Homicide_rate_A_Case_Study_of_Baltimore_47___2_.docx.pdf

Mock Research Proposal Assignment: Policy Analysis and Statesmanship for Module 8: Week 8

Ayo Ogunmolasuyi

Dr. Robert Nolbandov

Liberty University

PLCY 805-D03 -Fall 2021

December 18, 2021

Introduction

Baltimore is famous for its history, culture and is one of the big cities in the United

States. It is renowned for its unique culture, seaport (Fort McHenry), and the birthplace of the

United States national anthem. Despite Baltimore's historical and cultural wealth, it is a city

including armed robbery, carjacking, burglary, rape, and homicides. "Violent crimes are

rationalization, family disintegration, law, and substance abuse. Despite the government's efforts

to end the callous killing recorded every year, the homicide rate keeps escalating, resulting in

several deaths. This paper aims to research homicide in the United States, focusing on the steady

crime rate in Baltimore City. Fenelon & Boudreaux (2019) argue that Baltimore has shown no

sustained change in homicides since the early period. (2363). This study aims to answer several

questions about why homicides are so high in Baltimore, who commits homicides, and what

prompts people to kill. Thus, this paper provides the causal link between factors propelling crime

and homicide. This study aims to add to the existing studies on this research and draw up a plan

that best mitigates homicides in the City of Baltimore and other homicide-stricken communities

in the United States and around the world. This research aims to explore the reality of homicide,

the economic and social implications.

Homicide

"Homicide is defined as the willful killing of one human being by another."

(Morales,1995; Armour, 2002, 372). The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2019)

describes homicide as the ultimate crime with ripple effects on human life, victims' families, and

man was arrested for shooting six people. At the same time, Chicago is now recording its worst

for a situation where there are no jobs for non-incapacitated people searching for them. In

Baltimore city, the unemployment rate has been going down with time, and so has the crime rate,

justifying reasons to link unemployment and crime strongly. Crime is a source of income for the

predators, creating similarities to other forms of employment. Crimes and unemployment are

directly relatable, and the lack of one denotes the other. Crime has become an option in places

where there is unemployment and poverty. Mazarodze (2020) affirms that the link between crime

and unemployment is historical and a central point of debate for policymakers. (1).

Unemployment leads to poverty. There is an essential correlation between unemployment

and the crime rate because human beings desire to survive by all means. Many care less about

their dignity, talk less about the consequences of their actions, and the best choice for them is to

turn to crime. While there is a correlation between unemployment and crime, many researchers

opine that unemployment does not impact homicide but positively impacts property crime.

Raphael & Winter-Ebmer (2001). It is believed that the channels through which unemployment

may affect violent crime still exist. Unemployment leads to a lack of a stable source of income,

leading them to turn to criminal life to satisfy their personal and basic needs. Thus, they are

driven by frustration and despair and are desperate to live a sustainable life that is impossible

Ethnic rationalization refers to some types of regional discrimination, in which the

negotiable choice for them. The attitude is a feature of a primarily black neighborhood in

Baltimore, especially on the west side. This neighborhood faces employment and housing

discrimination; hence, they are economically challenged. The government needs to do more to

deal with these socially vulnerable neighborhoods. Otherwise, it would be difficult to weaken a

devious culture that encourages or tolerates criminal behavior. (Burt et al., 2012).

Heavy alcohol consumption can alter behavior, causing people to focus on the situation at

hand without considering the potential consequences of their actions. Alcohol consumption

impacts the brain, depriving individuals of acknowledging other individuals' perspectives,

solving problems, and making more objective decisions. Drugs and substance abuse impairs

judgment, leading to armed robbery, murder, and rape cases. The use of drugs and alcohol can

propel domestic violence, leading to homicide. They are all interrelated and inseparable. Duff et

Al. (2017) argue that intimate partner violence is a global problem, resulting in intimate partner

homicide. (4940). Many researchers have identified the influence of alcohol and illicit drugs as

factors influencing violence in many homes. Forty studies of violent offenders and equal

numbers of studies of victims of violence show 50% of alcohol involvement in examining people

and events. (Taylor 1992; Phil et al., 1993; Roizen, 1993; Parker & Aurehann, 1998, 294).

members on the street may have joined while incarcerated. Adams and Pizarro (2013) affirm that

committed to drug crimes, the main problem that keeps increasing the homicide rate due to gangs

is retaliation against assault, an ongoing issue in Baltimore neighborhoods. Valaski (2018)

describes this as a motive-based violent act and a direct function of gang recruitment, retaliation,

and territoriality. (10-21).

Illegal gun possession and use is another factor contributing to the increasing rate of

homicide in Baltimore City and the United States in general. Kivisto, Ray & Phalen (2017) assert

that the United States has more citizen-owned firearms than any other country in the world and

some of the most relaxed firearm laws. Leaving hands in the hands of criminals can be

detrimental to national security. The impact is the consistent rise in homicides and other violent

deaths. Gun violence remains a severe problem in the United States, with more than 11,000

homicide victims and 467,300 victims of non-fatal gun crimes. (Truman, 2013; Pierce, Braga &

Wintemute, 2014, 179). Should there be severe punishment for killers? The answer is yes if we

are to go by the famous saying that, "Whoever kills by a sword should die by the sword." Many

offenders are incarcerated for murder and serve a short sentence for pleading guilty. Their

victims are dead, the families in eternal agony of losing their loved ones.

Short-term sentences will not perform as a deterrent for others on the street hunting to kill

(Ramoutar, 1995. 31-32). Can incarceration deter crime? Criminals tend to re-offend because

homicide is concerned, the appropriate measure would have been capital punishment, which

varies from state to state and country to country. Whether capital punishment deters crime is still

a subject of research discourse, an ongoing debate.

The Social and economic implications of homicide

Homicide evokes a feeling of insecurity in society and undermines social and economic

growth. This fact explains when certain parts of Baltimore (west) are socially and economically

underdeveloped. Businesses are unwilling to set up in an environment that portends danger to

their business and lives. Homicide has adverse effects on the lives of victims' families, the

offender's family, and society. The impact of homicides on the victim's family is enormous; it

comes with fear, guilt, depression, emotional pain, and financial difficulties. Homicides may lead

victims' families to incur expenses beyond their means to pay lawyers so that they can get justice

and incur financial fees on funeral costs. In a situation where the victim is the breadwinner,

families can no longer pay their bills and cope financially. "Homicide is a crime that devastates

families. Its violence reverberates across generations, irrevocably altering lives." (Englebrecht,

Mason & Adams, 2014, 407).

The offender's family, the hidden victim, is also going through depression and guilt, watching

Homicides have a massive impact on residential property prices in the affected area, as residents

and abandonment.

Key assumptions

The central assumptions of this study are that the causative factors are interrelated and, as

such, one cannot exempt any of the independent variables as a factor leading to homicide.

Unemployment, hyper segregation, drugs and alcohol, gangs have attributes capable of causing

murder. This study does not consider the postulation that unemployment only leads to property

crimes. This assumption enables the analysis of this study to focus on the general problem and

the causative agents of homicide in Baltimore city and other homicide-stricken communities

around the globe. Gangs in Baltimore tend to be in the drug business, and they value their

business and territory more than human life. Like any other entrepreneur, drug dealers intend to

make money, and the best way to increase their supply and sales is to recruit young sellers as the

natural supply source for the market. These young lads are willing to risk their lives with little or

no value for other people's lives. Another critical assumption is that weapons are inseparable

from other crimes. Individuals serving sentences to disseminate or possess drugs are usually

guilty of other offenses, mainly the unlawful possession of firearms or the violent use of

weapons.

technique strengthens this study by allowing insights into people's thoughts, reflections, actions,

interaction with offenders and a review of previous studies, and this paper represents an attempt

to appraise the benefits and challenges of qualitative research on homicide. The materials

reviewed are relevant literature addressing factors that can lead to crime and homicide.

Maryland has 30 jails in 23 counties and 24 correctional facilities to retribute,

incapacitate, deter crime, and rehabilitate offenders, yet, Baltimore, the biggest city in the state,

is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. This study contributes to

existing research on reducing homicides in Baltimore and other cities of concern. It suggests that

more attention from policymakers, scholars, and researchers is necessary for reducing crime and

homicide. Everyone has to agree that a problem exists that needs a solution. Homicide is a

pandemic that is slowly and steadily devouring our neighborhoods. This study reveals that

factors contributing to homicide are many and should not be discussed in isolation to find a

lasting solution. Policymakers need to address the various loopholes to homicide in Baltimore

and other cities. Homicide risk factors include poverty, economic inequality, ethnic

rationalization, uncontrolled gun use, drugs, and alcohol. Jobs help boost economic growth and

youth empowerment. "Unemployment can lead to long-term youth exclusion from the labor

Moreover, many are willing to work but unable to find one because of their criminal

and procedures by homicide detectives. (Wellford & Cronin, 1999; Braga & Dusseault, 2016,

284 Provision of surveillance cameras and the enforcement of DNA to ensure potential evidence

in crime-fighting. "The recovery of DNA traces from the crime scene can be of crucial

importance for reconstructing and solving crimes." (Mapes et l. 2015, 851). It is also essential to

legislate gun control and improve security such that no one would consider the need to have a

gun. It is also crucial that law enforcement officers do not misuse the weapons they carry by

turning citizens into victims of gun violence. There is a need for good rapport between citizens

and the police. Gun law and control have generated much controversy in the United States, and it

looks like nothing is going to change. Effective regulations are needed to reduce gun-related

crimes has been decades of debate.