Definitions

A crime is an act that may be condemned or punished by members of a community through a variety of means such as fining or imprisoning (Lofstrom and Raphael, 2016). It can be distinguished from torts which may be compensated to settle the aggrieved party. Crime can also be perceived as an illegal act that is prohibited and therefore punishable by law.

The word ‘criminality’ regards behavior that is considered a violation of set criminal law in a society. As opposed to crime which refers to the act committed, criminality deals with criminal characteristics of the individual who commits a crime or is said to have committed a crime. When determining criminality, law enforcement officials may use factors such as a suspect’s criminal record. Criminality may also refer to the degree to which an individual’s appearance provokes various stereotypes concerning criminals.

Criminal justice is a system that identifies crime committed and criminals responsible for the crimes. It apprehends, judges and punishes crime after identifying the criminals. The criminal justice system can be divided into law enforcement, corrections and courts. After apprehension, courts do take over to get the right verdict for the committed criminal offense.

Deviant behavior and crime have a clear cut distinction. Crime is a disobedience of the laws that have been enacted by the government. Criminal offenses are legislated in constitutions and violations usually attract punishments such as jail terms or even death sentences. Examples are rape, murder, theft and sexual harassment. On the other hand; to be deviant is to contravene societal standards and norms. Such contravention is not usually punishable by law as in the case of crime.

Nonetheless, there are cases when deviant behavior overlaps and violates established laws such as to attract legal punishment. Some of the common deviant behaviors include prostitution, poor dressing codes, homosexual acts, walking naked in public. These norms are not universal as they may be different from society to society.

Murder in Anchorage

2018’s first murder in Anchorage occurred just after the midnight. After five months, the police department in the Metropolitan reported seven more homicides. Looking at the data in previous years, there were 16 victims in 2017 all occurring in 14 different incidents of murder. There were more cases of homicides after the month of May, and the total number of victims in 2018 was recorded as 36, which is higher than that of 2017 by more than 50%. 2016 was recorded as the year with the highest number of homicide victims (34) (Spears, 2016). However, this was not the worst case since 36 cases were reported in 2018. The deadliest month recently was August 2017 since six counts were resulting in six victims. These reports indicate a deteriorating trend in Anchorage implying that more cases of murder are occurring in the metropolitan. This trend is mainly attributed to the weaker gun laws making possession of firearms simpler. The improper gun control legislation creates more opportunities or impunity.

Murder in New York

New York City has suffered several murder cases especially since the start of the year 2010. In 2012, there were about 450 homicides committed by the use of firearms (Barton, 2016). Just before the residents ushered in 2018, there was a homicide as a result of a robbery in Greenwich area. Similarly, in the final hours of 2018, there was a fatal shooting in Brooklyn leading to the death of a handful of others. However, the New York Police department reported a slight decrease in murder from 292, the number of murdered individuals in 2017, to 289, the number recorded by the New York Police department in 2018. In as much as this, just a 1 percent decrease in the rate of murders, the future of New York City promises increased safety as the percentage of murder committed is expected to drop lower. Comparatively, the general rates of murder in New York City are lower than those in other cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Furthermore, a recent report rated New York as the lowest in gun deaths indicating improved safety in the city. The 900 deaths that occurred as a result of gun violence were recorded as the lowest in the year 2016. The main reason why New York is regarded as a safer place right now is because of the Safe Act enacted in 2013. The act contains some of the strictest laws on gun ownership, and proper background checks are conducted before the issuance of certificates of gun ownership.

Conclusion and recommendation

According to this data, more crimes were reported in New York than in Anchorage. However, New York has a larger population, and the higher incidents are not an indication of lack of safety in the city. Reports in New York indicate that the rates of homicide are reducing while those in Anchorage Alaska indicate a worrying trend of homicide rates’ escalation. It is therefore readily determinable that New York is safer than Anchorage. Based on this research, therefore, the company will be based in New York.

References

Barton, M. S. (2016). Gentrification and violent crime in New York City. Crime & Delinquency, 62(9), 1180-1202.

Lofstrom, M., & Raphael, S. (2016). Crime, the criminal justice system, and socioeconomic           inequality. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(2), 103-26.

Spears, C. (2016). Crime rates in Alaska. Retrieved from              https://dps.alaska.gov/dpspublicsite/media/statewide/documents/ucr/ciak2016-for- publication-rev-09-06-17.pdf

 
Do you need high quality Custom Essay Writing Services?