Infanticide
Studies on criminal justice, especially as it relates to infanticide case have shaded more light on how to perform a wide variety of services which include crime investigative work, identifying suspects, among other duties for the benefit of the general public. A more multidiscipline team approach has been the prime factor to ensuring comprehensive response to myriad of problems relating to infanticide and putting face on the actions necessary to be taken. In this perspective, looking at the Smithville community, the society is violent to children. In fact, as the statistics suggest, children are at high risks of being in killed or violently abused. Indeed, in Smithville, it can be implied that children are facing increasing challenges, especially on their safety as they are constantly in one way or the other being expose to traumatic events, including violent crimes.
Based on the nature of crime cases in the small suburban town, it is imperative asserting that these deaths are not tragedy of maternal filicide or child murder by mother. The deaths exhibit a probability of a serial killer. Moreover, from keen observation of Smithville community, children are vulnerable to a number of serious crimes and just like many other places as observed according to Lee’s Summit, Smithville Men Indicted for Internet Child Pornography Offenses (2015)
The general perspective in light of the assessment of Smithville infanticide cases, present a compelling and clear need for the treatment of infanticide and murder as the first degree murder cases so that a general punitive stance to the problems can be maintained. Typically, it is Smithville is unsafe for children based on the recent statistics of children murder under unexplained circumstances. Moreover, it is generally observable that the community in question has had many instances of other violent actions against children such as rape contributed by poor street lights, domestic violence and brutal bulling among other cases.
Indeed, looking at Smithville, it imperative asserting that there is leniency with respect to sentencing practices on the law of infanticide. In fact, it is normally acknowledged that infanticide is rare however, in the recent cases; there is clear indication that requires more attention. From the assessment, infanticide presents serious challenges. Nevertheless, there are a number of actions and measures that can be taken to protect the children in the town. These include steps such as;
Teaching children on the mechanism to minimize risks of being victims of violent crimes and insisting on knowing at all times where the kids are, who they are with and what they are doing.
There is need to encouraging established groups to become more upfront with regards to crime prevention efforts so that children can protected at all times. Typically, this is getting involved in community-anticrime efforts to safeguard children.
Taking steps by reporting crimes and any suspicious actions to law enforcement officers so as to facilitate safety of the children. Moreover, willing and volunteering to offer testimony with regards to infanticide case when necessary, and standing up for the truth to maintain a safe community.
Advising children and adults on the need to be vigilant all time and using common-sense to reduce the risk of becoming a crime victim. For instance advising them to stay in well-lighted, busy areas and travel with a friend as well as avoiding known trouble spots.
Getting to know one’s neighbors and agree with them to look out for one another in addition to being organized and working together with law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, another measure that can be taken with respond to increasing cases of infanticide is volunteering one’s home as a reliable source of help for children who are scared or need assistance.
It is clear that Child Abuse Protection Laws ensure that children are protected against all manner of violence. However, in light on the present issues concerning children, authorities have to ensure that the kids and their welfare are well protected (Allen, 2013). This can be done only if the concern organs work as a team with member of different organizations which look after the children and their caretakers. Actually, working as a team among various authorities and the voluntary sectors, the Government can raise standards for children who need the active support of social services and protection against any violence. The Government should provide the necessary leadership, guidance and funding for local authorities and other agencies so that the right actions and agenda for action is applied.
It is true that within the jurisdictions of local, federal and state agencies, there are laws that provide standards and guidelines with regards to child abuse issues. In fact, all states have enacted laws for the protection of children from ranging from issues regarding abuse of children to issues on neglect of children (Palombit, 2015). Furthermore, the issues addressed in the law considered mandatory to responding to child abuse and neglect and provide basis for criminal and civil prosecution. One important required in relation to changing the law due to observed media attention on child sexual abuse within the Smithville is enacted laws to designate additional professionals as mandated reporters or all citizens as mandated reporters so that crimes perpetrated against children can be give broad discussion and better ways for handling the infanticide cases are decided.
The laws enacted should provide a framework in which all persons reporting suspected child abuse or neglect or any other type of crime against children to a law enforcement official or other relevant authority, should be required to, within ten days to report in writing each instance of alleged or suspected abuse, sexual abuse or sexual crimes against a child (Stephen, & Smith, 2014). Furthermore, within the same provisions, the particular persons reporting suspected child abuse or infanticide should be provided immune from criminal and civil liability for reports made in good faith. Thus, the particular laws would require individuals holding a professional license or certification who provide services to children to complete annual training on child abuse, neglect and general welfare mandatory reporting requirements.
There are certain crucial things that parents must comprehend and ensure that children are not exposed to situations that put them in danger. Parents typically should think first about predators that might use provided information e.g. images on social networks or by other means to find child or contact child, and how the images might be rebranded for a undesired purpose. It is therefore plausible for parents to be very aware of cyber-security and cyber-safety issues, especially when they are posting images of their children online. This is with the reasons that photographs taken with digital devices can contain hidden Meta data such as time, date, location, device etc. which may put the child at risk of being abducted or harmed or facilitate occurrence of such cases as infanticide (Tooley, 2012).
The changes in lifestyles that may make children safer that should be observed within the community is to ensure that children are guided and instructed properly not accept rides from strangers, and they should be taught on the secret codes of their families and the immediate neighbors who can assist them when the need arises (Stephen, & Smith, 2014). In addition, the community should ensure that children are trained on how to make emergency calls when they are in danger from how to use internal and states calls to how to seek help from law enforcement officers.
In relation to the infanticides, in the current dynamic wave nature of crimes, it is becoming more challenging to construct evidence and thus, more proficient and competent profilers have become invaluable assets to the criminal investigation unit in every country (Stephen, & Smith, 2014). Hence, experts who have endeavored into criminal profiling should be encouraged as they to engage in in-depth processes in solving infanticide crimes and abandon reliance on non-justifiable arguments which do not offer insight as to the actual and realistic profiling advice.
One plan to target possible offenders through community policing is creation of specialized enforcement unit that is responsible for creating a safer community through the management and enforcement of judicial conditions against gang members, serial killers, serious high risk violent offenders and high risk sexual offenders in order to guard children and the community at large against any possible crime cases (Stephen, & Smith, 2014). Moreover, the enforcement unit in collaboration with the community members ensures strategies and pilot initiatives are implemented so that effective use of resources can be realized and goals attained in maintaining peace and order, and reducing crimes cases including infanticides.
Reference
Allen, M. (2013). Textbook on criminal law. Oxford University Press.
Opie, C., Atkinson, Q. D., Dunbar, R. I., & Shultz, S. (2013). Male infanticide leads to social monogamy in primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(33), 13328-13332.
Palombit, R. A. (2015). Infanticide as sexual conflict: coevolution of male strategies and female counterstrategies. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology, a017640.
Stephen, J. F., & Smith, K. J. M. (2014). Selected Writings of James Fitzjames Stephen: A General View of the Criminal Law. Oxford University Press.
Tooley, M. (2012). Abortion and infanticide. Ethical Theory: an Anthology.
