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  • Essay / Violent Crime in the United States and South Africa

    Table of ContentsCrime Rates in Black American CommunitiesTargeting Young Black American MenCrime Rates in South AfricaHigh Gun Counts in South AfricaDiscrimination and CrimeSolutions possible Works Cited Black Americans in the United States have faced many unique problems. One of the themes that has been prevalent for many years is violent crime. Essentially, this is not only a problem in the United States, but also a major problem in South Africa. On reflection, criminal violence is the worst problem both countries have faced over the past two decades. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The number of firearms available on the American black market was extremely high. It is evident that the rate of gun acquisition within the black American community is the primary factor behind the enormous crime rate. In the early 1980s, most accused crimes were gun-related (Bennett and Fraser 94). Surprisingly, 46% of murders committed during this period were the result of the use of firearms. Instead of solving the problem, the percentage of these deaths increased to seventy-one. This figure significantly exceeds the number of homicides reported by whites by 17%. The increase in this number of cases can be largely attributed to the sharp increase in weapons available on the black market in most parts of South America. It is therefore because of poor control of illegal arms sales that the number of homicides has increased. Crime Rates in Black American Communities The rate of violence in black American communities was extremely high. Compared to other countries, the number of cases of violence in the United States among black Americans was surprisingly higher. For example, this number exceeded that of Germany and France by twenty-eight times (Bennett and Fraser 92). Surprisingly, these crimes were allegedly committed by members of the population between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Furthermore, of all the arrests made for these crimes, a percentage of twenty had a participant aged eighteen or younger. These statistics mean that virtually one-fifth of violent crimes in the United States involve a minor black American citizen. In 1995, the number of cases of violence committed by black Americans in the United States was ten times higher than in Canada. This is obviously a very big difference given that the two countries are neighbors. This shows that the number of crimes committed by America's black population was enormous. Targeting young black American men The high crime rate among black Americans primarily targeted the young male population of the United States. In 1990, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that most homicide cases targeted black American men (Bennett and Fraser 94). For every 27 men, one was at risk of being a victim of homicide. Additionally, the greatest number of these cases involved men between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. The number of victims of crime at this age was approximately one hundred and thirty-two young people out of one hundred thousand. Of these crimes, most resulted in death and fatal or permanent injury. It is important to mention that these crimes were mostly gang-related. Therefore, this suggests that the majority of crimes were due to instances of drug dealing, theft, gang fights and problems with initiation into particular gangs, with young men being the highest targetscriminal gangs. violence in South Africa is also very high. Like black American society, South Africa was among the worst affected countries in the world in terms of violent crime. In the late 1990s, South Africa had a criminal record of sixty murders out of one hundred thousand people (CSVR3). Although the figures decreased between 2008 and 2009 to thirty-nine per hundred thousand inhabitants, they remain very high compared to other countries. Additionally, violent robbery was another highly prevalent violent crime act in the country (CSVR3). In 2000, South Africa recorded the highest number of car thefts in the world: 87% of these thefts were committed at gunpoint. Like black Americans, violent crime was widespread in South Africa. High number of firearms in South AfricaThe number of firearms among the citizens of South Africa was high. The white population of South Africa was allowed to own guns. In the 1990s, there were numerous conflicts between white South Africans and the country's indigenous population (CSVR4). This allowed white people to legalize gun ownership for self-protection. Consequently, this doubled the circulation of firearms in South Africa. These weapons were also given to black allies to help support the apartheid regime (CSVR4). Illegal acquisition of weapons on the black market also increased during this period, with whites who had the ability to own weapons selling them to criminal gangs in the country (CSVR6). This situation is very similar to the situation of the American black population since in both cases firearms were used in most cases of robbery and murder. For example, in 2000, guns were the main weapons used to steal cars in South Africa, making it the region with the highest number of car thefts. Discrimination and crimeDiscrimination was a significant factor that led to the high levels of crime. In South Africa, there was a lot of colonial oppression in the 1980s and 1990s (CSVR5). The settlers residing in the country did not provide significant employment opportunities for the country's black population. Unfortunately, this caused poverty among the native Africans, who then resorted to other means of earning money; flight (CSVR5). Many criminal gangs were formed and antagonized the country's wealthy occupants. On reflection, this situation was very similar to that of Black Americans. In the 1990s, most black Americans did not hold lucrative jobs in the United States (Bennett and Fraser 100). This discrimination has given rise to violent crimes in both countries. Possible solutions Certain measures could have been taken to resolve the crisis in these regions. One measure would have been to provide cheap or free healthcare and education to areas most affected by poverty. This would have reduced the cost of living for the black American community and the South African population, thereby improving their standard of living and reducing the number of cases of theft. Additionally, the governments of both regions reportedly conducted regular expeditions in search of weapons possessed without permits. Another remedy would be to eradicate criminal groups in the United States and South Africa, as this would reduce instances of crime and the number of young people introduced to security in the urban centers where most of these crimes took place. With these measures in place, violent crime rates would not have been as imminent for Black Americans and South Africans. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get an article now. 3,.