Due to rapid levels of urbanization, combined with a dramatic increase in population, the city of Dallas is
facing multiple citywide issues. Research has shown that while the city’s poverty rates have declined
during this influx of new inhabitants, the rising cost of living has left increasing numbers of residents
below the poverty line (Gonzalez et al., 2018).
With this rise in poverty, local social welfare programs have been heavily taxed, to the extent that many
residents are unable to receive sufficient funds to meet their daily needs. As a result, Dallas has also
witnessed an uptick in crime, causing further concern within its communities (Wheeler & Reuter, 2021).
Clearly, each of these factors has the potential to affect the others, making it a priority for policy makers
to consider viable solutions for these issues.
The city of Dallas has multiple options available to address this rise in crime, a few of which have been
relatively successful. One solution that could prove even more effective on preventing crime, however, is
through implementing a community prosecution program (Worrall & Wheeler, 2019). In this type of
program, local prosecutors are assigned to specific neighborhoods and communities in the city. The
prosecutors then join with local officials, government employees, and community members to identify
specific crime issues their community faces, and to resolve them locally.
This coordination would not only provide community-specific solutions to the challenges that residents
face, but it would also draw attention to other pressing issues within the community like poverty and
social welfare (Worrall & Wheeler, 2019). While the program would mainly focus on reducing crime,
these new groups would also be able to address other issues within their community. For a city as
sprawling and developing as Dallas, one of the best ways for the city to promote its citizens’ well-being
could be through enabling them to determine practical solutions for their own communities.
References
Gonzalez, J. M. R., Jetelina, K. K., Roberts, M., Clutter, M. O., Sanders, C., Baidhya, S., & Tsai, R. (2018).
The relationship between homelessness and behavior problems among youth in North Texas: A brief
report. American journal of criminal justice, 43(3), 591-602. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12103-017-
9427-1Links to an external site.
Wheeler, A. P., & Reuter, S. (2021). Redrawing hot spots of crime in Dallas, Texas. Police Quarterly, 24(2),
159-184. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1177/1098611120957948
