NCJ Number
93885
Journal
Prosecutor Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1984) Pages: 5-10
Date Published
1984
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the danger and enormity of the crime crisis in America, the role of the criminal justice system, the decline in American values and morals, and turning America around.
Abstract
While it is true that crime declined slightly in 1982, the decline came from a 2-year increase in crime unprecedented in America's history. The rate of the 1982 decline would have to continue for 30 years to reach the 1962 crime rate. In the midst of this crime crisis, the criminal justice system is the focus of public dispute and political debate. Issues at the forefront are prison overcrowding, the application of the exclusionary rule, attempts to incarcerate more career criminals for longer periods, attention to victim-witness assistance programs, simplifying the criminal justice system, and financial cutbacks. Much of the social crisis confronting America is due to a decline in traditional values and morals, such as honesty, the work ethic, the building of a strong family to protect and care for its children, a strong educational system that develops character, and the Judeo-Christian tradition of restraint and responsibility. Three tasks are required to turn America around: (1) making the vital public and private institutions models of excellence, fairness, and efficiency; (2) restoring the value systems and morals which have contributed in the past to a stable and positive society; and (3) providing educational, social, and economic opportunity for every child.