How Murder is Viewed as Deviant in Society

Compared to other advanced nations, the United States has stood out in the high levels of violence and the strikingly huge number of citizens that have been killed or wounded through the use of gunfire. There is an increasingly high number of United States citizens that have been involved in murder. Compared to other nations, Americans are the least involved in suicides. However, they are involved with killing each other at incredibly high rates. Even though everyday violence is a global problem, it is not equally prevalent in the United States. The United States cities are the worst hit by high crime rates and murders. One of the cities that have been involved in high crime rates is New York City. The city has been experiencing a surge of murders over the past few years. This paper analyzes murder as deviant in society by looking at the problem in the United States and focusing specifically on murders in New York City. 

Murder rates going up in New York City 

A report by the New York Police Department indicated that murders and rapes in New York City went up in the first half of the year of 2018. The murder rates went high by a margin of 8 percent compared to that of the previous year. New York City experienced approximately 147 murders by the end of June 2018. This is an increase in 11 compared to a similar amount of murder that was recorded at the same point in 2017 (Moore & Feis, 2018). The specific region in New York City that has experienced a significant rise in rates of murder is Bronx. The region experienced 51 homicides in 2018. This was an increase by 64.5 percent because the last year's number was 31 at the same date (Moore & Feis, 2018). 

The high murder rates in New York City can be said to be as a result of the increased prevalence of gun violence in the region. The types of murders in different cities can be attributed to being caused by homicides with gang-related violence. 30 percent of the violence in the city can be attributed to gang violence and homicides while 40 percent of the crimes can be attributed to nonfatal incidences. The nature of killings that were experienced in New York had happened in the past few months and years in the spur of a moment. This was attributed to the high number of gang-related killings and the many homicides that could not be explained. They were caused by several disputes which involved different gang members. 

While the police in the region thought that they had made a significant impact, the effect of the decreasing murder has been culminated by the increasing murders. The rapid nature of the rise of murders presents a big problem that is almost impossible to solve. The nature of murders is well orchestrated by the offenders making it difficult for the law enforcers to catch the offenders. This means that there are several murderers out on the loose in different cities. With murders being caused by repeat offenders, this means that there is a huge chance that there will be a continual increase in gang-related violence and murders in the city. 

Murder rates increasing in the United States 

Figure 1: Murder Rates Starting to Increase . Reprinted from What’s the Homicide Capital of America? Murder Rates in U.S. Cities, Ranked, July 2018. Retrieved from https://www.thetrace.org/2018/04/highest-murder-rates-us-cities-list/ 

The graphic shown in figure 1 shows the trends of murder rates in the United States. A close look at the graphic shows the recent trends in murder rates in the United States. It shows that the murder rate recently ticked up between 2014 and 2016. However, the rates dropped had dropped slightly in 2017 where there were 5.3 murders per 100,000 people (Mirabile & Nass, 2018) . While many predicted that this was a sign that the short-term increase was over, the murder rates in 2018 have gone up in different cities of the United States in the year 2018. New York City has experienced a significant increase in the murder rates for the first half of the year 2018. Other cities that have experienced an increase in murder rates include Chicago, Kentucky, Louisville, and Milwaukee. The statistics show that there is a high likelihood that the murder rates for the year 2018 will be higher than that which has been experienced in the past five years. 

Davey and Smith (2015) analyzed the murder rates in the United States that were found to be rising sharply. They indicated that several cities across the nation are experiencing a surprising increase in murders after several years of decline. The study was based on evidence drawn from the year 2014 which marked the first turn of the increasing murder rates after it had fallen for several decades. The cities that experienced the largest turn and increase in the year 2014 were New York and Chicago. These cities had been experiencing the lowest murder rates for several decades. What was quite alarming was that the increase was not experienced in a single city but in different cities in the US. 

One of the factors that can be attributed to the increase in murder rates is that law enforcement officers could be getting less aggressive. The result is that they could be scrutinizing fewer criminals leading to many people that are ready to cause harm on the loose. Additionally, most of the individuals that were involved in the killing were not first-time offenders. Instead, they were repeat offenders and it was just the same people killing over and over again (Davey and Smith, 2015). This shows that the police department in various cities should strive to be more aggressive so that it can solve the various murders in the city and stop the repeat offenders. 

Murder rates high while other crimes low 

The fact that murder rates are increasingly becoming high while other crimes are reducing shows that murder in the United States and New York City is devious. New York City has experienced 853 fewer crimes compared to the number of crimes that were reported in the year 2018. Reports on burglaries, robberies, and shootings have also decreased. Even as these crimes decrease, the increase in murder by 8 percent presents a disturbing evidence on the real reason behind the increase in murders. Along with the increase in murders, rape reports in New York City have also increased by approximately 33.2 percent within the first half of 2018. The number was 678 in the previous year and increased to 903 at the same time in the year 2018. 

In a normal set up, the crime rates and murder rates are expected to be interrelated. An increase in crimes in a specific city would result in a resultant increase in murder. However, the increase in murder as crime decreases presents an evidence that many people find it difficult to understand. According to the data released by the New York City Police Department, while other crimes appear to be going down, there has been a rise in homicides within the first half of the year 2018. 

Murder of Guzman-Feliz 

The high rates of murders in New York City caught the attention of the general public and media when a video of the murder of Guzman-Feliz, a 15-year-old was caught by surveillance videos. The video showed the horrifying moments as the teen was dragged by a group of thugs. One of the attackers can be seen hacking at the shrieking teen with a large blade before another punches him over. The group then sped away in two cars. Police reports noted that Guzman-Feliz was stabbed several times and had received a huge gash on his neck. He was left screaming on the corner with his hands raised before he ran across the streets. He tried to run to a nearby hospital but could not make it as a result of the injuries. The police reports indicated that the victim knew the suspects quite well and that Guzman-Feliz had a clean record (Moore & Feis, 2018). 

The case of Guzman-Feliz presents an example of the devious murders of New York City. The case was a homicide where a gang attacked an innocent individual on the streets. The incident caught the attention of the media because it was caught on video surveillance and circulated widely on social media. However, there are several other incidences of similar murders and crimes that are not taped and thus do not get revealed to the public. Such murders are both horrifying and alarming, it raises huge questions about the safety of many individuals in the United States and what the increasing rates of murder in the regions mean. 

Comparison between the United States and other high-income countries 

A comparison between the rate of murder in the United States and that of other high-income countries can be used to reveal whether the rates are normal or devious. Grinshteyn and Hemenway (2016) carried out an analysis of violent death rates in the United States and compared it with that of other high-income countries. The study revealed that homicide rates in the United States were 7 times higher than other high-income countries. It went on to reveal that homicide rates caused by a gun were 25.2 times higher. The gun homicide rates for individuals that were between the age of 15 and 24 had a homicide rate that was 49 times higher. The overall death by firearm in the United States was 10 times higher compared to other high-income countries. 

A country-to-country comparison showed that the United States firearm homicide rate was 7 times higher compared Canada. Canada was the second high-income country that ranked highly in terms of murder rates. Firearm homicide rates in the US was found to be 600 times higher compared to Korea, the country that ranked lowest in the survey. The total homicide rate was 2 times higher compared to that of the Czech Republic and 18 times higher compared to the United Kingdom (Grinshteyn and Hemenway, 2016). The study went ahead to analyze the probability of an American citizen being killed as a result of a firearm. It found that American citizens are 10 times more likely to die as a result of firearm compared to the residents of other high-income countries. 

The study presents a disturbing evidence of the devious murder rates in the United States. It shows also shows that the United States has a very big problem with gun control and firearms compared to any other high-income countries. Even though the murder rates, have been experiencing a consistent decline over the past few decades, the fact that the United States experiences the highest murder rates of any high-income country presents an overwhelming evidence that murder in the United States is a very big problem that should be addressed. 

Hamilton and Kposowa (2015) analyzed the risks posed by Firearm and violent deaths in the United States by looking at cities and states that were prone to violence and homicides. The study showed that individuals that reside in the most violent cities are exposed to the high risk of being murdered compared to those in less prone areas. For instance, individuals that reside in New York City have a risk of six times higher to be murdered compared to individuals of other less prone cities. The changes in the city were at its highest level given the fact that homicide levels had significantly increased over the past few years. The study went ahead to reveal how household gun ownership is a major factor that relates to fatal violence in almost every level of homicide. 

Opposing claim 

Those that oppose the fact that murder rates are devious in the United States and New York City note that the rates are at an all-time low compared to that which was seen between the 1980s and 1990s. The graph in figure 1 is an example of the rates of murders have been decreasing consistently right from the early 90s (Mirabile & Nass, 2018). These individuals note that even though the arc has experienced a sharp increase in the past few years, it is still at its lowest low. Other cities and towns in the United States that have populations of more than 250,000 have also experienced a similar pattern of decreasing murder rates. 

Those that oppose the claim of devious murder also note that because New York has so many people means that it can get a murder almost on a daily basis. This means that it would get the attention of the people. New York may appear to be worsening when one focuses on the numbers and not the rates since one would forget the size of the city (Kirby, 2018). Many accept the fact that New York City has experienced a high number of murders and could record a significantly high number of killings every year. However, statistics on the murder rate is nowhere near when it was at its worst. This presents a great deal of optimism as it shows that law enforcers have worked consistently over the decades to solve crimes, solve murders, and to reduce the rate of murder. 

Criminologists also argue that it might be too early to predict that the murder rates will go high based on the data gathered over the past five years. They note that the current law enforcement system has been better structured than any other time in history. The murder rates could start going down or stabilize as law enforcement officers get aggressive to solve various murders. They also note that there is no need or basis for hysteria among the general public because the rates of murder are far below the peaks which were experienced between the late 1980s and the early 90s. They note that there have been some cities in the United States such as Los Angeles, Newark, and Cincinnati where the murder rates have remained quite steady over the past few years (Fagan and Richman, 2017). 

While the arguments presented are true, a comparison of the murder rates in the United States and other high-income countries still show that the United States is fairing quite poorly. Additionally, one cannot fail to notice the evidence that murder rates in some cities like New York are significantly high compared to the murder rates of other cities. However, the fact that murder rates are still at the lowest levels in history shows that there is no need for hysteria. However, law enforcement officers should work tirelessly to prevent and solve murder cases. 

In conclusion, the high rates and high numbers of murder rates in the United States and cities such as New York present an overwhelming evidence of murder as deviant in society. The rates of murder in the US and New York have had a significant increase in the past five years. There are several cases of murders like that of Guzman-Feliz which remain unsolved leading to repeat murders. While the murder rates in the US is not at its all-time high, it is still the highest compared to any other high-income country. 

References 

Davey, M., & Smith, M. (2015). Murder rates rising sharply in many US cities.  The New York Times ,  1 . 

Fagan, J., & Richman, D. (2017). Understanding recent spikes and longer trends in American murders.  Columbia law review ,  117 (5), 1235-1296. 

Grinshteyn, E., & Hemenway, D. (2016). Violent death rates: the US compared with other high-income OECD countries, 2010.  The American journal of medicine ,  129 (3), 266-273. 

Hamilton, D., & Kposowa, A. J. (2015). Firearms and violent death in the United States: Gun ownership, gun control, and mortality rates in 16 states, 2005–2009.  British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science ,  7 , 84-98. 

Kirby, J. (2018). New York City Had Record-Low Crime Rate in 2016. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/01/new-york-city-had-record-low-crime-rate-in-2016.html 

Mirabile, F., & Nass, D. (2018). What’s the Homicide Capital of America? Murder Rates in U.S. Cities, Ranked. Retrieved from https://www.thetrace.org/2018/04/highest-murder-rates-us-cities-list/ 

Moore, T., & Feis, A. (2018). NYC’s murder rate rises due to gang violence. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2018/07/10/nycs-murder-rate-rises-due-to-gang-violence/