Indianapolis is slowly making its way up the “America’s Deadliest Cities” list.
I remember a point in time when Gary was repeatedly cited as the “No. 1 Murder Capital in the U.S.,” but now the Northwest Indiana city has seen a drastic decrease in its number of homicides. At Recorder press time, Gary had 20 homicides from the beginning of January 2008 to the end of July 2008. Indianapolis had 69 homicides within the same time frame.
Crime is on a tremendous increase and it’s incredibly scary for all; even the staunchest rebel. In an effort to combat crime, the mayor is working on a variety of initiatives. One such initiative is by analyzing daily crime report data to determine where crime is inclined to occur as well as the reason for the crime. While this is a great way to track crime over time, I question how beneficial it can be in the interim.
Another measure the mayor is taking to decrease crime is freeing up officers’ time by equipping members of the general community to assist with customary tasks such as completing paperwork and insurance forms. The squad of civilians will be trained in customer service and justice processes before their duties begin in September.
The latter initiative is a great way to promote community activism, while also allowing officers the opportunity to concentrate on the more imperative aspects of crime.
Since many of the crimes committed are done by repeat offenders, Mayor Ballard also wants to hold people released on bail more accountable by leasing 200 more jail beds to accommodate them once they are rearrested.
To carefully resolve the issue of increasing crime, one must first thoroughly examine the problem from a humanistic standpoint. Sadly, based off my own interpretations, an end to crime in general may not be as near as we think simply due to the mindset of today’s criminal.
While I’m the last person you’d find defending a criminal for their acts of violence, I do believe the actual root of it is far deeper than that specific individual. So much of who we are as adults is credited to who our parents were and what they instilled in us. Many people were raised by parents who never exhibited love towards them — no “I love yous,” no hugs, and no encouraging words. These emotionally neglected children eventually evolve into emotionally neglected teenagers and emotionally neglected adults.
If a person lacks love and emotion from their own family, that absence eventually has the ability to desensitize an individual, leaving them cold and disconnected. Much of the violence and crimes committed today, are done by people who lack emotion. When one is emotionally detached, they’re willing to do anything with no regard. No regard for themselves, no regard for another individual — simply no regard for human life at all.
Another aspect of crime can be attributed to people who are overwhelmed and frustrated. With today’s society being in the poor state that it is, it’s very easy for a person who may be relatively weak or mentally unstable to resort to committing crimes. These people may think that because they can’t find a job, afford gas, or provide for their families — it’s the end of the world. They may feel they have nothing to live for, so why not shoot, rob and kill.
Because there are so many people in this country who lack the fundamentals of life that make each of us compassionate and considerate, if only a bit —n crime is on the rise. Unfortunately, until we start being better parents who love our children, teach them right from wrong, and also hold them accountable, problems our society is currently facing will continue to persist.
