Assignment Instructions/ Description
Discussion
The U.S. crime and victimization rate is staggeringly high. Reported rates for the most serious types of crimes, such as rape, robbery, and murder, exceed those of virtually every other industrialized nation. This places a great deal of stress on the criminal justice system. (Davis, Lurigio, & Herman, 2007) Many state and federal prisons are overflowing, while the justice system in some jurisdictions is backlogged for months. Probation and parole officers often have such huge caseloads that they may not see their probationers/parolees for months. In addition to the obvious effects on the criminal justice system, the extremely high U.S. crime and victimization rates have profound effects on the communities where they occur. For example, high-crime communities tend to have subpar educational systems and relatively weak economies. Clearly, the prevalence of crime and victimization affects both communities and the criminal justice system.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the Course Introduction, located nn the navigation bar on the left–hand side of your screen. Keep this overview in mind as you work through each week of the course.Review the article, "Youth Victimization: Prevalence and Implications." Pay attention to the prevalence of specific types of victimization, such as sexual assault. Reflect on the implications that the prevalence of victimization has on the criminal justice system, the victim, and the community.Review the Foreword and Chapter 11 of the course text, Victims of Crime. Reflect on how crime victims are integrated into the criminal justice system.Review the website, "U.S. Crime Statistics: Total and By State (1960-2007)." Explore this website by clicking on links to various states and examining the crime rates for communities/counties in these states. Be sure to examine the rates of specific crimes in your state.Select a specific type of crime that is prevalent in your community. Reflect on the impact the prevalence of that crime has on your community and the criminal justice system.
Post a Comment