1. Given the difficulty in identifying potentially violent criminals, how much faith do you have in the ability of selective incapacitation as an effective strategy to reduce and control crime, particularly in the case of career criminals?

I think selective incapacitation is unfair and unethical because it incarcerates people based on not just the offense committed, but also on an “expectation” of their future criminal behavior. While I agree that a high-risk, repeat offender would be a prime candidate to keep track of, I still don’t think past behavior can be used as a reliable indicator to predict a future offense with 100% accuracy. Incarceration should be based on facts and not predictions, and while a long record of criminal behavior can increase the chances of a criminal repeating an offense in the future, it is not reason enough to conclude that they absolutely will, and then incarcerate them for a longer time than what the offense originally warrants.

I’m not against stiff punishments for violent crimes. I am okay with giving capital punishment to a criminal who committed homicide, if all homicide cases were treated by law that way, but the idea of determining “potentially” violent criminals and incarcerating them neither seems logically sound nor ethical to me. For instance, if we lock up all people in United Stateswho we think may have even the most remote chance of committing a crime in the future, then we will actually end up with lesser crime; however, it might be at a cost of thousands of people who would’ve never committed crime in the future in the first place. Going by this logic when applied to career criminals, I think we may end up with negligibly small reduction in crime, but we may also end up adding significantly to the already exploding prison populations and creating bigger problems than before.

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2.What is psychological profiling and how effective is it as a tool for the apprehension of criminal suspects?

Psychological profiling is about understanding the mind of a criminal and using that information in guiding an investigation further. Psychological profiling provides critical information on aspects of a criminal such as background, behavior, fears, habits, motives, and rituals to investigators who use it to identify similarities between previously committed crimes and identify the modus operandi. The information in psychological profiles can point investigators at possible directions to look for evidence when they reach dead ends. When details on the lifestyle of a serial killer (for instance) are made public, then it can prove to be effective in apprehending suspects because friends, colleagues, or neighbors may be able to identify them.

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3.If we are serious about addressing explanations for crime in a holistic manner, shouldn’t we explore all possible avenues of explanations? How would you approach the development of such a theory?

If we are attempting to comprehensively address explanations for crime, then we should definitely explore all potential explanation avenues. If I were to develop such a theory, then I would take a grassroots level approach. I would look at the following:

  • Integrating theories such as social learning, social control, and strain theory
  • Using quantitative as well as qualitative methods
  • Including varied levels of analysis such as individual and neighborhood
  • Involving sociological as well as psychological disciplines

My key focus in developing such a theory would be to research and understand adverse cultural, economic, familial, and social factors that contribute to crime.

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4. What are the benefits of focusing crime prevention efforts on places rather than on people?

Numerous benefits result when we focus crime prevention efforts towards places instead of people.Studies reveal that incidence of crime is not evenly spread when it comes to city landscapes; instead, a significant crime clustering that accounts for about half of all criminal activities is indicated in small places called hot spots. Identifying these hot spots and focusing efforts towards them can go a long way in improving resource utilization by saving efforts that are otherwise spent on crime-free areas.Such an approach can produce significant gains in terms of crime prevention because it aids targeted police interventions like proactive arrests, directed patrols, and policing that is problem oriented.

5. How would you respond to the statement “The American dream is, in part, responsible for a great deal of crime and violence because people feel that the country owes them not only a living but a good living.” (David Abrahamsen)

While the statement is not entirely inaccurate, I still think it is a tad exaggerating to blame a significant amount of crime and violence on the American dream. It is true though that the American dream increases expectations of what people want in their lives. Increased expectations can go a long way in channeling positive efforts towards realization of those expectations, which can in turn contribute to the improvement of the overall standard of living. With that being said, when people believe that hard work always produces success in America, and when they realize that it is not necessarily true, it leaves them feeling let down and disappointed, causing some to resort to crime and violence to realize their dreams. Even when some people receive a reasonably good living, their heightened perceptions of the American dream may drive them to resort to crime and violence when fair means do not produce the desired results.