The State's Role in Criminal Justice
Living in the state of New York—specifically New York City—there exists a surplus of political factors; crime, poverty, and social welfare specifically play an intricate role in the delicate balance of diverse interests within this metropolitan municipality. New York City is a fascinating subject for observing the structure of government; the State reports that, “[t]he City of New York is made up of five boroughs. Each borough is a county of New York State,” (NYC.gov). Author Ann Bowman notes that, ”[t]he activity of government tends to be regulatory, that is, making rules and setting standards that affect the private sector, monitoring compliance, and imposing penalties,” (Bowman & Kearney, p 477). But policymaking needn’t place criminality, poverty, nor welfarism in a method to facilitate dependency; rather autonomy, the pursuit of prosperity, and the uniting of local communities.
Crime
Crime is a complex process with complicated solutions. Black’s Law Dictionary defines the word Crime, as “[a]n act that the law makes punishable; the breach of a legal duty treated as the subject-matter of a criminal proceeding — also termed criminal wrong,” (Garner, B., p. 466).
Conversely, crime enables the encroachment of autocracy, whereby police can over-exert their authority—as seen during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic when NYPD officers were tasked with enforcing federal mask mandates and mandated vaccination status. Author Ann M. Bowman notes that, “[t]here is often a fine line between assertive policing and the civil rights of people apprehended and arrested,” (Bowman & Kearney, p. 423). It is important to remember that police are an extension of the state—not a solution for public policy. Nor is money the sole determining factor without initiative and oversight. Money is a necessary resource, but it alone cannot solve the act of criminality, (Bowman & Kearney, p. 431). Thus, no single-handed solution exists that can resolve the rising felony assaults throughout New York. Worse, the data remains incomplete making achieving the desired outcome objective more challenging. Pew Research Center notes that “In the latest FBI study, around four-in-ten police departments – including large ones such as the New York Police Department – did not submit data, so the FBI estimated data for those areas,” (PewResearchCenter).
Poverty
New York City’s government has become dependent on both financially struggling and homeless to conduct government operations throughout the city. The majority of the State’s funding is appropriated toward this persistent poverty crisis. Yet, decade after decade, New York City’s government remains unable to find a solution to the suffering of its citizens. Black’s Law defines the word Poverty as “[t]he condition of being indigent; the scarcity of the means of subsistence” adding the [d]earth of something desirable,” (Garner, B., p. 1414).
Bryan Garner further defines the term as [a] level of income below the threshold considered necessary to achieve a sufficient standard of living, Garner, B., p. 1414).
The City of New York is a place known for its never-ending “projects” and quality of public housing programs. Following the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic the city of New York has declined in its prosperity; due to the closure of more than half of the local businesses, and the mass exodus of many New Yorkers due to the rising cost of living.
New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams spoke of Union Square—a popular transit location a subway hub with connections to four boroughs (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx)—that “[i]t's a real problem, 14th street, and I've been over there several times. It's a real problem and we're going to fix it. And it hasn't been a problem just one year, two years, it has been a problem and has been ignored. And we just don't accept disorder being ignored. Doesn't matter if it's an encampment, someone sleeping on the side of the highway, just total disorder that we witnessed when we came into this administration,” (NYC.gov). But Eric Adams was named Brooklyn Borough President in 2013, and apparently “moved a mattress into his office and worked around the clock” during the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, (NYC.Gov). But Eric Adams has not achieved the expected progress that he was elected to fulfill; thus, a new strategy must be enacted that would allow for better use of regional resources. If Mayor Eric Adams has to sleep in his office in order for New York City’s current condition—after two years now in office—it appears there may be more suitable candidates for the job. One who takes pride in his home life and still achieves the expected outcome objectives he was elected to fulfill. As Adams submits, “I'm not happy [with] what I see on 14th Street,” (NY.gov).
Columbia University’s Center on Poverty & Social Policy released their sixth Poverty Tracker Annual Report that displayed harrowing statistics. First, the report reveals that “[i]n 2022, nearly 500,000 more New Yorkers lived in poverty than the year prior,” (PovertyCenter).
In February 2024, Vital City spoke with the New York Police Department’s Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Michael LiPetri, to investigate the going efforts at crime control throughout the city. Lipetri recited the cities successes, noting the decline in recent years as murders, rapes, and robberies have gone down. The NYPD data reveals a rampant increase in felony assaults—at the highest point in recorded history. Worse, the effect has culminated annually in a continuous ascent; escalation to the feat it stands today. The data displays a need for immediate change. Previously in January, Lipetri noted of these felony assaults, stating “[w]hen you look at the increase in felony assaults, it's really tied to two categories. Unfortunately, domestic violence, we saw an increase in felony assaults, but we did see over a 90 percent arrest to every felony assault with a domestic violence victim,” (NY.gov).
New York Police Department’s First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella broadly declared “[a]s we look forward to 2024, the NYPD will continue to evolve and build upon this foundation to ensure that policing in New York City remains equitable, just and where we will never sacrifice transparency and public safety,” (Ny.gov).
Social Welfare
New York City is a hub for social welfare. From Heating and Cooling Assistance (HEAP), to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), Rental Assistance, Cash Assistance, and Unemployment Benefits, there exists some form of government aid for most citizens. This encourages more New Yorkers to rely on government benefits to maintain their lifestyle.
Black’s Law Dictionary defines the word Welfare as “[a] system of social insurance providing assistance to those who are financially in need, as by providing food stamps and family allowances,” (Garner, B., p. 1910). Bryan Garner notes the term Welfare State as “[a] system whereby the government undertakes various social-insurance programs, such as unemployment compensation, old-age pensions, family allowances, food stamps, and aid to the blind or deaf,” (Garner, B., p. 1910).
The New York City government current policy discriminates against the disabled by only offering disability to those who choose not to work. The New York City Comptroller, Brad Lander, reports that “[u]sing data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), we find that New Yorkers with disabilities have a significantly lower employment rate than their non-disabled counterparts, and that this rate varies widely by type of disability,” (Comptroller). Worse, “New York City has a lower incidence of disability among the working-age population than the United States as a whole,” (Comptroller). Lander adds that “[w]e see that people with disabilities are underrepresented in management, business, and financial occupations, and overrepresented in service occupations as well as sales, office, and administrative support roles . . . This discrepancy is more severe in New York City than in the rest of the country,” (Comptroller). While many disabled individuals may be unable to walk or go to work everyday; they should be given the opportunity to work remotely; or work-from-home. Those who possess no skills, ought to be trained in some capacity to be able to create wealth for themselves, rather than rely on government welfare. This does not mean disabled individuals should not receive welfare. The disabled should be given both welfare and the capacity to work. Instead, any disabled person in New York City is presented with the dichotomy of remaining unemployed and getting government assistance, or working and losing their benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) refuses many disabled applicants based on their level of income. According to New York City-based personal injury attorneys Sobo & Sobo, “[t]he SSA will consider whether an individual is currently working and if the amount they earn is ‘substantial.’ This is defined as $1,260 per month for non-blind people, and $2,110 for those that are blind. If your current work produces more than these amounts, you do not qualify for disability compensation,” (SoboLaw). As Scripture states, “[w]hatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality,” (Colossians 3:23-25; NASB). The unemployability of disabled individuals throughout New York has enabled the government to create extravagant disability programs that can then be exploited by individuals unwilling to work who would rather invest their energies to free ride on the tax dollars of their brethren , and wrongfully usurp resources granted for those unable to work. For the truly disabled, programs ought to exist no matter the willingness to work. Work limitations ought to be removed for disabled individuals.
Correlations
The correlations between crime and poverty are significant, whereas the correlation between poverty and welfare programs are curated by the New York City government to coerce the constituents to vote in a manner favorable to the expansion of government power. The government is a persistent threat to a permanent solution. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced in August 2024 that the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), proclaiming that “[t]o date, DRI has awarded a total of $800 million to 81 communities in its first seven rounds and invested in the creation of over 4,500 new housing units,” (Governor). While this is admirable for solving the problem of poverty, and reducing crime by offering housing incentivization for abiding by the established law and contributing to the surrounding community through self-regulation; it is government-controlled. What the government gives, it expects returned in compliance. Nearly one year earlier, Kathy Hochul unveiled her plan to fund the mass migration of newly arriving immigrants seeking asylum—taking 18,000 jobs from citizens currently residing within the state, (Governor). Therefore, policy initiatives must target the citizens and their domestic life, as to thwart felony assaults and prevent the expansion of poverty, while increasing the chances of representation on major issues that build stress and degrade morale within lower-income communities. Criminals ought not be rewarded, but citizens willing to self-regulate their own depravities ought to be given the doorway to advance their lifestyles and build futures for families—ascending the value, safety, and resilience of the communities they reside in.
As a policymaker, these correlations offer an opportunity for corrective action by adapting to the needs of the community and culture to the prospect of eternal natural law. Biblically, these correlations mirror the Old Testament in that “[y]ou shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning,” Leviticus 19:13 (NASB). Omitting consideration of implementing a means of prosperity for disabled individuals and those unwilling to work. Further, it passes the burden onto the taxpayer—our family and neighbors. On the subject of extending the prospect of prosperity to all men, specifically the disabled, the Bible is clear; “[y]ou shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:14 (NASB) The wise are tasked with practicing discernment, but those self-aware, have realized their inherent depravity, and regulate their actions before God, with or without government oversight. As scribed by Moses, “[y]ou shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD,” Leviticus 19:15, 16 (NASB).
To citizens who rely on welfarism to sustain their lives—we must know they are not the enemy. Instead, the Leviathan that feeds lies contingent on fiscal worship is the true enemy. Thus, a policy initiative that could void the need for government ought to be implemented. The battle is not against flesh and blood, but the Leviathan of tyranny.“You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD, (Leviticus 19:17, 18; NASB). Further, God reminds us; “You are to keep My statutes,” speaking of His natural law, (Leviticus, 19:19a; NASB).
A Three-Pronged Solution
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A three-pronged solution is required to skewer the Leviathan and directly address the concurrent problems found in crime, poverty, and welfarism that persistently plague New York City. These three prongs include an increase in (1) job opportunities, (2) franchising, and (3) focusing on policy initiatives that target the preclusion of violent felony assaults.
The first prong to crime prevention is to (1) focus efforts more on the creation of jobs and facilitation of supporting small businesses; rather than offer new welfare programs. This would bring concurrent resolution to Poverty and Welfare by removing the element of government reliance. If New York City focused its efforts on creating more work-from-home jobs and remote opportunities; there would be less requirement for welfare. Those with disabilities would not be reliant on government assistance. By creating an effective method of creating revenue from the home, more individuals would be drawn to contribute to society rather than ask for government assistance. Those unwilling to work could be given an opportunity to advance themselves in a field that they find interest, or sacrifice their interests for a chance to make stable income doing menial but necessary tasks that do not require a high level of skill or abilities.
Individuals in roles of civic leadership within their community is conducive to ensuring the prevention of crime. Thus, funding ought to be used to specifically target work from home jobs, thwarting the stress of lacking income, by giving opportunity to make money digitally; and removing the potentiality for exploitation and abuse. Incentives like ensuring a higher pay than government benefits, and the promise of liberation from reliance on government funding will shift the focus from a national level to the local level. Crimes that occur on a local level ought to be dealt with directly unto the offending individual, not by the fortification of police power. But the resources of the New York Police Department offer a wealth of insight into the nature of the crimes being committed and the proposed solutions currently in place. While state resources must be used to fund the initiative, the goal should be civic autonomy, not collective reliance on the expansion of government power. History shows that the government in incapable of solving New York City’s crime, poverty, and welfare problems. Thus, another approach is merited to bring resolution to this persisting detriment.
New York Police Department’s Chief of Crime Control Strategies, Michael LiPetri, noted that the NYPD had “identified hot spots of violence in particular areas [and] did a deep data dive in those areas; [by looking] at shots confirmed — using either ballistics, recovered video or an eyewitness, whether it be a police officer or a civilian,” (VitalCityNYC). Lipetri added that the NYPD overlaid “shooting incidents, known cases of people getting shot; [and] also looked at street crimes,” (VitalCityNYC). Lipetri concluded that, “”if you overlay shootings, shots fired and robberies, it pretty much is concentrated in areas that need to be policed differently,” (VitalCityNYC). But a variance in policing is not a sole solution for the condition of crime across the five boroughs.
The second prong is to (2) increase opportunity for constituents to vote in favor of various policy initiatives. By producing responsibility throughout the constituency, citizens are likely to take more pride in their communities and thwart attempts to disrupt the established order they are responsible for influencing and maintaining. By offering policy initiatives and exposing the budget with transparency, citizens could feel more connected to their communities, taking personally any threat to their committed agenda. In January 2024 Mayor Eric Adams declared that “New Yorkers are at a crossroads. I think there's a lot of apathy, a lot of people don't believe that their vote matters, and they're able to understand the connection between who's in office and how it impacts your quality of life,” (NY.gov). Adams spoke of the average New Yorker, that “[t]he everyday working class person that wakes up that takes that subway system to work, that wants their child to be in their school safe, that is who I represent,” (NY.gov). Adams believes the Brooklyn Bridge stands as an example of what government power can achieve. Adams proclaimed that “[t]oday, that Brooklyn Bridge looks like what New York City is going to look like,” (NY.gov).
Eric Adams claimed that poverty, crime, and welfare all play an entwined role in the cities current problems; but his policies have yet to actualize results from his acclaimed commit to these principles. Adams asks, “New Yorkers, do you want a city where people are putting on a tent in front of your home? Do you want a city when you come out with your children, that someone is injecting themselves with drugs on your stoop? Do you want someone defecating in your backyard, on your school ground? Do you want someone riding a scooter up and down the block and don't even care if they're on the sidewalk or not? Do you want someone blasting music in front of your home? You want someone playing dice in front of your home, someone doing robberies and they're out the next day?” (NY.gov). But there are no stopping these elements, and greater government oversight is not the answer. The citizen does not want government occupation on every street corner, nor do they want to pay taxes to power surveillance cameras or high powered electric fences. Instead, the citizens need to invoke personal regulation to assert their autonomy without a need for government infiltration.
The third prong is (3) focusing these policy initiatives on felony assaults. The New York Police Department NYPD data reveals declines in all criminal activity except felony assaults. Programs ought to be crafted specifically to cater to domestic violence and preclude violence. Chief LiPetri records that “Historically, domestic assaults are approximately 40% of all felony assaults citywide. I personally think that we have one of the most proactive domestic violence programs in the country, but it’s something that we have to continue to look at, continue to help the victims, work with our prosecutors to have victims continue to cooperate as much as possible, and ultimately strengthen prevention,” (VitalCityNYC). But the third prong of this agenda may require a stricter mandatory sentencing for criminals convicted of assault. Personal benefits in the form of fiscal opportunity to could also be given to citizens without a criminal record; but this slippery slope ought not to tyrannize its citizenry into compliance.
These three prongs funnel into the unison of its staff thereby held by the will of the constituent, and their willingness to uphold the consensus of the citizenry, and the betterment of posterity.
Summation
In sum, there exists both immediately applicable solutions and simultaneously contrasting opinions over the methodology of implementation. The strength, authority, and resources possessed by the New York City government gives the impression of a deliberate action to persist the current detriment that plagues the city, devaluing its nature and the daily experiences of the citizenry that reside within its jurisdiction. Neglecting to provide lasting solutions to problems by creating entire enterprises to host a cohort of seemingly innocuous entities that do no more than enable the problem by direct funding for those falling below a threshold imposed by the state. Major metropolitan areas, like New York City, offer many various state programs, that many working who do not qualify feel aggrieved; as if they are missing out on financial opportunity. But opportunity should not be defined in this manner; instead opportunity ought to equate to the prospect of generational prosperity—a state that one can aspire to achieve in any condition, as decreed within Scripture.
A three-pronged solution will ensure a state of cohesion while implementing a remedy that can solidify the fusion of the three isolated components. Thus, a multi-faceted chorus of independent solutions is required to achieve the desired outcomes of crime reduction, poverty prevention, and rejecting welfarism in favor of personal sovereignty, no matter the individual circumstance. But no policy can slay the Leviathan beyond that of the individual himself, therefore policy that increases the capacity of the community and endows responsibility among the constituents will reinvigorate pride for residential jurisdictions, thus precluding felony assaults from occurring with prevalence within the community.
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