Social Issues In The United States

Criminal justice practitioners are necessary for a civilized society. Without those who form boundaries to our freedom, and the ones that reinforce those laws, our community would be chaos. Some of the main social issues our society faces are drug abuse, gang violence, child abuse, and terrorism. The criminal justice practitioners face these types of issues daily. These professionals must act on the morals and laws stated by society rather than their own opinions, sometimes facing hard decisions. The criminal justice field is always active and busy, dealing with countless amount of criminal activity throughout the country.

The Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force became the vehicle which all the federal, state, and local police agencies join to address the violence facing their communities. “The FBI’s Safe Streets and Gang Unit administers 160 Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Forces nationwide, staffed by nearly 850 FBI agents, more than 1,500 state and local law enforcement personnel, and nearly 100 other federal law enforcement agents.” (FBI) These task forces go out and track down the gangs through investigations to get prosecutions to include racketeering, drug conspiracy, and firearms violations. They monitor through financial analysis and wire intercepts to catch and prosecute the whole gang up through their command

A gang is a group of people that shares a purpose or an identity. The shared identity can be based on culture, class, religion or even ethnicity (Delaney, 2006). Gangs have been around for hundreds of years. They go back as far as

RMIT university electives assisting knowledge and skills most relevant to role include: Criminal Behaviour Analysis SOCU2253 pre requisite SOCU2119, SOCU2221 Criminological Theory; Offender profiling and crime scene analysis consideration is applied to the intersections between individual and social class and the issues faced in understanding criminal behaviour developing understanding and awareness of criminal behaviour, causes of offending, effects and ways society defines, understands and responds. Understanding offenders perspectives, profiling and case management of a range of serious violent crimes such as homicide, serial killing, intimate partner homicide, sexual offending and domestic violence. Extendable in employment applying critical thinking to effectively solve diverse criminological problems and issues associated with crime management, the justice system and investigative

society. Criminal justice professionals are the backbone to any society and they are given certain

The issue of gangs in the United States is one of massive proportions. According to the FBI's website, as of 2010 there are 33,000 violent street, motorcycle, and prison gangs in the U.S. with approximately 1.4 million total active members (Pastor). These gangs derive most of their revenue from the smuggling and distribution of illicit substances and weapons. Many of the gangs in the U.S. recruit members as young as 11 years old, such as the well known 18th Street Gang from L.A. ("18th Street Gang"). The fact that these gangs prey on inner-city youth who have nowhere else to turn is why they remain so powerful, seeing that for every gang member incarcerated the gangs can simply recruit another member. Due to these reasons I believe that gang activity is one of the largest social issues we face in the United States today.

In the criminal justice profession, there is a huge number of different populations. Each will have needs that will vary from population to population. Different populations can vary in size, gender, ethnic background, etc. Today we will focus on three populations which include victims of sexual violence, communities below the poverty line, and communities that are primarily comprised of people who speak little to no English. As a criminal justice professional, you will have to have the ability to identify specific needs of each population and handle these needs in the appropriate manner.

What do you personally think are the major social problems/ issues facing the US today? Label each problem as personal, social, and or global.

Most individuals, when hearing the term “criminal justice” think of only the police force   “a group of police officers serving sectors of individuals to better the nation” (President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, 1967, p. 7). Police officers are known to apprehend sinister criminals, to writing case reports, to handing out speeding tickets. Arguably one of the most important factors in the criminal justice system, the police force has characteristically received more attention within the past decade in the United States. With the initiation of the Obama administration, crime rate being at an all-time high, the war on terrorism and police brutality just to name a few situations, the police force has both flourished and seen phases of corruption. It is evident that the criminal-fighting force is necessary in order for society to function.

During the Theory and Practice of Law enforcement I have learned many new and interesting information pertaining to our law enforcement in the United States. Among this new information is the clarification of what the role of law enforcement in the United States is now compared to that of their role in previous eras. Today the police’s role is not merely to protect and serve our society, but many differing various roles that help society with everyday routine and structure. Through this course I have also learned a number of strategies which will help the police reach their goals of their particular roles they strive to achieve. I have learned about the tactics that the police use in order to achieve their goals. Finally I have gotten a general idea about the current strategies of the police and the effects on society through the tactics used to reach their goals of their roles. The future of policing should focus on the roles of “handling” all situations that arise, use of force, and use of discretion, which can all be accomplished through the strategies of crime analysis, problem-oriented policing, along with tactics of communication and technology.

I What precisely is a Gang? Gangs are a gathering of individuals male or female that cooperate to claim region in urban areas and utilize that to profit through criminal acts, for example, offering drugs. “Gangs can be organized based upon race, ethnicity, territory, or money-making activities, and are generally made up of members ages 8 to 22” (DOsomething). At the point when in a gang, the individuals assert where they are from wearing certain colored handkerchiefs caps or tattoos. Gangs have turned out to be one of the main explanations behind the ascent of violent wrongdoings on and off school's properties.

The criminal justice system is commonly defined as a system of law enforcement and correctional agencies that work together to affect the apprehension, prosecution, and control of criminal offenders. With society constantly changing and advances in technology, there have been crimes that have recently started to become more present, such as terrorism, white-collar crime, green crime, cyber-crime, and organized crime. Police have been relying on new advancement of technology to identify suspects and solve crimes. Steps have also been taken to help juveniles get the help that they need and ensure that juvenile offenders who repeat their crimes are properly punished. Social and personal issues have started to become more apparent as well. Diversity, police discretion, stress, fatigue, and the use force have all become hot topics within the system. As society and technology change the criminal justice system will continue to change with it to try to keep the system as fair and just as possible.

Many different definitions for a gang exist, but according to DoSomething.org in their article, “11 Facts About Gangs,” a gang is defined as, “A group of people who claim a territory and use it to make money through illegal activities.” However, this is a modern definition of gangs, and it does not necessarily define gangs that existed in early history. Yet, some characteristics of gangs today are similar to characteristics of past gangs. For example, members of a gang

Gang involvement and its associated violent crime have become a rapidly growing problem for the United States. Generally, gangs consist of young people of the same ethnic, racial, and economic background. Usually of a low socio-economic status, these gangs engage in illegal money making activities and intimidate their neighborhoods and rival gangs with violent crimes and victimization. Gang members exemplify a high value for group loyalty and sacrifice.

Many criminal justice social workers also operate in areas of case management behavioral health. Social work is being required to adapt to the progressing changes in the country’s philosophy on the best ways to balance the sometimes conflicted differences between the need for public safety and the need to address the bio-psychosocial needs of offenders (Wilson, 2010). Treatment is needed for offenders while they are in prison and someone to help them with underlying issues. They can help the offender along with the probation and parole officer adjust to re-entering society as a law abiding