The Public Health Perspective

The Public Health Perspective
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Since the 1980s, the crime rate in America and the rest of the world has been increasing despite the numerous policies that have been implemented to curb crime and restore the rule of law. Policymakers have been forced to go back to the drawing board and review the strategies as a way of remedying the situation that has now become a social issue. The cases of violence in the community have reached the peak almost bringing a nation to her knees. People have called for a different approach other than the conventional strategies linked to criminology and this has resulted in the proposal of the adoption of a public health perspective (Browne, & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2005). A criminologist is required by the law to follow the constitution and adhere to protocols that have not worked or brought desired changes in decades.
A public health perspective with tackle crime the same was an epidemic that is affecting the entire society. This will ensure that law enforcement agencies realize that violence not only affects the perpetrator, but also the victim, families and the entire community as a whole. The public health approach will involve treating violence and gang-related crime as an epidemic that needs to be eradicated. This will force the stakeholders to go to the root of the problem and set up prevention programs to tackle unlawful acts before they are committed by the criminals (Ferguson, & Kilburn, 2009).

On the other hand, public health has gathered support from organizations and a wide range of stakeholders. This means that the input of the violence prevention will be enough to come up with the required solution to crime. Finally, unlike in the criminological approach, it has no ties with law enforcers hence boosting the participation of the members of the community in the efforts.
References
Browne, K. D., & Hamilton-Giachritsis, C. (2005). The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach. The Lancet, 365(9460), 702-710.
Ferguson, C. J., & Kilburn, J. (2009). The public health risks of media violence: A meta-analytic review. The Journal of pediatrics, 154(5), 759-763.