Memphis is one of the regions with the highest crime rate in the US (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 1). In 2009, more than half of those apprehended for involvement in violent crime were youths aged 24 years and below. The main risk factors for crime in Memphis include family poverty, poor parenting, and a disorganized neighborhood. Poverty is a top risk factor in Memphis. By 2011, the city had a child poverty rate of forty percent and population poverty of twenty-six percent (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 17). More than ten percent of children from poverty-stricken families stand a high risk of parental involvement in crime, substance abuse, neglect, abuse, and homelessness. One of the pointers of poverty in Memphis is living in a home where no adult holds a part or full-time job for a significant period of the year. A substantial proportion of youths who engage in crime are also drawn where one or both parents have been imprisoned or suffer from health complications. If family poverty is prevalent in the neighborhood or among peer groups, the prevalence of crime in such an environment is high (Schneider, 2010, p. 22).
The aspects of parenting that are related to the development of delinquent behavior include child supervision, discipline, and warm child-parent interactions (Schneider, 2010, p. 42). Families with erratic, lax, and harsh discipline have been found to raise antisocial and delinquent children. Longitudinal research on over 600 families revealed a relationship between the application of physical punishment and later delinquency (Schneider, 2010, p. 42). Effective discipline is also essential for bringing up children who are well-adjusted behaviorally and socially (Derzon, and Lipsey, 2000, p. 215).
Parental supervision entails setting boundaries and rules for the children and the use of appropriate discipline. Studies have found a correlation between poor supervision and delinquency (Schneider, 2010, p. 49). Family interaction patterns in terms of support, warmth, and rejection influence children’s behavior. Teenagers who receive high levels of warm treatment from parents have low chances of developing delinquency. Conversely, children who perceive rejection from their parents have a high tendency of becoming delinquent (Derzon, and Lipsey, 2000, p. 218).
Parenting hardly occurs in a vacuum; it is surrounded by a myriad of external factors that determine its quality and style. One of the main external factors that expose individuals to the risk of developing offensive conduct is a neighborhood (National Gang Center, 2010, p. 79). Adverse and disorganized neighborhoods expose persons to the development of deviant behaviors. In Memphis, children and youth face pervasive families, peers, and crime-ridden apartments and neighborhoods (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 19). Weak communities in the city are marked with homelessness, abandoned buildings, high residential turnover, and weak social controls. Between 2007 and 2009, the number of gangs in Memphis rose from 660 to 816. By 2010, 15.53% of all the housing units in the city were vacant (National Gang Center, 2010, p. 79). These characteristics allow deviant activities to go on unchecked. In addition, residing in a neighborhood with high levels of crime and drug abuse escalates the risk of engagement in crime (Elliott, 1994, p. 18).
Social developmental crime prevention programs are long-term approaches that address the causes of deviant conduct. Social development programs are aimed at alleviating the risk factors to crime and building protective factors that forestall those risks. Poverty as a risk factor can be mitigated through youth empowerment programs (Mrazek and Haggerty, 1994, p. 211). A community-visioning study conducted in Memphis identified youth development, career prospects, academic support, and family strengthening resources as some of the effective mechanisms of dealing with poverty (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 26). Youths can be empowered through the provision of quality education opportunities and financial support to pursue education. In addition, the education system should focus on employable skills to enable the youth to secure decent jobs. The government and non-governmental organizations need to collaborate in alleviating poverty at the family level (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 26).
Family-oriented risk factors can be addressed through parenting support and training programs (Felson, 2006, p. 29). Parenting support and training empower families to create a healthy environment for nurturing and raising children. Appropriate support empowers parents to deal with children’s upbringing matters. It involves the provision of advice, information, and skills that are essential to becoming good parents. Parenting support and training help parents understand their children’s needs and conduct. Indeed, parenting programs create an enabling environment for bringing up well-adjusted children (Felson, 2006, p. 30).
Citizen mobilization programs address the challenges posed by a disorganized neighborhood and build a protective environment that deters serious offenders (Farrington, 1997, p. 60). Some of the widely used citizen mobilization mechanisms are neighborhood networks and watch programs. Neighborhood networks in Memphis focus on the provision of resources and high-quality programs to the youths and families who are exposed to crime (Consilience Group, 2011, p. 30). The programs include teen pregnancy prevention, parenting support, mentoring, tutoring, internship, and after-school programs (Sampson and Radenbush, 2001, p. 61). The proponents of neighborhood watch programs argue that residents can check suspicious activities in their vicinity (Sampson and Radenbush, 2001, p. 61). The programs are started by community organizers in collaboration with the police department. The organizers recruit participants, hold meetings to discuss prevention techniques, disseminate information on home security, inspect homes, and exchange contacts (Farrington, 1997, p. 61).
References
Consilience Group. (2011). Operation safe community: Memphis youth violence prevention plan. Memphis: Consilience Group.
Derzon, J. H., and Lipsey, M. W. (2000). The correspondence of family features with problem, aggressive, criminal and violent behavior. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.
Elliott, D. S. (1994). Serious violent offenders: Onset, developmental course, and termination. Criminology, 32 (1), 1–21.
Farrington, D. P. (1997). Early prediction of violent and non-violent youthful offending. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 5 (2):51–66.
Felson, M. (2006). Crime and nature. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Mrazek, P. J., and Haggerty, R. J. (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for preventative intervention research. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
National Gang Center. (2010). Best practices to address community gang problems: OJJDP’s comprehensive gang model. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Sampson, R.J. and Radenbush, S. W. (2001). Disorder in urban neighborhoods-does it lead to crime. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Schneider, S. (2010). Crime prevention theory and practice. New York, NY: CRC Press.