Callings, Cakes, and Corrections

The mission statement of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, which is responsible for maintaining the correctional system for the state of Tennessee, is “To enhance public safety in Tennessee through incarceration and rehabilitation of felony offenders”. This statement indicates that the TDOC demonstrates examples of both the crime control perspective of criminal justice (punishing offenders through incarceration) and the rehabilitation perspective (providing treatment and counseling so that offenders can be reintegrated into society after release.) The mission statement of the Tennessee Department of Public Safety is “Through education, regulation and enforcement the Department of Safety ensures the overall safety and welfare of the public. The Department was established in 1939, and currently encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services.” This mission statement seems to fit with the crime control perspective of criminal justice, as it sets and enforces regulations on the people of Tennessee to ensure high standards of safety. The Tennessee Supreme Court reviews cases that have been heard by the Court of Appeals and determines whether the defendant’s Constitutional rights have been violated. The Supreme Court also determines whether the judge, lawyers, and jury involved with the case followed the Constitution when hearing the case. This is an excellent example of the due process perspective on criminal justice, as the Tennessee Supreme Court strives to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly and their Constitutional rights are observed.For more information visit www.tennessee.gov/correction/

The Criminal Justice system sure takes the “cake” when it comes to knowing how to classify all the different types of crimes and misdemeanors. This taxonomy is represented by a wedding cake. Now using this model it’s possible to classify the different temperaments of crime. At the top of the cake are the celebrated crimes that the media loves to follow. Tennessee is home to the infamous serial killer George “Machine Gun” Kelley who kidnapped and murdered numerous people according to the FBI’s file history (www.fbi.gov). The second layer consists of serious offenses by dangerous criminals, usually resulting in a high amount of casualties. Murder, rape, arson, and other high crimes fit into this category. For example in a small community named Frog Pond in Macon County, Tennessee, three people were shot to death in their own homes (Upchurch 2009). The third layer of the wedding cake is lesser offenses, usually done by first time offenders and don’t result in any serious punishment and violators are usually just put on probation. Not usually publicized, an example of this can be found in Springfield inmates who are pressing charges against the health care and food at their jail cell. Whether or not that they deserve such treatment, it is still a crime to deprive human beings with adequate and standard resources (Tennessean 2009). The last layer with the most crimes is misdemeanors such as traffic tickets and will usually only result in a fine. In Knoxville, 17 University students were arrested for playing a game of tag, which was misinterpreted by one police officer as dangerous wrestling. (Nelson 2009)

According to federal statistics, (Perry, 2006), the total justice expenditures for 2006 in the state of Tennessee were $2,626,692. The largest portion of justice funds were spent at the law enforcement level, with $1,210,316 (46.1%) at this level. The second highest level was for correctional spending, which totaled $895,959 (34.1%). Judicial spending only amounted to $520,417 (19.8%). (The dollar amounts are reported in thousands). There are many reasons why law enforcement spent the most, two of these being population and crime rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, (Population Division, 2008), Tennessee’s population as of July 2008 was 6,214,888, ranking the state 17th in terms of population. Tennessee’s total Crime Index is 4,890.2 reported incidents per 100,000 people, ranking the state as having the 10th highest total Crime Index (The Disaster Center, 2008). As a state’s population increases, so does the crime rate; more people, more crime. A few ways that the law enforcement expenditures could be reduced are through community outreach, programs for first time offenders, and revision of total expenditures. Through community outreach efforts, local law enforcement could make their presence in certain high crime areas better known, perhaps curbing some of the crime. If programs for first time offenders were put in place instead of carting them straight to jail, the likelihood of them becoming repeat offenders could be substantially reduced, thus thwarting some of the crime on the streets of Tennessee. Another way to effectively cut some of the spending on law enforcement would be to review their total expenditures and examine what certain things they are spending the most money and why, cutting costs in areas which they feel they can still maintain with less spending. Another way is to increase the duties of each policeman. In this way, less police officers would be needed, and the state would have less people to pay. In a more eco-friendly attempt it is plausible for a switch on all police cars to hybrid vehicles. The state could then save on gas expenditures for law enforcement vehicles. On a more constructive scale it would be beneficial to reduce the number of law enforcement buildings. If there are fewer stations, then the state would not have to pay as much money. By reviewing their expenditures, Tennessee could develop a new plan tailored to their specific needs and budget.

TDOC Mission, Vision, and Values. Retrieved September 7, 2009. Web site: http://www.tennessee.gov/correction/mission.html.

Mission Statement. Retrieved September 7, 2009. Web site: http://tennessee.gov/safety/

www.tsc.state.tn.us

Federal Bureau of Investigationhttp://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/kelly/kelly.htm

Upchurch, J. Three Slain in Macon County. The Tennessean. Retrieved September 7,

2009 http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090907/NEWS03/90907013/Three+slain+in+Macon+Count

Associated Press. Springfield inmate testifies about bad jail food. The Tennessean. Retrieved September 6, 2009 http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090906/NEWS03/909060343/2066/Springfield+inmate+testifies+about+bad+jail+food

Nelson, K. 17 UT Students Arrested for ‘game of tag’. The Tennessean. Retrieved September 7, 2009 http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090905/NEWS03/909050322/2066/17+UT+students+arrested+for++game+of+tag+

The Disaster Center (2008).

Perry, S. W. (2006).

U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (2008).

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