Introduction
Over the past, the issue of racial discrimination and crime has been prevalent in the United Sates. This has threatened the social security and peaceful coexistence of the people in the community. High level of crime in the society affects many activities. It also leads to misery and suffering among the members of the society. Ethnicity is another social ill, which is common in the United States. This study aims at analyzing the crime and ethnicity at Camden area in the United States.
Describe a Particular Population Segment
Camden is one of the cities in the United States that has been adversely affected by crime and its connection to racism. It is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Camden is located near river Delaware. According to the recent statistics the city has a population of about 77, 374. This represented a fall in the overall level based on the previous statistics. For instance, this represented a 3.2 percent fall from 2000. Camden is one of cities in the United States with the high level of crime.
Crime and ethnicity are some of the major issues facing this place. There are various forms of crime including murder, burglary, and rape among others. As a result, this region has encouraged many people to migrate. For instance, the population decreased by about 3.3 percent between 2000 and 2010. This could be attributed to the increased level of crime in the region.
Another main issue facing Camden region is the issue of ethnicity. The place has increased cases of ethnicity. This has significantly affected the coexistence among the people in the region. For instance, discrimination in the workplace has negatively affected the productivity of the workers.
Discussion
There are several factors that have contributed to these social issues in the United States. These factors have facilitated the prevalence of the vice, the fact that has led to serious problems in the society.
In some cases, most criminal activities in the United States are characterized by racism. Racism has resulted to a number of crimes, which has threatened security and peaceful co-existence among the people. There are a number of opposing issues concerning racism and disparity, which has led to complication of the discussion of the issue of racism in the Criminal Justice System.
For instance, there are economic differences among the people that have led to crime in the United States. It is possible to have people from different races on low-income group and on the high-income groups. Most criminal activities lead to crime in the society. The larger the differences between the poor and the rich, the high are the chances of crime. We also have differences in terms of biological heredity, psychological and others that may influence ones tendency to engage in crimes.
One of the main factors that have contributed to crime at Camden region is poverty. Camden region is adversely affected by high level of poverty. A large numbers of people are living below the poverty line. According to the City-Data.com (2009), the residents who were living below the poverty line by 2009 were 35.9 %.
At Camden, the residents with income below 50 % of the poverty level were 17.5 % (City-Data.com 2009). Poverty is closely related to crime. In most cases, areas with high poverty levels tend to report relatively higher cases of crime (Arrigo and Williams, 2006). However, the highest proportion of this number is composed of the black or African American at Camden.
According to the recent statistics, the crime rates are very high at Camden. For instance, there has been recorded to be a very high rate of youth crime. For instance, the rate of the youth crime increased by 18 % in the year 2010 (Camden Community Safety Partnership, 2010). This was relatively higher compared to the statistics recorded in the previous year. Similarly, knife crimes increased by 13 % (Camden Community Safety Partnership 2010).
More than thirty knife related offences were recorded between September 2009 and January 2010. According to the Camden Community Safety Partnership statistics (2010), gun crimes increased by 77 % in 2010. In 2006, 1,693 and 4,787 cases of violent and property crimes respectively in Camden were recorded. This clearly reveals the prevalence of crime in the region.
Racial differences have also led to crime in the United States. This can be explained through the discrimination that the vice has cultivated among the people. From previous statistics, results showed that the rate of arrests for the African Americans were higher than those of the other Americans (Anonymous, 2011).
Crime could, therefore, be explained in terms of the differences among the people from different races. This can be explained in terms of series cause effect. For instance, discrimination may lead to poverty among the blacks, which may then lead to crime.
There are several historical incidences, which can clearly illustrate the issue of racism in America. One of this was the racism against African Americans through slavery. During this period, African Americans were enslaved and were treated like property (Randall, 1998). This led to undermining and persistent racism against Africans.
Another incident in the history, which can be used to demonstrate racism in America, took place after the Mexican- American War in 1948 (Greenhaus and Parasuraman, 1990). During the period, Zoot Suit Riots can clearly demonstrate the racism against Latinos. The Latin Americans were usually composed of people from different ethnic and racial, backgrounds. This made them more prone to racism.
At Camden region, the cases of racism are also prevalent. Recently, there was a case in one of organizations in Camden city where one of the leaders was heard claiming that the blacks must leave (Anonymous, 2011). This issue has significantly affected the coexistence among the people at Camden region.
Camden city is composed of people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. This increases the chances of the prevalence of racism. The main races are the white, African American and Asians. According to the recent statistics, the white composed of 96.08 of the total population (Area connect, 2000).
Recently, the issue of racism has raised major concerns in the study of the criminal justice. In America, there are a significant difference between the number of the black Americans and the white Americans arrested and prosecuted for various crimes. This has raised concerns on the criminal justice practices.
There are a number of areas that differ in terms of races that may lead to differences in the criminal justice. One of these differences is the level of unemployment. Through racial discrimination, there is a significant difference in the level of unemployment in different racial groups. When the level of unemployment is high, the level of poverty is also high and, therefore, there are high chances of committing crimes. For instance, an employed person may engage in stealing due to lack of livelihood.
Race may also lead to differences in political orientation. This leads to differences in the views among the people from different races. In some cases, some members from a certain group may feel that they are not properly represented. In such a situation, differing views may lead people to engage in criminal activities.
This discussion reveals that criminology and racism are connected in the Camden region. Some of the criminal activities in America are rooted in the issues related to race. As already noted, statistics have revealed that certain groups of people in America are more likely to commit a crime than the others.
It is, therefore, necessary to study in terms of race differences. People from a certain race may have varying social psychological differences. This can significantly influence the conduct of individuals. For instance, there are some tendencies that are common in a particular racial group and not prevalent in others.
Aspects and implications of Crime and Racism in Camden
This study raises a number of ethical aspects. The analysis of crime will entail a systematic way of analyzing of the patterns as well as the trends in crime. One of the ethical issues surrounding the crime analysis is the access control. The study on crime is sensitive bearing in mind that it will involve crime victims as one of the subjects.
Therefore, ethical issues will be critically observed in this case. The subjects will be free to participate in the study at their own consent. Every person involved must have the freedom to choose whether to participate or not. Therefore, there should not be any penalty for not participating in the process.
For instance, it would be wrong to have a situation where the prisoners will be asked to participate in order to access certain services (Arrigo and Williams, 2006: 124). In other words, people should be free to choose any course of action without any intimidation.
Another ethical issue in this case is on integrity violations. It is usually easy to corrupt data on crime. It is advisable to guard the data collected to make sure it does not land on the hands of the people who are not allowed to access it. This will prevent misuse of the data collected. Privacy is also important in this case. The names of the participants must, therefore, be kept confidential. They can only be disclosed at their own consent.
The case of racism has critical implication on the profession. For instance, some leaders in one organisation at Camden were heard saying that the blacks must leave the office (Anonymous, 2011). Racism can affect the performance of employees in an organisation. Professional must refrain from practicing racism in their activities. This will ensure social satisfaction and effective coexistence among the people.
Challenges Faced In an Attempt to Solve the Social Issues at Camden
There are two main challenges that are faced in an effort to solve the problem of crime and racism at Camden region. One of the main challenges is poverty. For instance, 35.9 % of the residents are living below the poverty line (City-Data, 2009). Therefore, poverty is one of the major obstacles in an effort to reduce the prevalence of these issues in the society. For instance, people are indulging in criminal activities like burglary due to poverty.
Therefore, the continued prevalence of poverty in the region makes it difficult to eliminate crime in the region. Another problem faced in an attempt to solve the special issues is the legal framework. For instance, there is a need to have a legal specification that specifies strict measures against the individuals found guilty for practicing these vices. It becomes difficult to control these vices effectively without appropriate legal directions.
A research project proposal to investigate the prevalence of crime at Camden region
Problem statement
Camden region is one of the most dangerous regions in the United States. It has been severally ranked among the top leading cities in terms of crime. This research seeks to investigate the prevalence of the crime in this region.
Research plan
This study will involve some prisoners, security officers and the statistics department of the United States. The crime victims will help to provide the necessary information on crime. The security officers will also provide important information on the prevalence of crime. The static’s’ department will also provide necessary statistics of the Camden area. This study will take approximately two months. To collect the data, this project will require five people to administer the structured questionnaires.
Statistical analysis method
In this study, statistical analysis will play a pivotal role in drawing the final decisions. We are going to use the t-test in making the conclusions. In this case, there will be hypothesis about the study. One of the variables in this case will be poverty. The null hypothesis (H0) that poverty does not lead to crime will be tested against the alternative hypothesis (Ha) that poverty leads to crime.
This hypothesis will either be accepted or rejected depending on the results of the test. The data collected will therefore be necessary in testing the hypothesis. In this case, t-test will be useful in determining the major causes of crime as well as its prevalence in Camden region.
Subjects of the study
Since this study touches critical issues on crime, it will involve the security officers and other personnel concerned with security matters. It will also involve some of the government officials who will provide necessary statistics on crime activities in the region. Prisoners will also be useful in providing necessary details that will help in understanding the issue of crime in the region. For instance, it helps in revealing the reasons why they were involved in crime.
In the present evaluation, some of the subjects are going to be crime victims. The issue of security is therefore very critical in this case. The researchers will need to protect the participants from any form of victimization. For instance, the researcher may retrieve information like involvement in abusive activities. In such a situation, the interviewer must ensure the security of the participants (Taubes, 1993: 1109). However, they may use safe ways to help the participants.
Significance of the Study
This study will be of great significance to the policy makers in the region and other agencies involved in security matters. The findings of the study will be of great importance to the policy makers, as they will use this information in making policy decisions. For instance, in case the statistical tests reveals that poverty is a significant cause of crime in the region, them they may set policies which will reduce the poverty levels which will consequently reduce the rates of crime.
The study will also reveal other significant relationships of crime with other aspects, which will be necessary in finding the solution to the rising cases of crime at Camden. The data collected will also be useful to the security officers. For instance, the data on the distribution of criminal activities in the region will be necessary in making decisions on the areas to which they need to deploy more soldiers to maintain security. They will also use such information in determining the areas that requires intensive patrol depending on the nature of crimes.
Reference List
Anonymous. (2011). Race and Ethnicity – Race in U.S. Legal History, Native Americans, Black Americans and Crime, Policing and Minorities. Web.
Area connect. (2010). Camden Crime Statistics and Crime Data. Web.
Area connect. (2000) Camden City, New Jersey Statistics and Demographics (US Census 2000). Web.
Arrigo, B. and Williams, C. (2006). Philosophy, Crime, and Criminology. U.S.A.: University of Illinois Press.
Camden Community Safety Partnership (2010). Monthly Performance Report – January 2010. Web.
Citi-Data.com. (2009). Camden, New Jersey (NJ) Poverty Rate Data – Information about poor and low-income residents. Web.
Greenhaus, J. and Parasuraman, S. (1990). Effects of race on organizational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes. Azcademy of Management Journal. 1990, Vol. 1, pp. 64-86.
Randall, K. (1998). Race, Crime, and the Law. New York: Vintage Books.
Taubes, G. (1993). Misconduct (Views from the trenches). Vol. 261:1108–11.