NCJ Number
77909
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The relationship between urban crime and violence and the development of a coherent public policy in Puerto Rico is discussed.
Abstract
Although Puerto Rico has suffered the consequences of short-term fragmented policies in the managment of social problems, including crime, in recent years, the trend has been toward comprehensive planning for the development and implementation of an integrated social policy. As a basis for the development of such a comprehensive policy, a study has been commissioned which includes an examination of crime and violence in Puerto Rico along a social-historical continuum. This sociohistorical study links an increase in violence to periods of economic crisis. As the technology of weapons has improved, the consequences of violent behavior have become magnified. In response to the growing crime problem, the government has sought an integrated approach of deterrence programs and effective treatment and rehabilitation strategies for offenders. There is also a major effort to develop a criminal justice information system which, through the most advanced technology, will improve the service capability of the criminal justice system. At the prevention and rehabilitation levels, a specialized agency has recently been created to provide treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention services to check the spread of alcoholism and drug abuse. The operation of the Department of Addiction Services is described in detail. The components of a multidisciplinary study of violence in Puerto Rico are also outlined. One table and 16 notes are given.