The Nature of United States' Prosecution System Presented in Hayes' A Colony in a Nation

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Week 11 Reflection
Hayes (54) notes that the New York of his childhood was seedy. In an interesting manner, he notes that urban seediness was the exact opposite of suburban tranquility. This seediness made the member of the middle and upper classes quite uncomfortable. This phenomenon is quite interesting. It is interesting in the sense that the situation is not very different from the modern world's reality. Although the word seediness is not common in the contemporary world, the same concept is still common. We live in a world where ‘seediness’, crime, and chaos are mainly observed in poor neighborhoods. The middle and upper class, on the other hand, mainly live in neighborhoods where peace and tranquility reign. In these neighborhoods, there is order and calmness. In fact, there are some rules that are set to ensure that the same is observed. In addition, there are mechanisms in place to ensure that the calm and tranquility are enforced and observed at all times.
The concept of broken windows is quite interesting. Although not related to any actual breakage of windows, the theory attempts to explain that signs of crime are likely to lead to more acts of crime. A neighborhood that has many marks of crime, say gun violence, is likely to attract more criminal acts than those areas that are quiet and peaceful. It goes without saying that poor neighborhoods are likely to have more signs and marks of crime compared to their affluent counterparts. The poor state of things in the crime-infested neighborhoods encourages more crime. The broken windows concept might make one want to investigate the reasons why crime is prevalent in some areas and not in others. Probably, factors such as poverty, low levels of education, and elevated levels of aggression in a neighborhood may increase the chances that a person will engage in crime. With these observations, one may conclude that we are likely to live in a society where some neighborhoods will always be in a vicious cycle of crimes while others will always enjoy absolute calm and tranquility. Unless deliberated measures are taken to avert the poor living conditions of the poor neighborhoods, the vicious cycle of crimes is likely to continue for generations to come.
The stop and frisk operation is a great illustration of how police may misuse their power. The operation involved detaining civilians suspected of unlawful activities and involved frisking of the identified individuals. The operation has been found unlawful. Hayes (83) provides the button scenario to show the moral commitment that human beings must have. Truly, we must respect the dignity of the human person. At no point should we reap cheap benefits from the suffering of other people. The concept of crime dropping can be viewed from many lenses. However, in most cities, crimes do not drop due to aging out or mass incarceration. R...