The local, state, and federal governments in the United States all play an
important role in fighting crime. Generally, the federal government sets the basic
parameters of law enforcement and provides money and other aid to state and local
agencies that then enforce the law.
The Politics of Crime
Some politicians campaign on a “law and order” platform, promising to
crack down on crime and impose harsh sentences on those found guilty of
committing crimes. Scholars debate the efficacy of government anticrime
programs. During the 1990s, for example, violent crime fell dramatically.
President Clinton and the Democrats claimed credit, citing the strong economy
and the new crime bill passed in the early 1990s. Some critics, in contrast,
point to other causes for the dip in crime, including demographics (the age
groups most likely to commit violent crimes shrank) and the vast increase in the
number of prisons. It is never easy to explain why the crime rate rises or
falls.
Gun Control
Gun control refers to policies aimed at regulating the
ownership and use of firearms. Proponents of gun control argue that tighter
restrictions will reduce the number of guns on the streets and consequently
decrease the amount of violent crime in the United States. Critics of gun
control argue that the Constitution prohibits the federal government from
regulating firearms because the Second Amendment states that citizens have the
right “to bear arms.” Many critics also believe that gun control
disproportionately affects law-abiding citizens because gun control laws will
not deter the people who are most likely to commit crimes.
The War on Drugs
The federal government has made its War on Drugs a national priority since
the 1980s because high drug use presents a public health concern and increases
the violent crime rate. As part of this war, the government has passed laws
imposing harsh sentences on drug dealers, and it has also acted to stop the flow
of illegal drugs into the country.
Despite all the money spent and all the federal government’s efforts, drug
use has not declined, as illegal drugs continue to flow into the United States,
prompting some people to argue that the U.S. anti-drug policy has failed. Some
critics even argue that the War on Drugs has created more problems than it has
solved.
Example: Critics contend that the
mandatory minimums and harsh sentences imposed on people for possessing even
small amounts of illegal substances have contributed to overcrowding in
prisons. In turn, prison overcrowding increases relapse rates; inmates are
now more likely to commit crimes again because prisons are unable to provide
adequate job training and counseling to all the inmates.
Although the federal government has not substantively changed its drug
policies in decades, some state and local governments are experimenting with
other methods of punishing those caught breaking the law. Some states do not
imprison first-time offenders, for example, or those caught with a small amount
of drugs. Instead, the state sends them to rehabilitation programs. It is still
too soon to know what effect these policies have had on drug use and
crime.
