Unsolved crime - pt2

Unsolved Crime

    According to Rainn, “out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free.” Many people that commit crime, in most cases are sexual assault crimes, get away with it and are never caught. This is a major problem, which can cause repetitive behaviors within criminals and assaulters, leading to more dangerous outbreaks. The police aren’t always able to find the criminal or can’t hunt them down and arrest them. This is a major problem that needs to be fixed, and police are trying to find ways to lower this number. The amount of crime that goes uncaught has skyrocketed, so as a result police are trying to act on the issue themselves as well as alter the environment to reduce that number. 

           

     Rainn stated that “90% of adult assault victims are female [while] 10% of assault victim are male.” The main group of people becoming involved with such assault and unsolved cases are women. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends can be involved in acts of sexual assault every day, and it can a major toll on their current and future lives. Many women have been found to develop depression with reoccurring flashbacks due to these crimes; they will never live normally like they had before. Men are continuing to get away with these crimes and it needs to be stopped.

 

 

 

This picture from Rainn shows the statistics of assault within women

    The number of uncaught crimes has increased in the past few years because the police are unable to catch criminals. Assaults have increased as well, leaving many assaulted women in destress. As the criminals realize that they aren’t going to be caught for crimes, they are likely to continue those same actions. They do this for one main reason: mistrust. As Vox News stated “when crimes go unpunished, people are likely to think that the police and criminal justice system aren’t taking [assault] acts very seriously, [therefore making] people distrust the police, which might lead to even more crime.” For example, many men that commit acts of sexual assault realize that the police will not always find the assaulter and stay on the case, so they will continue until stopped.

 

    Since police are aware of this issue, they are trying to find ways to fix the mistrust. The police have realized that people will continue to commit sexual assault crimes that they can get away with, so they've begun ensuring ways that it won’t continue. Vox News found that “people tend to commit crimes thinking that they’ll get away with them, but if you change their notion that they can get away with crime, then [police] can make an impact.” So, police are beginning to be stricter on assault crimes to ensure the assaulters understand that they will be caught the next time. 

 

    Security cameras/surveillance cameras are another way that police are trying to help solve assault crimes. Most cities and areas have cameras, but not nearly as much as are needed, especially in areas that are high in assault. When such areas don’t have many cameras, or any cameras at all, crime/assault rates tend to be higher. Police will have a harder time trying to find assaulters when there aren’t as many cameras as possible to look back at. So, when people know that there aren’t many cameras, they will be more likely to commit a crime because they know the chances of getting caught are much lower. 

 

    Police have caught on to this concept and are beginning to increase the number of cameras in certain areas to lower the assault crime rate. In addition, Urban Institute believes that “technological advance will continue to enhance our ability to monitor public spaces [and] will continue to aid efforts to prevent crime and apprehend criminals.” Police as well as those assaulted aren’t always able to remember a subject’s face or characteristics, so cameras can help enhance the images to get a better reading of each criminal. This will help the police find the saluters and give women the good news that they want to hear. 

    However, cameras may not be an adequate fix to the problem. Surveillance cameras themselves can be a very helpful way in getting information about a subject. But, if the people using the cameras don’t understand how to use them correctly, then the implementation was a waste. If the cameras are not used by a trained staff to view the footage, then comprehension of the situation and picture of assaulters won’t be useful. If the pictures aren’t useful, then the many women left wondering when their assaulter will be caught will never get their satisfaction of knowing. 

 

    It can also be argued that camera work in no way takes place of normal investigative police work. Many police believe that camera footage can hold the information needed to solve a case. However, video footage cannot hold all the information to the crime, it can only be an additional help to the investigation. Nothing can overpower old school police/detective work. Police hold the most information, and the most knowledge about the situation. Police can hold the hands-on information of assaulted women, which cameras cannot. The cameras can’t solve the crimes, but the policeman can. 

 

    Communities, as well as police within the communities need to keep trying to find ways to lower the amount of crime, strictly sexual assault crimes going uncaught. This crime can be very detrimental to women and families, causing havoc within the community. It can also increase anxiety and leave the women in the high assault crime areas scared that it could happen to them. These are the places that people live and work, and the increased crime going unsolved it detrimental. It must be put to a stop.

   

     These crimes/assaults continue to happen, but we keep wondering why is it still happening? Why can’t the police find a way to put an end to all the unsolved cases against women? Why can’t the community pull together to help women in these circumstances? The questions are endless and seemingly repetitive. The police can’t be the only way to bring an end to this issue. People within the communities can help women in their own ways and can help to update the police with any information that they know of. Any information that is given to them can help their cases. Help your community and women out today.