Safety is a primary need for every human being. This is why crime and deviance have are critical issues in society that different political parties attempt to tackle. Because crime and deviance are addressed through a criminal justice system that is designed by political policy, crime and deviance have developed an important relationship with American politics throughout American history. Political stances have changed over time and it appears that the dynamics of the relationship between politics and crime will evolve once more as evidenced by the political rhetoric that ensued after the murder of George Floyd. This report will discuss the relationship between crime and deviance and contemporary American politics revealing the various political stances on crime and the causes for the similarities and differences in these stances.
Crime and deviance have become increasingly important issues in American politics. Americans naturally want to feel safe and believe that it is the duty of their leaders to guarantee them their security as they go about their daily affairs. The growing importance of crime in political discourse is on one hand surprising because crime rates have generally fallen in the United States in the past 20 years, indicating that Americans should generally feel safer. On the other hand, the anxiety over a crime can be explained by the proliferation of information-sharing sources where crimes and other incidences of violence are disseminated to vast swathes of the American population. Recent incidences of mass shootings, White supremacist crimes, gang activities such as the murders of celebrities, and police brutality have brought crime into the centerfold of American politics. Indeed, in the 2020 presidential elections, research indicates that 6 out of 10 Americans stated that violent crime would be a significant factor in their voting decisions (PewResearch). With this influence on voting patterns, it is no wonder that the two main political parties in the United States, Democratic Party, and the Republican Party have prioritized crime and deviance in their political stances. The main issues surrounding the politics of crime and deviance are police brutality, disproportionately high incarceration rates in the United States, the effects of this mass incarceration on crime rates, and the civil rights of inmates. These issues are at the center of the crime and deviance discourse in the United States.
Like every other major societal issue crime and deviance are polarizing topics in American politics with the Republican and Democrat factions politicizing the issue of crime and deviance in a bid to win more voters. Democrats’ perception of crime and proposed politics to deal with crime has shifted in recent years. Before the 2000s, the Democrat Party pursued a tough-on-crime stance as evidenced by the fact that the Illegal Immigration laws that led to the mass deportation and incarceration of immigrants were passed during Clinton’s administration (Bargaric et al 490). Subsequent Democrat administrations have revealed a similar stance on criminalizing immigration as evidenced by the number of deportations that occurred during Obama’s administration. However, during Trump’s presidency, the Democrat stance shifted towards a more community and rehabilitative approach to dealing with crime. Democrats contemporarily advance a radical restructuring of the criminal justice system. The Democrat stance on crime is that poverty has been criminalized and that crime has been weaponized to target racial minorities in the United States. Democrats call for protecting communities and building trust as the best way to fight crime.
Furthermore, Democrats have called for the legalization of certain crimes such as drug use. This is evidenced by the fact that a significant number of Democrat-controlled states have legalized marijuana use and the Democrats push for the federal legalization of marijuana. In essence, Democrats are pushing for the decriminalization of some offenses and pushing for the decarceration of America (Democrats). The Democrat political stance can be explained by the current support bases of Democrats. The Democratic Party enjoys significant support among racial minorities, particularly blacks and Latinx. These groups disproportionately suffered because of the tough-on-crime stance. Given the recent elections, it is clear that the Democratic Party’s stance on crime resonates with this group as a significant proportion of racial minorities voted for President Joe Biden.
Just like the Democrats, the Republican Party had for a long time taken the tough-on-crime stance but recent developments seem to suggest that this rhetoric does not drive the party’s crime policy. On paper, the Republican Party presents itself as the party that is tough on crime. The Republican Party still advocates for the death penalty and stricter sentencing for major crimes (Republican Views). However, research indicates that this could be an effort to pander to its White conservative support, some of whom still retain the notion that racial minorities are responsible for an apparent rise in the crime rate (Bagaric et al. 511). In reality, though, it appears that the Republican Party’s approach to crime policy is geared toward decarceration. This is evidenced by the fact that prison numbers systematically dropped during Trump’s administration (Bargaric et al). Indeed, during the 2020 Super Bowl, the Republican Party advertisement focused on the early release of an inmate, in line with the First Step Act which called for a reduction in penalties for a significant number of offenders. The advertisement is proof that the Republican Party’s attitude towards crime and deviance is changing. The Republican Party, just like the Democrats are realizing that humane policies toward crime are vote-getters.
Crime and deviance are significant topics in contemporary American political discourse. Crime is an issue that significantly influences voters’ choices at the ballot and political parties have ventured to advance policies that appeal to the voters. Even though crime rates in the United States have generally dropped, the public is still concerned about crime and political parties are moving to pass policies that will make America safer while also ensuring that criminal justice is effective. Issues such as police brutality, the high rate of incarceration in the United States, and emergent research on the effectiveness of the criminal justice system are significant factors that influence the relationship between crime and politics. The research found that both political sides are gradually moving towards reformist approaches to dealing with crime and moving away from the tough-on-crime stance which dominated American politics in the late 90s and early 2000s. The future of the relationship between crime, deviance, and politics is unpredictable but the American stance against policies that lead to mass incarceration that disproportionately affects racial minorities implies that both political factions will move to reduce incarceration rates hence changing the perception of crime in political discourse and approach.
Works Cited
Bagaric, Mirko, et al. “American Exceptionalism at Its Finest:” Soft on Crime” Now a Vote-Winner in the World’s Largest Incarcerator.” Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 25 (2021): 489.
Democrats. “Protecting Communities and Building Trust by Reforming our Criminal Justice System.” Democrats, 29 Aug. 2020, democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/protecting-communities-and-building-trust-by-reforming-our-criminal-justice-system/.
PewResearch. “Important Issues in the 2020 Election.” Pew Research Center – U.S. Politics & Policy, 28 Apr. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/13/important-issues-in-the-2020-election/.
Republican Views. “Republican Views On Crime.” |, 29 Aug. 2015, www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-crime/.
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