Part 4: Identification of a Policy Alternative

Running head: SOCIAL SCIENCE 1

SOCIAL SCIENCE 6

Homicide Rates in the United States, and the Implemented Policy
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Describe homicide and how it is incongruent with social work values/ethics?

Homicide rates in the United States are reported to have been high since 1980. There has been a slight decline since the year 2000. However, about sixteen thousand homicides are reported to have occurred in the United States in 2013(Sipsma et al., 2017). Some recent studies show that the United States homicide rate is 25 times that of its peer nations. As a result of this homicide concern, a social work perspective on identifying, preventing, and addressing this issue is greatly important. The social work values framework applies a violence prevention approach through using multidisciplinary data to handle this concern. Moreover, social work provides for recognizing the risks, and developing protective factors and preventive strategies.

Background and the actions taken to address homicide.

A recent study, and from Federal Bureau of Investigation data, illustrate that a higher rate of homicide nationwide has been recorded over the past three decades. In 2015, approximately thirty-six thousand people were reported to have died due to this homicide rate; this is about seventeen percent of all injury-related deaths recorded in that same year. Although the homicide rates are high in the United States, about two-thirds of these cases are estimated to be victims of firearm violence; therefore, this has created an abiding concern on gun violence. Nonetheless, as a result of research findings, the government greatly assisted the poor as this proved to reduce the homicide rates significantly. Much of these researches were conducted more than twenty-five years ago. However, given the current homicide rates showing different patterns since 1990, this prompts additional efforts to deal with the homicide rates.

How have the groups affected by homicide changed over time?

Some studies show that homicide mainly affects young adults aged between 15 to 24 years. These individuals are primarily male and non-Hispanic black individuals. Moreover, the communities with high minority, with the excellent unemployment rate and poverty, show a tendency of these high homicide rates. Over the years, lower social capital levels and increased income inequality have been recognized as the leading cause of increased violence.

Which policy area is related to Homicide?

It is evident that in 1995, the Office of Justice Programs funded a comprehensive homicide initiative. The strategy applied in this initiative was to reduce the homicide rate in local communities (Finucane, 2018). The policy of the comprehensive homicide initiative was designed to be executed in two-phase. The first phase is planning, which dealt with developing a process that examines the local homicide-related problems. The outcome of this phase was to develop a multifaceted strategy that would address the local homicide problem. The second phase is an implementation, which was first crafted and set in Richmond, California.

Jurisdiction of the Policy

The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative is a combination of federal, local, and state statutes. Most importantly, it represents a restrictive state-level statute on firearms, for example, a strong background check and bans on some of the military assault weapons. In addition, this legislature is associated more with creating less firearm-related violence. However, the strategy developed in the Comprehensive Homicide Initiative forges community-based non-enforcement and enforcement strategies.

What are the different aspects of the policy?

The initiative is grouped into two broad categories, and the first category is community-based non-enforcement strategies. This category is defined for the collaboration with the community. Moreover, the Housing Authority was also involved as a part of the planning process of crime-reduction. This category also provided for the establishment of computer centers in forging job skills training. In addition, it is defined as the collaboration of the juvenile justice system. The aim was to develop a youth court.
The second category is investigative and enforcement strategies based on making homicide prevention efforts more effective. The first step defined in this category was developing intensified team approach in obtaining information. This information would be on the high-profile homicides (Fyfe et al., 1997). The second step is FBI assistance on the old and unsolved homicide review. The third step defined obtaining the Drug Enforcement Administration support, and lastly, the fourth step was improving the technology and information sharing.

How long has the current policy been in place?

The state government first implemented the Comprehensive Homicide Initiative in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Richmond was the first large city to experience its implementation; this resulted in Richmond suffering economic difficulties and a rise in drug-related violence; this was a standard issue to most urban jurisdictions during that period.

Who supports and opposes the policy?

The initiative gained support and cooperation efforts from the Richmond Police department— Richmond was the first city to implement the initiative. The cooperation of the police task force created a protocol for battered women and domestic violence. The members of this partnership implemented strategies that interrupted gun trafficking. The traditional reasoning on homicide created for the little efforts that the police could make to combat homicide. This traditional reasoning provided that crime was immune from the suppression efforts of the police. Hence, this resulted in opposition from some of the police.

What changes/amendments have been made to the policy?

The most significant change to the Comprehensive Homicide Initiative was on the perception of Homicide; this meant that the initiative enhanced the perception of homicide as part of a more significant and more general issue of violence (Messner, 1982). Therefore, the initiative recognized the police and other stakeholders how they viewed this problem was narrow. Broadening the conceptualization of this issue influenced the recommendation developed to address this issue. Homicide was separated from other serious but nonfatal assaults. Therefore, the view of homicide as part of a much general violence issue created clarity to this issue, impeding an effective homicide strategy.

Explain how this policy affects clients and the importance of advocating for change.

The initiative may lead to the clients being concerned with the gun safety issue. Therefore, social workers should address safe storage practices to prevent accidental injury. An example of a safety concern is a safe passage to school programs. The discussions of guns are considered as an intrusion of the rights of some clients. Therefore, this might lead to resistance from the clients. The reason is that asking about the client’s access to a gun can be mistaken as questioning if they disobey the law.
Practicing social workers offer neutral policy suggestions so as to not damage the therapeutic alliance. A social worker needs to take a particular position on the implemented policies on gun control or a specific interpretation of the second amendment; this is important because it may help a client from intentional or accidental gun violence. Therefore, a clinical social worker needs to engage in such discussions to prevent injury and safety.

References
Finucane, A. (2018). Social Work Practice and Gun Safety in the United States: Are We Doing Enough? Patricia Logan-Greene Mickey Sperlich. https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/download/21620/22277/35726
Fyfe, J. J., Goldkamp, J. S., & White, M. D. (1997). Strategies for reducing homicide: The comprehensive homicide initiative in Richmond, California. https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=168100
Messner, S. F. (1982). Poverty, inequality, and the urban homicide rate: Some unexpected findings. Criminology; an Interdisciplinary Journal, 20(1), 103–114.
Sipsma, H. L., Canavan, M. E., Rogan, E., Taylor, L. A., Talbert-Slagle, K. M., & Bradley, E. H. (2017). Spending on social and public health services and its association with homicide in the USA: an ecological study. BMJ Open, 7(10), e016379.