Broken Window Theory is the theory that crimes are more likely to happen in abandoned and poor locations. This theory states that when there are visible signs of crime, it could cause more in an area. For example, broken windows or graffiti. Crimes are likely to happen in these areas because for the most part, they are poorer areas and less likely to be very populated. Less people means less witnesses.

In these types of areas it is common that drug deals are happening. Like I said above, there are not many people if any. So if two criminals are exchanging money and drugs, it would be easy to see if there is someone that could jeopardize there deal. It also gives them a sense of security that no one will see the exchange.

These locations are also likely to be “drug houses”. These abandoned buildings are very seldom looked after, and most of the time they aren’t even really maintained at all. These are common locations where heavy drug users will go to use and not worry about being caught in the act. Most of the people that utilize these buildings are homeless themselves, so it is  really their only place to use that doesn’t risk them getting caught in the act.

Abandoned buildings are commonly used for assault and rape crimes. A lot of the time, someone walking alone in these areas that does not belong will be easy to spot by those that typically linger around those areas. Motivated offenders can spot these suitable targets very easily. Because they are unfamiliar with the area, it is easy for offenders to get the jump on them. Whether to steal their belongings, or commit rape. These areas again are really only populated with other criminals. So it is likely that they will receive backup, rather than getting the police called.

Abandoned areas are most common in cities and they need to be better patrolled by the police. This theory is not at all new. So if we have known about it for so long, than I think increasing police patrols in these areas will help decrease the crimes that occur. Comment below what solutions you think the criminal justice system can utilize to lower crime in these areas.

Social Learning Theory is a theory that  can define almost all criminality. It basically states that crime is learned behavior. It helps criminologists understand why people commit the crimes they commit and the people they associate with. The biggest influences are peers and family. Geography has a lot to do with it as well, being that children that grow up in high crime areas are at the highest risk of becoming criminal themselves.

Peers are probably the number one influence on a child’s life. If a kid in a rural area grows up with friends that start to use illegal drugs in high school, chances are they themselves will partake as well. The same goes for violent behavior. Children that bully others in school typically surround themselves with other bullies. It is uncommon that a child will not partake in the same behavior as their friends. As people become adults, the same type of behavior applies. If someone is surrounded by friends that use marijuana, chances are they will too.

Family is another big influence on the lives of everyone. Children will gain a lot of their personality traits from their parents. For example, parents that use tobacco unknowingly put their children at risk of becoming tobacco users as well. Children that grow up in a home where criminal activity is acceptable (drug use, violence and theft) will likely grow up to become criminal as well. They will also surround themselves with friends that do similar things that their parents do.

Geography is a big factor in social learning theory. Children that grow up in high crime areas are very likely to be involved with criminal activity throughout their lives. Especially when there are older role models that they look up to that are committing crimes daily. This is where children learn how they can sell narcotics to make a living and even learn about human trafficking and prostitution.

Comment below what you think about this theory and how we can better shape the lives of children that are in jeopardy of becoming criminals.

Nature vs. nurture is an argument that has been going on for a long time in biology and criminology. People on one side say that its how you were raised, while others say that it is in your genes. Well how about a little bit of both? The idea that nature AND nurture shape us is more commonly believed in the general growth of a person. I think the same thing applies to criminology as well.

Nature is what we are born with. Mostly physical, but a lot of the personality traits we have are because we inherited them from a parent or other family member. I know I have my dad’s lack of patience and my mother’s procrastination. But it doesn’t always mean you are going to be stuck with all of your parent’s traits. Nature has a lot to do with physical traits, because most of us look like our parents.

Nurture is how we were raised and what types of experiences we had in our childhood. These experiences help shape the person we become when we are older. Nurture is really what molds your personality and makes you unique when comparing to other people.

So how does this relate to criminology? Criminologists will consider both when analyzing criminal activity. Nature and Nurture have a huge effect on criminality. Nurture brings us back to social learning theory and how criminal behavior is learned behavior. So if a child grows up around delinquent peers, chances are this can explain why they stole a pocket knife from the thrift store. Nature also helps with this because some personality traits. There have been studies that showed children that were adopted into good family homes with good morals, can still become delinquent. Upon further research, sometimes the delinquent child’s biological parent has been convicted of crimes themselves.

Its a debate that has gone on for a while, but a lot of criminologists agree that both have a lot to do with the criminality of a person. Comment below which you think has more of an impact on someone’s life.

Gangs are one of the most commonly studied forms of criminal behavior. If you were to go online and search for scholarly articles, you would find thousands. Gangs are responsible for some of the more brutal crimes in our country. Crimes include murder, drug trafficking, human trafficking, assault and murder. Gangs are scary to people that aren’t apart of them. Say what you want, but if you were walking down the street in Compton one day and you made a wrong turn, chances are you will be surrounded by large intimidating men with weapons asking you “you lost bro?”

Social Learning Theory describes gangs very well. A lot of these gang members were recruited as teenagers, and sometimes even younger. These children grow up in high crime areas and struggle in school due to the peers they are surrounded by. Majority of the time, the children in their early teen years are already involved in criminal activity (commonly drug use and distributing). These children grow up with role models that are making a lot of money through their crimes. A lot of the times you will hear that “the life chose me”, which does make sense.

Children in these areas seldom finish school, dropping out by the age of 16 or 17, and taking on the life of a “gangster”. It is a fast way for them to make money and provide for themselves. Most of the homes in these areas will accept cash for rent, and car dealerships in these areas will also accept cash payments for the vehicles they sell. So, an all cash business does not sound so bad to these young kids.

Males children in these areas typically do not have a male role model to look up to. With mom at work all of the time and dad not around, it is no surprise that these young boys will look up to the gangsters in their immediate area. Children in their late teens will join gangs to get a sense of security and family. Gangs help them feel safe and that no one can hurt them. It is common that gang members would sacrifice themselves to save the other. They form an uncommon bond with one another, and after all, a teenager just want to feel like they belong.

Comment below how you think gangs have affected some communities across our country. Also, what can our criminal justice system do to stop them from continuing to prosper.

Domestic violence is a big issue that is common in America. Most people don’t realize that is not just physical violence, psychological and emotional violence are also considered domestic violence. Domestic violence is also not only limited to intimate partners, it can be done to anyone residing in the home. For example, if a father abuses his child then that qualifies for domestic violence.

Physical violence is the most commonly looked at type of domestic violence. If you have ever watched the show “Cops”, you know that most of their calls are to homes reporting domestic violence. Majority of the time it involves the intimate partners living in the home. Physical violence is very scary in the fact that it almost always gets worse and never gets better. The first incident may start with a push or shove. Then a slap, then the next time it could be a punch or kick. Until finally its multiple punches, kicks,  and pushes until the victim is covered in injuries.

Emotional and psychological violence is also common in domestic violence relationships. Physical and emotional violence can involve one partner making the other feel worthless and “not good enough” for them. This is a technique that people with low self esteem will use to make their partner feel like they are never going to find someone better. They will also typically get jealous over a friend or coworker for one reason, and that being that they are so self conscious that they are worried they will be left for the friend.

Domestic violence follows a pattern of “honey moon” to “building tension” and then finally “explosion”. Victims of domestic violence will convince themselves that it will not happen again when they are in the honey moon phase, but it does not stop. Domestic violence is typically learned behavior. Majority of the time, the offender had a parent or guardian that also abused either them, or someone else in the household. The criminal justice system has created safe houses for women and children that fell victim to domestic violence. These safe houses will provide a roof over the heads of the woman and her children, help her find a job, help her find a more permanent home, and the organizations will under no circumstances give any information on the victim’s location. These sanctuaries do not allow men, and when male children turn 15, they are usually turned away…because domestic violence is learned behavior, they must do this to protect the victims that are living there.

Comment below how you think the criminal justice system can better prevent domestic violence from happening.

Lets face it, our judicial system is less than perfect. With a high volume of cases coming in daily, it could take months for an individual’s preliminary hearing. Even then, it will probably go to a plea bargain. After all, 96% of cases are plea bargains. With this type of system, we see a lot of innocent people getting convicted of crimes they did not commit because of plea bargains and other factors.

Plea deals are set up by the prosecution. It works kind of like this. They speak with the district attorney and the county judge. They decide the severity of the crime and what the sentence should be. For the sake of this scenario, we will say 10 years. Then they take their deal to the defense which would look like this:

• Plead Guilty: 5 years with the chance of parole.
• Plead Not Guilty: Possible 10 years with no chance of parole.

Now imagine that you are poor and don’t have family that can help you with a defense attorney and you are being charged with a crime you did not commit. Are you going to trust a public defender? A lot of the times, no people don’t. They take the five years with the chance of parole and just move on. Plea deals are a bad way to run our system, but if we didn’t operate this way, then trials could be backed up for years.

Lack of zealous defense. In the 90’s there was a famous case known as the “Central Park Five”. A woman was found raped and beaten in central park and police apprehended five young boys from the ages of 14-15. The police interrogated the boys for over 12 hours that night and would not allow them to leave the precinct. The boys, being young and scared, eventually confessed to the crime that they had nothing to do with. Mind you, they all gave their confessions separately and when you watch the videos, none of them correlate with each other in the slightest. They also had to use a public defender, there is video footage of one of the boy’s attorneys sleeping while court was in session. The boys did not receive a good zealous defense because they were poor. Years later, they were found innocent when another boy confessed to the crime and gave accurate details that only the offender would know. The boys all spent 15 plus years in prison before they were exonerated.

The fact is, there is only a 50/50 chance you will be found innocent if your case goes to trial. It is a scary gamble and there are hundreds of people that have paid the ultimate price. Visit https://www.innocenceproject.org/ and comment below on a case that you found to be interesting.

The War on Drugs started under the Clinton administration in the early 1990’s. The objective was to get the drugs off of the streets and out of communities. Drugs have a negative effect when we look at poor areas, mainly city outskirts. They are illegal for a reason and that reason is, they put the users health and well being in danger. They also motivate other types of crime like violence and theft. Drugs have been a problem for quite some time now, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The War on Drugs was originally implemented to target high profile drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Police were trained on the symptoms that people experience when using drugs. This was so they could better spot drug users and make an arrest. Drugs are generally more common in poor urban areas, and they don’t help the economy in these areas grow at all. These high class drugs are responsible for killing many people every year. This being the main reason why they were the primary target for elimination when The War on Drugs began.

Drugs motivate other types of criminal activity. When people are addicted to heavy drugs like crystal meth and heroin, it is safe to assume that they would do anything to get their hands on some if they are starting to withdraw. This can cause them to lash out and assault someone in order to steal money, or do a drug dealer’s bidding in order to “get a hit or two”. People that suffer from addiction from these heavy drugs lose many things like their homes, money and families. These types of drugs are so addictive they will take over your entire way of life. The War on Drugs was implemented to put a complete stop to these drugs in order to stop taking so many lives.

The War on Drugs is off track, and it is costing America a fortune. As I previously noted, The War on Drugs was originally implemented to eliminate heavy drugs from the streets. But it has steered away and its aim is now to any drug. I am referring to marijuana of course. There are thousands of people across the country serving jail time because of small amounts of marijuana confiscated by police. The issue here is that as time moves forward, this substance could be federally legal in the next five to ten years. But what does this mean for people serving prison sentences because of selling bulk amounts of marijuana? Nothing, they will likely be required to finish their sentences, costing tax payers loads of money. A lot of states have already legalized marijuana, but the inmates that were charged with selling or using marijuana in those states, are still serving their sentences.

Comment below how you think The War on Drugs has effected our economy.

Yes you read that correctly. You and everyone you know is technically a criminal. A criminal is defined as someone who has committed a crime. That includes traffic citations. It is the law to feed the meter. It isn’t a serious crime, but it is still a crime. Parking in a spot and not paying is technically stealing, because you are only borrowing the parking spot.

I know a big argument in the news today is the talk about illegal immigrants. Some people feel that the process to become legalized should be easier and others think it is fine the way it is and we should BUILD THE WALL. Regardless of what you believe, being in any country illegally is breaking the law. My mother and father came to the United States in 1989. They stayed longer than their visas allowed them to, which made them criminals. My mother actually spent a few days in jail and she was deported for a few months. She then came back to the United States and married my step father so she could become legal. It may seem like a silly law, but when people reside in a country illegally no one wins. The government loses money because they can avoid taxes and you pay more. Imagine what our taxes would be like if every single working person in this country were paying taxes.

Traffic infractions are a crime. Whether you have gone ten miles over the speed limit or one mile over, that is technically breaking the law. The speed limit is exactly that, the LIMIT to the speed you are permitted to drive. I can honestly say that I have never gone exactly the speed limit or lower, and I am sure most of you can’t either. Switching lanes without a turn signal is also illegal. That I can honestly say I never forget. I am a little OCD about it. It is the law that when driving in in-climate weather your head lights need to be turned on. Even if it is just an average cloudy day, it is the law.

The point is, no one has never ever committed a crime in their entire life. Aside from children, we have all done something illegal in some capacity. And that is something criminologists have to understand early. Our job is not point fingers and blame crime on hard criminals. But its to better understand and analyze what causes people to commit crimes, prevention options and educating people.

Comment below some things that are illegal that people are likely to do on a daily basis.

Victimology is the study of victims of crimes, and the outcomes. This incorporates any physical and psychological trauma a victim may experience. Victims that are studied in this field are mostly victims of violent crimes like assault and rape. A lot of the time, these victims are so traumatized by their experiences that they can’t bring themselves to talk about it even years later. Victims are very sensitive and the criminal justice system has implemented some things to help victims in their recovery and healing process.

If a victim is brought into a hospital after a rape, most hospitals have specialized nurses to get a statement and comfort them. These nurses are trained in proper techniques to get a victim talking. They understand that the victim is going through a horrible experience and they just want to forget the whole thing. The team of nurses are there to help comfort the victim and help them feel safe. While also getting facts of the crime to inform police. It is tough for victims to bring the events to light after they have happened not so long ago. That is why this idea of specialists was implemented.

Restraining orders are a great resource for victims to use. If the victim personally knew their attacker, they can file a restraining order against them. What this entails is that if the offender were to get within a certain distance of the victim, they can be reprimanded on site, and convicted for violating the rules of their parole. The offender will most likely be sent back to jail and put in front of a judge to figure out if they should return to prison for another sentence.

Support groups for victims of rape and sexual assault. These groups are filled with people that have been through similar traumatic experiences where they can rely on each other for help and for comfort. It is easier for these types of victims to talk about how they are feeling with other people that will understand. Majority of these groups are for women, but men are normally welcome as well. These organizations also double as drug and alcohol counseling centers for people who fell victim to addiction.

It may not seem like much, but these are just a few things that the criminal justice system has implemented to help victims move on with their lives and improve their mental health after a traumatic incident. Comment below on which you think is the most effective resource and why.