Context: Over time, high crime rates have become commonplace and many new and creative solutions have surfaced and faded; however, some have lasted longer than others. By empowering agencies to test new theories, innovative measures can be discovered as having minimizing effects on crime.
One method to evaluate crime policy is to examine the impact on the community. Since the 1960s, several different community programs have emerged. They include community corrections, community policing, community justice, and community crime prevention. Each of these community efforts has added elements of crime prevention and mitigation with promising results.
Some key developments of the 1980s and 1990s have been "truth in sentencing," "prison works," and "zero tolerance." Most of these policies have been political attempts to win public confidence in the war against crime.
Task Description: Review the link below to access the work by Sherman (2001) regarding public confidence in governmental crime policy.
What policy improvements can be made to improve public confidence?
Who should implement these improvements, government or private entities? Discuss your answers.