Anyone in today’s criminal justice field needs to be knowledgeable about gangs and well-versed in evidence-based strategies to prevent, intervene in, and suppress gang activity. According to the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center, about 33,000 violent gangs are engaged in criminal activity in the United States today. These gangs are sophisticated, well organized, technology and social media savvy, and violent. They engage in such violent criminal activities as robbery; drug, gun, and human trafficking; prostitution; fraud; and homicide, all in pursuit of their main goal—to generate revenue. Law enforcement and ordinary citizens can be the targets of gang criminal activity and become the collateral damage resulting from this activity.
Even more concerning in recent years is the existence of transnational gangs (such as MS-13 and 18th Street), primarily stemming from three Central American countries—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
In this assignment, in addition to the chapter readings in your textbook for the first three weeks of the course, you are required to review these additional resources and then summarize and analyze your findings:
What We Investigate: Gangs.
What We Investigate: Gang News.
National Gang Report 2015.
Although this FBI report is about five years old, it is one of the most comprehensive resources that exist about gangs, gang activity, and trends in gang activity. You will want to spend time getting acquainted with this important resource as you pursue your criminal justice career.
National Gang Center (NGC).
Instructions
After reviewing the chapter readings from the first three weeks of the course and the resources mentioned in the Overview, you are to write a four- to six-page paper in which you:
Summarize the major gangs that exist in the United States today.
Outline the National Gang Intelligence Center’s assessment of the gangs that pose the greatest threat to the United States.
Determine the major trends in gang activity based on your review of a minimum of three current articles (within the past three years) from the Gang News resource.
Analyze how consistent the gang trends you identified are with those identified in the National Gang Report 2015.
Determine which anti-gang initiatives spearheaded by the National Gang Center are grounded in evidence-based theories.
Use three sources to support your writing.
Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.
Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.
For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library or review library guides.
Tag: Drugs
Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime
How did the authors study the correlation between drugs, alcohol, and crime? What sampling techniques were used to identify subjects for this study?
What were the authors’ findings and conclusions? How did the sampling methods impact the generalizability of the study? How did this article improve your knowledge of drugs, alcohol, and crime?
Identify two issues with the methodology that might limit the use of this study to direct public policy concerning drugs and crime.
Drugs, Crime, School Crime and Prevention
Using the above topic, write a series of responses to the following:
Describe Community Policing: name five Definitions, Identifications, partnerships, and Problems
What is the extent and scope of drug and crime connection?
What are characteristics of interventions and prevention?
What are the causes of crime and violence in schools?
What is the structure of the school and drug prevention programs?
What are dilemmas, their nature, and extent?
What is the future educational and drug prevention programs?
Drugs, Crime, School Crime and Prevention
Using the above topic, write a series of responses to the following:
Describe Community Policing: name five Definitions, Identifications, partnerships, and Problems
What is the extent and scope of drug and crime connection?
What are characteristics of interventions and prevention?
What are the causes of crime and violence in schools?
What is the structure of the school and drug prevention programs?
What are dilemmas, their nature, and extent?
What is the future educational and drug prevention programs?
Drugs, Guns, and Personal Liberty
Essay Topic; Drugs
Videos for Drug Topic; *Need to Watch this 3 video’s
Ethics – Drug Legalization and Criminalization (Link to video: https://youtu.be/DeItJM5i2JM)
How America Got Hooked on Opioids – The War on Drugs (Link to video: https://youtu.be/GJc-YI7OWfY)
– In The War On Drugs Show, we examine the social implications of prohibition worldwide. Any attempt to shut down the trade in drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, or weed invariably sets off a chain of events that just makes things worse, leaving a trail of death, illness, violence, slavery, addiction, crime, and inequality across the globe. Everyone loses – except, in a weird kind of way, the drugs themselves.
The World If… Drugs Become Legal (https://youtu.be/j5T-LYTPRVs)
– As part of the Daily Watch ‘drugs week,’ we explore what the world might look like if legalization replaces the failing war on drugs. Join Tom Wainwright, Britain editor of The Economist and author of Narconomics, as he predicts what will happen to the cartels.
Essay Instructions:
Thoughtfully reflect on the issues discussed in the talks that you have watched. If you have chosen an alternative video to those on the list, please thoroughly identify the video.
In your essay, please address the following questions:
1) What is the speaker’s point of view about the topic? Is the speaker biased?
2) What ethical issues and ethical reasoning are argued?
3) Do you think that the issues discussed have moral and ethical implications? Why or why not?
4) Do you agree with the speaker’s point of view? Be specific and thorough. Express how and why you agree or disagree and discuss how ethics and values contribute to your opinion.
5) Consider the theoretical concepts discussed in the course. Do not just state your viewpoint; rather provide relevant details to support your findings and/or position.
Poverty, drugs, diseases, unemployment
As a sociologist, how would you help Chad in Africa with poverty, drugs, diseases, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, young adult mortality, low life expectancy, malnutrition, child kidnapping, and poor education?
Poverty, drugs, diseases, unemployment
As a sociologist, how would you help Chad in Africa with poverty, drugs, diseases, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, young adult mortality, low life expectancy, malnutrition, child kidnapping, and poor education?
Drugs, Alcohol, and Sexual Assault
Chapter 9 in the textbook addresses the issue of sexual assault. Reported incidents of sexual assault on college campuses, including military academies, continue to rise. Reported incidents of “date rape” and gang rape at parties and other social gatherings are also increasing. Unlike the laws concerning stalking that were discussed in this week’s reading, laws about sexual assault are clear, direct, and unambiguous. Yet, many offenders (and witnesses to sexual violence) have stated they did not interpret their actions, or those of the actual perpetrator(s), as sexual assault. What type and degree of social influence may be impacting this reported lack of understanding and awareness of sexual assault as a crime? What steps would you recommend, or endorse if they are already in place, as necessary to address this situation? Include information from your review of a relevant scholarly journal.
Required Resource
Text
Bartol A., & Bartol C. (2019). Introduction to forensic psychology: Research and application (5th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Chapter 2: Police and Public Safety Psychology
Chapter 8: Psychology of Violence and Intimidation
Chapter 9: Psychology of Sexual Assault
Recommended Resources
Websites
Office for Victims of Crime (Links to an external site.). (http://www.ovc.gov/)
There are several professional organizations and the U.S. Federal Government who provide current and historical data and research regarding issues of mental health and the criminal justice system. This site can provide you with additional information to assist you in the development of both of this week’s discussion posts and the assignment.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (Links to an external site.). (www.theiacp.org)
There are several professional organizations and the U.S. Federal Government who provide current and historical data and research regarding issues of mental health and the criminal justice system. This site can provide you with additional information to assist you in the development of both of this week’s discussion posts and the assignment.