NCJ Number
87187
Date Published
1982
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Issues requiring proactive criminal justice planning in the sunbelt States include illegal aliens, racial unrest, crime by women, prison violence, terrorism, nuclear safety, environmental crime, white collar crime, organized crime, declining public resources, and the 'survivalist' mentality.
Abstract
The 'sunbelt' is the entire region encompassing most of the southeastern, southwestern, and western coastal States. The presence of large numbers of illegal aliens in the sunbelt can be the occasion for crimes or exploitations committed by others in addition to creating problems in education and housing as well as employment. Racial unrest may be precipitated by the increasing standard of living gap between blacks and whites and the growing social and political awareness of minorities. The growing number of female offenders may produce overcrowding in women's prisons in the near future, and general prison conditions which persist in the dehumanizing of inmates may stimulate large-scale prison violence. Although terrorism has not yet threatened the sunbelt, the numerous military and nuclear installations in the south provide appealing targets for terrorists. The growth of the south's nuclear industry also poses the threat of a nuclear disaster and the problem of nuclear waste, and hazardous chemicals present an immediate hazard. White collar crime and organized crime, particularly drug trafficking, also pose growing law enforcement problems. Declining public resources is the most significant and pressing problem in the future, because this tends to render the public helpless in dealing with all of the aforementioned problems. This condition may stimulate an increase in the 'survivalist' mentality, which will prompt citizens to develop lawless and violent means for dealing with perceived threats to their personal and economic survival. Twenty-five references are provided.