counter-attacking crimes. The FBIs UCR program has collected various information about the mischief that juveniles do and engage in while in school, at home or in public places (Cole, 2014). It is quite unfortunate that some of the minors who are reported to run away after such incidents are increasing day by day. It has become an everyday topic to say that teens have made disgusting graffiti on public walls, juveniles engage in fraudulent activities, some of them take part in larceny and reports of unnecessary loitering of the minors (Downes, 2013). For that case, Weed and seed prevention approaches have come up with strategies for limiting youth criminal cases through developing juvenile justice courts and probation centers as a way of solving criminal cases from its roots. Another measure for ensuring that juvenile crimes are minimal is by informing parents that they should make sure that their sons and daughters have enough that they require. The community should take part in projects that will enable at least each family to be at similar class to fund their kids and make them live a satisfying life (Thompson & Bynum, 2016).

Moreover, through weed and seed method, the government can enhance the program by laying out centers that prevent and shape people from the use of drugs and substances. Crime and seed prevention program is relevant since most of the people who engage in criminal acts lack jobs hence the effectiveness of a measure to reduce crimes must accompany itself with a reaction of introducing employment opportunities (Miller et al.,. 2011). Since crime prevention is a central responsibility for all people in the society, the sooner the community converge their efforts of alleviating the problem through playing their part, the better outcomes of the prevention. Therefore, this prevention approach should accompany itself with ways of making a fixed or permanent end to the problem.

Jobs Creation and Development Rehabilitation Centers

From the statistics done in three cities, Appleton, Apple Valley, and Arlington, crime rates are high in the Apple Valley, which is in California. According to the graph in the appendix section, Apple Valley leads in the entire three presented crimes category. However, the prevention measures show that Apple Valley is the leading in ways of preventing crimes. Despite the fact that both juvenile delinquencies and adult crimes have reduced since 1967 in California and Apple Valley City neighborhoods, the government should enhance the prevention program by increasing the numbers of police officers and fill the gap of the few police officers around all corridors of the neighborhood (Cole, 2014). According to Sara model, the limiting factors for preventing crimes are the existence of instances of unemployment, which should be solved for a better society free from crime (Arrington, 2009).

In conclusion, Apple Valley as a neighborhood of California is profoundly affected by crime rates hence problems like lack of employment opportunities, poor parenting, few correction systems and ignorance of people who know crime committers and fail to report them are among the problems that lead to the prevalence of crimes in the neighborhood. As stated in this article, crime prevention program like community policing, weed and seed method, forming watch groups and many others need to be reinforced with the creation of job opportunities, laying up structures that rectify people addicted to drugs and developing the courts are the ways that will enhance the prevention program.

References

Arrington, R. (2009). Crime prevention: The law enforcement officer's practical guide. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Cole, G. F. (2014). The American system of criminal justice. S.l.: Cengage Learning.

Downes, D. (2013). The Delinquent Solution (Routledge Revivals): A Study in Subcultural Theory. Routledge.

Miller, L. S., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2011). Community Policing: Partnerships for problem-solving. Australia: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Thompson, W. E., & Bynum, J. E. (2016). Juvenile delinquency: A sociological approach. Rowman & Littlefield.