crime in society essay

Impact of Crime on Wider Society Essay

There is no society that has never experienced crime in its lifetime. For example, it is argued that just as the human body has some organs which tend to cause problems to people, the same case applies to societies. There are those people who always engage in activities that cause problems to other people who live within the same society.

Therefore, just as some organs in the body can be removed in order to improve the health of a person, the people who cause problems in the society can also be removed so that the society can be peaceful (Fitzgerald, 2010). Most of the tribes that are characterized by trust and close family ties also encounter similar challenges.

There are those people who disobey the traditions that are set by the society. Most civilized societies describe people who do things contrary to the expectations of other people as criminals. The government is a very important body that plays a very important role with respect to combating crime. It is therefore true that there can be no government if there is no crime (Alice, 2010).

People normally have different opinions on whether crime is healthy for any society (Susan, 2011). There are those people who describe their society as healthy while others regard it as unhealthy. This view depends on their opinion on crime. However, most people see their societies as healthy despite the fact that there are incidences of crime which happen inside those societies.

This indicates that some forms of crime are important for a society to grow. If there was no crime, there would be no need to govern people. A criminal is a person who needs to be punished, controlled and stopped because his actions bring undesirable effects to the society (Why Care, 2012).

In the modern society, people have become too much dependent on laws and regulations. People have developed the habit that they must be governed and regulated so that they can live in harmony with each other (Vito & Maahs, 2011).

For example, most of countries which do not have stable governments are characterized by various forms of violence. It is therefore important for such countries to have a stable government which would regulate the inhuman activities that people in such countries engage in (Why Care, 2012). Every culture has criminals and it is the duty of the people to make sure they eradicate all the criminal deeds observed in the area.

However, the fatal mistake that people make is to think that they have powers which enable them to differentiate between good and evil. This then makes them to think that it is their responsibility to punish others for the crimes committed. However, almost every person in every society has at one time engaged in a criminal activity.

This therefore means that before people judge others for committing criminal activities, they should also ensure that they completely refrain from criminal activities. This would make it easy for them to combat crime easily in the societies where they live (Zen, 2009). However, since not everybody is able to refrain from committing crime, crime has therefore been accepted as way of life in different societies.

The various measures that people adopt to reduce crime in their areas include electing a government that is committed to handle criminals, practice community policing, or having a group of people who are adequately trained to guard the society from any criminals who might attack the society (Susan, 2011). It is accepted that there is no society where crime does not exist. The people who engage in criminal activities are therefore said to inflict punishments upon themselves.

Despite the fact that crime is an acceptable reality in every society, people engage in activities aimed at regulating the criminal activities which criminals engage in. This is because, if criminals are allowed to continue in harmful activities without anybody intervening, there is likelihood that the good people in the society would suffer huge losses.

To minimize the losses that people encounter as a result of criminal activities therefore, it becomes important for governments and the people to invest resources and time in order to ensure that criminal activities are easily manageable (Vito & Maahs, 2011).

The different crimes that criminals commit include murder, robbery, rape, and drug dealings. All these crimes inflict huge losses to the victims (Viviene & Cree, 2010). It therefore becomes important to have a body such as the government which would regulate all the activities of criminals. It is the responsibility of the government to take care of its population. It is supposed to ensure that there is peaceful coexistence among the people in the country (Susan, 2011).

To do this, the government ensures that the security personnel such as the police and the army are hired and given relevant training in order to ensure that criminal activities are brought down as much as possible within a country (Vito & Maahs, 2011). The government therefore invests a lot of funds and time in training and equipping the police and the army with the relevant tools so that they can tackle criminal activities easily and effectively.

Any criminal activity is normal in every society (Zen, 2009). This statement serves as a guide to many people by helping them understand that crime is present everywhere and people should therefore adopt all the measures possible to ensure that bring down all crime incidences significantly. This would enable the members of every society to live in peaceful coexistence with each other.

Alice, C. (2010). Interesting Perspective- Crime is Normal. Web.

Fitzgerald, M. (2010). Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory. New York: Routledge.

Susan, E. F. (2011). Is it a Waste Time for Government to Spend Money on Criminals? Web.

Vito, G. F., & Maahs, J. R. (2011). Criminology: Theory, Research, and Policy. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Viviene, C., & Cree, E. (2010). Sociology for Social Workers and Probation Officers. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Why Care. (2012). What are the Causes of Crime. Web.

Zen, K. L. (2009). Why is Crime Healthy for Society? Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). Impact of Crime on Wider Society. https://ivypanda.com/essays/crime-and-society/

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Impact of Crime on Wider Society." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/crime-and-society/.

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Crime As A Social Problem: How To Write An Essay?

Table of Contents

Nevertheless, the key to solving the problem lays deeply in it and only through research of every aspect of the problem it can be found. That is exactly why this topic is so popular! You have endless scopes to discover, various information to collect, numerous questions to find answers to, and freedom to compose any personal topic dealing with crime.

But still, all essays on crime are similar to their aim – to discover and to help. You need to realize that any cause-effect connections you may find can indeed help to understand the problem better, develop new methods of preventing, reducing or dealing with crimes and criminals and reveal many other useful things.

How to write crime essay?

Writing an essay on crime is almost the same as writing any other essay. However, remember that you need to be extremely precise with the information you include in your essay – it’s better to check the trustworthiness and accuracy of everything you decided to take on the Internet. What’s more, it is a good idea to rely on statistics and numbers.

Moreover, it is better to choose a specific topic for your essay – that’s how you make it informative and newsworthy. Picking too broad topic will result in writing about everything and nothing. At the same time, choosing a narrow topic may be difficult to write due to the lack of available information.

So, analyze your topic and find the golden middle. These are the main differences in a crime essay.

Here are some basic recommendations:

• Come up with the topic – not too narrow, not too broad, most importantly – interesting for you.
• Write an outline and stick to it – any essay needs to be structured both for easier writing and for better perception.
• Be interested in what you write about.

The best structure for the essay on crime

Any essay should contain three parts – introduction, main body, and conclusion. They may also consist of paragraphs for better understanding while reading. So when you have finally decided on your topic, it is nice to make an outline – it is where all parts of your essay will be highlighted.

Here is a free example of an outline for the essay “Correlations of criminal behavior”:

1. Introduction – here you present all the background information needed to understand your ideas, it is the basis of your research. You may also give some definitions if needed.

2. The main body – to state all your ideas.

• Gender – discover who does more crimes, men or women. Try to explain or find explanations for the question “why”.
• Race and immigration – examine people of which race is more likely than others committing crimes. Also, explore how can the status of immigrant influence criminality.
• Early life – enumerate which factors in early life may be associated with committing crimes later. These may include trauma, family size and relations, alcohol and drug addiction in the family, bullying, low school performance, and many others.
• Religion – there are a few studies about how religiosity may influence criminality. Discover whether religion increase or decrease crime, how and why. Maybe, different religions have different effects.
• Political ideology – explore various political ideologies and how they encourage people to behave themselves. Are there any which obviously push people into committing a crime?
• Psychological traits – explain how psychological background may influence a person. Describe some mental illnesses which may make people aggressive and destructive. Find some statistics to prove your statements.
• Socioeconomic factors – examine people of which social or economic status are more prone to commit a crime, why? Explain also how the economic situation in family, city, and country may influence criminality. You may even write a poverty and crime essay.

3. Conclusion – make a derivation of everything you have stated. Keep in mind that no new ideas or statements are needed here.

4. References – add a list of the sources you have used in your essay (if needed).

Causes of crime essay

It is doubtless that the government and authorities try to prevent crimes (which is a great idea, by the way!).

Nevertheless, it is still occurring.

The problem with this is that the majority of people can’t understand where it all comes from. To cope with the problem we need to spread the awareness of why crime is done because “just insanity” isn’t usually the answer.

If you decided to write such an essay, here are some ideas for you to consider in your essay:

• Physical abnormalities – it is still believed that people who encounter some features of appearance are more likely to commit a crime. It is stated that these people have smaller heads, bigger jaws, and ears and are of a certain weight and height. Another determining factor is race.
• Mental illnesses and psychological disorders – there are some illnesses which make people generally more aggressive.
• Social and economic factors – it is a well-known fact that people of lower social status commit more crimes. The same is with the economy – the poorer the country is, the more crime is committed.
• Income and education – it was revealed that educated people are less likely to commit a crime compared to those who are uneducated. What is more, unemployment is regarded as one of the most widespread reasons for crime.
• White-collar crime – it is a prevalent crime among deputies and high officials. They include bribery, abuse of status, bureaucracy, and others.

Hate crime essay: what’s best to cover?

Hate crime is committed against a group of people or someone who belongs to it. As a rule, race and religion are the main factors. Hate crime itself is a violent act towards a person or a group of people due to their affiliation with a group or organization.

Thousands of people all around the world are suffering since they just profess the religion someone doesn’t like, have another color of skin or encounter some even less noticeable differences. Consider writing a does the death penalty deter crime essay in this context.

Thus this type of crime is indeed worth highlighting. Here is a free sample for you to pick some ideas.

Cybercrime essay: several hints

Cybercrime is a relatively new problem which develops with the Internet and technologies. Only fifteen years ago there wasn’t such a problem. However, it is expected that the global cost of cybercrime will surmount $6 trillion!

Most widespread types of cybercrime include fraud, hacking, identity theft, scamming, computer viruses, ransomware, DDoS attack, botnets, spamming, phishing, social engineering, malvertising, cyberstalking, software piracy, cyberbullying and many others.

This is why the topic is really up-to-date. So you may look through this free example to know where to begin this broad topic.

Final thoughts

All in all, crime is a newsworthy scope to explore and write essays on. Unfortunately, crimes are constantly occurring, and there are lots of information and statistics you may need to discover some specific questions.

Don’t hesitate to examine something you’re really interested in, no matter how “important” it is considered! Good luck!

Can’t wait to fight all the crime around the globe? We’ll help! Order your perfect essay on crime and cut yourself free for anything you have on your mind.

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Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Criminology — What Is the Importance of Criminology in Our Society: A Study

What is The Importance of Criminology in Our Society: a Study

• Categories: Criminology Criminology Theories

About this sample

Words: 1029 |

Published: Aug 31, 2023

Words: 1029 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, understanding the importance of criminology, criminology and related theories, works cited.

• Newburn, T. (2007). Criminology. Oxford University Press.
• Tredwell, J. (2013). Understanding official statistics. SAGE Publications.
• Tierney, J. (2010). Criminology: Theory & context. Pearson Higher Ed.
• Sparks, R., Genn, H., & Dodd, D. (1977). The dark figure of crime: New evidence from the British crime survey. Applied Economics, 9(3), 253-267.
• Tibbetts, S. G. (2015). Criminological theory: The essentials. SAGE Publications.
• Siegel, L. J. (2013). Criminology: Theories, patterns, and typologies. Cengage Learning.
• Walklate, S. (2011). Understanding criminology: Current theoretical debates. McGraw-Hill Education.

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The Crime Rate of the United States

This essay about the United States crime rate explores its fluctuations over the decades, underlying causes, and the impact of societal and policy changes on crime dynamics. The discussion begins with a historical overview, noting a significant rise in crime from the 1970s through the early 1990s, followed by a decline into the early 2000s. It examines recent trends showing slight increases in certain types of crimes, including cybercrime, and considers socioeconomic factors like unemployment and poor education as major influences on crime rates. Additionally, the essay addresses how public perception and media coverage, particularly regarding police practices, affect both crime rates and policy responses. It critiques the tough-on-crime approaches of the late 20th century while highlighting contemporary shifts towards criminal justice reform focused on rehabilitation and addressing root causes such as mental health and economic disparity. The essay emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach to understanding crime in the U.S., advocating for policies that prioritize prevention, equity, and rehabilitation to foster a safer and more just society.

How it works

Delving into the intricate realm of crime dynamics in the United States entails navigating a labyrinth of statistical intricacies, historical ebbs and flows, and multifaceted societal influences. Crime rates serve as multifaceted barometers, reflecting not only the pulse of social vitality but also the convolutions of economic inequity and the efficacy of law enforcement and judicial apparatus. This discourse embarks on an expedition through the crime landscape in the United States, honing its lens on the undulating patterns over time, the myriad catalysts shaping these oscillations, and the consequential reverberations resonating throughout society and policy corridors.

Historically, the United States has borne witness to undulant undulations in its crime metrics. The late 20th century, particularly the epoch spanning from the 1970s to the early 1990s, bore witness to a seismic surge in criminal activity, notably in the realm of violent transgressions such as homicide, assault, and theft. However, from the mid-1990s onward, a discernible downturn in crime rates manifested, a trajectory that persisted into the nascent years of the 21st century. This downturn has been subjected to rigorous scrutiny and debate, with hypotheses attributing it to an array of catalysts including advancements in policing methodologies, demographic aging, heightened incarceration rates, and even the phased elimination of lead from gasoline and paint.

In recent epochs, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 economic cataclysm and myriad social and political convulsions, select locales have borne witness to a volte-face in this trajectory, with marginal upticks observed in select categories of criminality, including property offenses and violent misdemeanors. The advent of the digital epoch has further augmented the crime paradigm, with cyber malfeasance and identity usurpation emerging as ubiquitous threats, rendering the precise quantification and mitigation of criminality an increasingly Herculean task.

A constellation of variables conspires to orchestrate the capricious undulations in U.S. crime metrics. Socioeconomic factors exert a palpable gravitational pull, with locales grappling with elevated unemployment rates, educational deserts, and substandard housing stock invariably manifesting augmented crime indices. Additionally, the sinuous interplay of social and cultural dynamics, such as shifts in communal attitudes toward criminality and trust in law enforcement, exerts a pivotal influence. The pervasive media spotlight on instances of police malfeasance and ensuing public scrutiny of policing paradigms has not only sculpted communal perceptions but also engendered seismic shifts in law enforcement strategies.

Policy ripostes to crime in the United States have traversed a broad spectrum, oft swayed by political winds and public sentiment. The punitive ethos of yesteryears, emblematic of the 1980s and 1990s, precipitated a carceral deluge, with certain analyses positing a causal nexus with the subsequent downturn in crime metrics. Nevertheless, these draconian measures exacted a prohibitive social and economic toll, disproportionately impacting marginalized demographics. In contemporary epochs, a discernible pivot toward criminal justice reform has materialized, heralding an epoch wherein rehabilitation supersedes retribution, mandatory minimum sentences are eschewed, and concerted efforts are directed toward addressing the etiological underpinnings of criminality, including mental health exigencies and economic asymmetries.

Comprehending the crime tableau in the United States mandates a multidisciplinary hermeneutic, one that transcends numerical abstractions to encompass the sprawling tapestry of social, economic, and political milieus. It necessitates a nuanced examination of legislative and law enforcement modalities, communal mores, and economic vicissitudes, all of which conspire to sculpt the contours of crime diachrony. As the United States traverses the annals of temporality, so too will its stratagems for comprehending and addressing criminality, ideally pivoting toward modalities that prioritize prevention, equity, and the reintegration of transgressors, thereby fostering a milieu conducive to communal well-being and legal rectitude.

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14 fascinating teacher interview questions for principals, tips for success if you have a master’s degree and can’t find a job, 14 ways young teachers can get that professional look, which teacher supplies are worth the splurge, 8 business books every teacher should read, conditional admission: everything you need to know, college majors: everything you need to know, 7 things principals can do to make a teacher observation valuable, 3 easy teacher outfits to tackle parent-teacher conferences, useful crime essay topics.

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16 Causes of Crime Essay (with Solutions)

This essay on the causes of crime will examine the major factors accounting for the increase in the crime rate such as the breakdown in societal values, proliferation of harmful instruments, illicit substances, peer pressure, unemployment, advances being made in technology, globalization, broken homes, parental neglect and poverty.

We will also identify the possible solutions to crime in society. But we shall begin with the definition of crime and the types of crime prevalent in society today.

Are you looking for a complete sample essay on the causes of crime and its solutions? Then you have come to the right place. Sit back and read closely this sample essay on the causes of both violent and non-violent forms of crime anywhere in the world.

Definition of Crime

To write a complete essay on the causes of crime and violence, we must have a full understanding of what we mean by crime and the various forms crime takes.

Crime refers to acts by individuals or groups that go against the law and societal norms and are therefore punishable by law.

Types of Crime

So what are the types of crime in society? The major types of crime include hate crime, economic crime, cybercrime, white-collar crime, revenge crime and organized crime.

Under the above types of crime, we have specific instances of crime. While some crimes cause little to no physical harm or injury to the victim, others are so violent that they inflict severe pain or physical injury on the persons at the receiving end of such acts of criminal behaviour.

In fact, quite often, some of these crimes result in the deaths of the victims.

Again, murder and homicide are examples of crimes that mean the demise of the affected persons.

Below is a list of the many instances of crime that are on the rise in almost every society across the globe.

• Embezzlement
• Fraud and scams
• Aggravated assault
• Tax evasion
• Human trafficking
• Drug trafficking
• Money laundering

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The Causes of Crime

At this stage of our essay on the causes of crime, we shall take a closer look at each one of the causes of crime.

1. Breakdown in Societal Values

The breakdown in traditional societal values is one of the major causes of crime today. The amazing rate of modernization we see around us has increased our quest for material things.

Today, people are willing to go to any length to acquire expensive dresses, cars and mansions. This has, unfortunately, led a lot of people to believe that any means to the acquisition of material wealth is justifiable.

As a result, such timeless social values as honesty, hard work and integrity have largely been relegated to the background.

No wonder, parents, families and even religious leaders continue to aid and abet criminal behaviours such as embezzlement, kidnapping, internet fraud and the like.

2. Illicit Substances

Among the major causes of crime is the widespread use of illicit substances. The abuse of substances is known to influence the abuser to engage in criminal and anti-social behaviour.

Such anti-social behaviours are often perpetrated by individuals who have lost control of their sense of decency and morality due to the effects of the abuse of these substances

3. Proliferation of Dangerous Instruments

Again, violence, kidnapping and banditry are common today mainly because it has become relatively easy to acquire certain weapons.

The causes of this unfortunate development are many and complex.

In other places, the increase in conflicts has led to a situation where most youth have easy access to dangerous implements.

4. Unemployment

No essay on the causes of crime will be complete without a mention of unemployment. As the saying goes, the devil finds work for an idle hand.

Today, there are multitudes of both unemployed and unemployable youths roaming our streets and looking unsuccessfully for something to do to earn a living.

Out of frustration and desperation, many of these individuals join criminal gangs to rob innocent citizens at gunpoint. They have come to see crime as the only means to survival.

5. Globalization

Crime is now organized on an international scale. Globalization has made it easier for criminals or people with the intent to commit crimes to connect via social media and plan their nefarious activities.

The ease with which these individuals and groups are able to share information and exchange ideas and acquire illicit drugs and weapons is disturbing.

Government law enforcement agencies appear to have come to their wit’s end as to how to curb the activities of international criminal gangs such as money laundering, human trafficking and cyber fraud.

6. Advances in Technology

Today, cybercriminals are having a field day. Identify theft, fraud, bank data breaches and robbery, cyberextortion and ransomware attacks are on the increase.

With a click of a button, hackers are able to get away with millions of dollars from banks with weak or compromised cybersecurity systems.

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Furthermore, the increased use of social media has made it possible for many to become unsuspecting victims to so-called e-commerce ‘merchants’, ‘friends’ and ‘lovers’.

7. Broken Homes and Parental Neglect

As divorce rates increase astronomically in many parts of the world, children are left with no proper parental care or training.

Economic hardship has exacerbated the problem of broken homes. In many developing countries, for example, jobless fathers who cannot bear the burden of providing for their families are known to have disappeared into thin air.

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Without the care and guidance from their parents, many children have grown into adults with no positive moral grounding. These are the products of parental neglect terrorizing society with unspeakable criminal acts.

Poverty is a problem we cannot easily ignore in this essay on the causes of crime. Some people engage in criminal behaviour simply because they are deprived of the basic means of livelihood.

Indeed, hunger and deprivation are among the major causes of crime in many less-developed countries in Africa, Asia and South America.

Crimes like theft, fraud, banditry and kidnapping are notable consequences of poverty.

9. Economic Inequalities

Rapid population growth rates, corruption and economic mismanagement by governments have resulted in a widening gap between the rich few and the majority poor.

Out of resentment, some people have resorted to hate crimes. Some incidents of robbery and kidnapping are purely a way by which those who feel left out of the benefits of economic development vent their anger and frustrations on the privileged class.

10. Peer Pressure

The rise in crime among the youth, in particular, is attributable to peer pressure. Impressionable as they are, the youth are easily swayed by promises of flashy cars and other material possessions to follow their peers down the road of criminality.

11. Low Self-Esteem

Closely linked to the peer pressure factor is low self-esteem. For some, a feeling of inferiority creates the need for acceptance and self-validation.

One way to achieve this is to engage in anti-social behaviour that their friends portray as acts of bravery or manliness. These are the individuals who are misled into occultism in secondary schools and many institutions of higher learning.

Assault, arson, kidnapping and outright vandalism are instances of crime that are linked to people grappling with self-esteem issues.

12. Role of the Mass Media

We must also highlight the role of the mass media in this essay on the causes of crime. There seems to be no control over the media in their portrayal of violent scenes on TV, the internet and in newspapers.

We have movies that openly show scenes of gun violence, robbery and the like. A lot of these scenes appear to glorify criminal behaviour.

No wonder, the phenomenon of unruly land guards who maim and murder people with impunity is on the rise in some parts of the world.

Moreover, the unguarded utterances of politicians and so-called social commentators have not helped matters.

13. Lax Law Enforcement

In some jurisdictions, the police have become accomplices of the criminals they are supposed to arrest and brought before the law. It is common knowledge that some law enforcement officers turn a blind eye to incidents of crime taking place right before their eyes.

Also, systemic corruption within the law enforcement apparatus has made it difficult for the citizens to assist the police and immigration officers in their effort to prevent crime.

Lack of logistics and equipment has rendered otherwise committed law enforcement officers powerless in their encounters with hardened criminals.

All these have continued to embolden some individuals and groups with criminal intent to rob, rape, kidnap and murder with impunity.

14. Ineffective Judicial System

Yet another factor worth mentioning in this sample essay on the causes of crime is the ineffectiveness of the judicial system.

The ineffectual justice system has also contributed to crime in society. Over here too, corruption is a major problem. Judges are known to have taken bribes and left lawbreakers off the hook.

The pervasive unfairness in the justice delivery system means that criminals are allowed to have their way. The notion of equality before the law has remained elusive in many parts of the world.

There are countless instances where judges have compromised their positions by accepting bribes from suspected criminals. Consequently, such corrupt judges deliberately allow criminal cases brought before them to drag on for years just to favour persons just to favour the suspects who have greased their palms.

This unprofessional behaviour on the part of judges and other judicial officers has contributed to a breakdown in the rule of law. The powerful are able to commit crimes against the less privileged without any fear of repercussions.

As a result, the aggrieved have often resorted to revenge crime. Fraud, murder, arson and kidnapping are some examples of revenge crimes.

15. Intolerance

Sometimes, intolerance has resulted in acts that break the law. Politics, religion and ethnicity are the major sources of hate crime in many societies. Every day, people are murdered, kidnapped or robbed all in the name of politics, religion and ethnicity.

16. Ignorance

Our final point in this essay on the causes of crime is ignorance. It is a known fact that some people commit crimes out of ignorance. In other words, such individuals are unaware that what they do constitutes criminal behaviour and is punishable by law.

Examples of crimes people can commit without knowing they are breaking the law include human trafficking, some forms of assault and burglary. What the majority of people fail to even realize is that ignorance is no excuse before the law.

Solutions to the High Crime Rate

We shall end this essay on the causes of crime by highlighting the possible solutions to crime.

Stricter Law Enforcement

Everything needs to be done to help all law enforcement agencies up their game. A disciplined and incorruptible police force, for example, will send a strong signal to everyone that you cannot break the law and get away with it.

Fairness in the Justice System

One way to stem the tide of crime is to promote effectiveness in the justice system. Fair and speedy trials will serve to make people begin to develop trust in the system.

And it will serve as a deterrent to anyone with a tendency to commit a crime.

Reduction in Poverty

It is the duty of governments to formulate and implement pragmatic programmes that will alleviate economic hardship within the population.

The resultant reduction in economic inequalities can help reduce the unprecedented crime wave sweeping across the globe right now.

Creation of Job Opportunities

One effective way to tackle the menace of crime is to create adequate job avenues for the youth. Apart from contributing to higher incomes and the reduction in poverty levels, jobs will also serve as an avenue for young people to channel their energies into productive activities.

The higher the number of employed youth, the lower the crime rate, all things being equal.

Promotion of Social Harmony

Politicians, religious leaders, traditional rulers and community leaders must actively promote peace and harmony in society.

Their actions and utterances can go a long way to engender a spirit of tolerance and love within the population.

Awareness Creation

Finally, to reduce crime, it is necessary to educate the population on topics such as criminal law, crime prevention and civic responsibilities.

Schools, religious groups, social gatherings and homes must be the prime targets for aggressive awareness creation on all matters regarding law and order.

This sample essay has laid bare the causes of crime in our world today.  These include globalization, parental neglect, the proliferation of firearms, poverty, peer pressure and intolerance. We have also identified the types of crime as well as some instances of criminal behaviour. Above all, we have seen the possible solutions to the problem of crime.

On what other topics would you like us to write an essay? Leave it in the comment box below.

Did you find this information helpful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!

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Crime in Society: Costs and Response

Introduction, crime and its costs, learning how to commit the crime, juvenile crime, boredom, and other factors, solutions: after school programs, community reaction to crime.

What is a crime? Crime is an act that does not respect the rights bestowed on a person or persons and their property. It involves the violation of their fundamental rights and can somehow endanger their lives and their property. There are various levels of crime ranging from petty crimes such as nuisance and infringements to heinous crimes such as murder and drug trafficking (Smith, 1983). Crime affects everyone in one way or the other and this has forced society to put in place laws that are designed to protect its people from criminals. Crime is very costly to society and the nation at large and if it is not managed effectively it can spiral out of control creating an economic and social crisis. This paper is going to look at the social and economic costs of crime, how people learn to involve themselves in crime, and how communities respond to the crime in society.

As indicated above, crime is very costly to society. To start with, crime lowers the standards of living of a people by making life very expensive. People pay higher prices for products and services they need. Let’s look at simple crimes such as shoplifting. A Company like Wal-Mart has hundreds of stores across the world and if every day, shoplifters steal goods worth 50 dollars, the company would lose more than 3 million dollars annually and that is a whopping amount. To safeguard its property from the shoplifters, the company is forced to implement security measures to ensure that its losses are controlled. This means that the company will have to install surveillance cameras, hire security personnel to monitor the shoppers on the cameras, insure its property against theft, and also incur additional expenses if it has to prosecute all the shoplifters caught. This means that the company will spend millions of dollars every year to fight petty crimes and all this money that the company spends or loses has to be compensated by the honest customer who has to pay additionally for goods and services. In such a situation, more money ends up buying less and this lowers the standards of living of a people.

Crime is also costly to the economy of any country. Governments spend a lot of money on extra law enforcement officers to fight the spiraling rates of crime in society. Governments also spend a lot of money maintaining criminals because once these criminals are caught, they have to be incarcerated. Housing, feeding, and clothing for the inmates are very expensive and this money spent on the criminals by the state could be spent on other more important projects. According to the Sacramento Bee, the annual cost of maintaining criminals in collection centers in California is more than forty thousand dollars per inmate. The state of Kentucky is reported to be spending more money on the prison systems in the state than any other sector and this is costing the people of Kentucky who have to be taxed heavily to keep the spiraling crime rates in check.

The general society also spends a lot of money to buy their security in the face of spiraling rates of crimes in most parts of the country. Some people have to hire bodyguards for their security while others have to live in gated compounds complete with electric fences to keep away the criminals. Others are forced to close their businesses early because of the high rates of crime during the night while others have to outsource the services of private security companies to safeguard their property because the public law enforcement system cannot handle the high rate of crime in society alone. This is an extra expense for the citizenry and the overall effect shunted economic growth because a lot of money is being channeled into fighting crime rather than being invested in economically viable projects.

Crime costs the government a lot of revenue. Crimes such as music, movie, and software piracy are reported to cost the US government more than a billion dollars annually because the pirated products enter into the market untaxed and reduce the amount of tax the government would have taxed for the genuine copies of these products (Agro, 1978). Crime also discourages foreign investment which affects the economic growth of the entire country. Some cities have been blacklisted by the United Nations due to their high crime rates meaning that they do not receive any significant interest from foreign investors. The upsurge in the rate of drug-related crime in Mexico has cost the Mexican government billions of dollars in form of foreign investment because foreign investors have been pulling out of Mexican cities while new investors are shying away from the country which is facing a drug-related crime crisis.

The social learning theory of crime postulates that most people learn how to commit crimes while others just conform to the criminal environment in their community. The theory maintains that criminal behavior is not an inherited behavior and is 100 percent nurtured by the adjacent environment. People are not born with a predisposition to commit a crime; crime is an act they learn throughout their life. This theory also claims that certain conditions affect the rate at which people learn how to commit crimes. One of these conditions is economic inequality and poverty because a look at most of the collection centers in the country shows that the poor form more than 80 percent of the inmates.

Therefore, economic inequality facilitates learning how to commit crime because people born in poverty-stricken areas are taught to do just everything to guarantee their survival. These people see crime every day in the streets as they grow up and these observations teach them how to commit the crime. This means that human beings are not born with the impulse to commit a crime. At birth, no one knows what is lawful and what is unlawful but as the children grow up and get socialized they recognize the bad and the good things in society and the children will learn as they watch people in the society behave in a particular manner. Children brought up near drugs and beer dens are likely to pick up such habits, so are children who are brought up by irresponsible parents especially commercial sex workers.

What are the causes of juvenile crime? To start with, children who are bored or feel ignored have a higher propensity to turn to criminal activities to entertain themselves, to give themselves a thrill, or even to seek attention. For example, many children in the United States of America do not have the necessary parental attention and their involvement in delinquent activities is a way of seeking that attention. This lack of attention is not intentional because the parents are fully engrossed in their careers so that they can economically provide for the children. The other cause of juvenile crime is low intelligence. Children who do not have proper education are more likely to get involved in delinquent conduct that is harmful and destructive. A child who is not exposed to the world through education has very few things engaging their minds meaning that they are more likely to get bored very easily and this boredom can lead to delinquent behaviors. Repeated delinquent behaviors are fertile grounds for the development of serious criminal behaviors.

Lack of proper parental care and supervision is another factor that enables the children to learn how to commit the crime. In a family where there is parental conflict, the parents may not be able to care for their children and the neglected children are more likely to be taught by the adjacent criminal world especially if the family conflict threatens their basic survival. Learning how to commit the crime by the children can also be facilitated by parents who demonstrate their total disregard for law and order (Conklin, 2007). Such parents are bound to have children who think and act similarly. The other factor that facilitates juvenile crime is substance abuse. In the contemporary world, more youngsters are using more powerful drugs than was the case some decades ago and this intake of powerful drugs motivates them to commit crimes to get money to buy the drugs.

One of the solutions for the rising rates of juvenile crime is after-school programs. Children leave school early and get home way before their parents arrive home from work. This provides ample time for the children to be by themselves doing what they learn from the streets. This means that children need a place to go after school to ensure that they are not in the streets committing the crime. After-school activities can solve this problem. Children can be involved in various programs after school like music, arts, and sports because these programs will keep them out of trouble. Apart from keeping them away from crime these programs also sharpen their talents and make them feel good about themselves and this feel-good factor can move their minds away from criminal thought. This program may require extra funding and people may be worried about taxation but it is important to note that the benefits accrued from such a program exceed the monetary expenditure and the money that can be saved from not incarcerating juveniles can be used in such a program.

Any community that is threatened by crime reacts in a particular way. The reaction of communities to crime is not uniform and the reactions depend on the nature of crime in the community and the levels of crimes prevalent in a certain area. Communities react either to back up the efforts of the law enforcement apparatus or to fill the gap left by the apathy of the said apparatus.

Crime causes a lot of anxiety in a community. A community that is riddled with a crime knows no peace. Such communities live in fear of attacks by criminals and cannot exploit their maximum economic potential because crime threatens their property and business enterprises. This anxiety created by crime has forced most people to arm themselves and the current decade has seen a rise in the number of individuals who own guns for security purposes. Others have to leave their business premises early in fear of criminal attacks and this has stunted economic growth.

There are various ways communities react to crimes in society. The reaction of the community is a result of the inability of the state to protect the life and property of all people which is why most communities have come up with private alternatives to combat crime. One of the private alternatives that communities have come up with is gated communities or enclosed neighborhoods to keep criminals at bay. Kentucky is one of the most crime ravaged states in the United States of America and it has the highest number of enclosed neighborhoods. These enclosed neighborhoods are only affordable by the rich and though they have helped communities to keep crime at bay, they have on the other hand created fragmentation and polarization in urban areas in this state. Outside the United States of America, there are two crime ravaged countries that have responded to crime by resorting to gated communities. These countries are Brazil and South Africa where high levels of crime have led the rich to live in enclosed neighborhoods that have high walls and strong gates to keep the criminals away

The other response to crime by communities is the formation of private security organs in their neighborhoods to supplement the efforts of the state law enforcement machinery. The state and federal law enforcement machinery has been outmuscled by the upsurge in the rates of crime and this has forced communities to make private security arrangements. In the upmarket suburbs of most towns and cities across the United States of America, there are private security companies that are formed by the communities to monitor the neighborhoods and reduce the levels of crime. In less affluent areas, communities form vigilance committees where people take turns tonsure that their neighborhoods are sufficiently monitored.

Surveillance cameras have also become a common phenomenon in most communities because they scare criminals away. The criminal justice system is not efficient enough to deliver the relevant justice and most communities have resorted to taking the law into their own hands. In most western states of America, criminals have been lynched by members of the public who are tired of the slow action of the law enforcement pieces of machinery and the entire criminal justice system. This does not happen only in the United States of America; countries like Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, and Kenya have seen members of the public taking law into their own hands and this has somehow scared the criminal away from people and their property.

Agro, D. T. (1978). White Collar Crime: We Cannot Afford It! The Government Accountants Journal, 27 (1), 53.

Conklin, J. E. (2007). Criminology. Boston: Pearson, Allyn, and Bacon.

Smith, S. (1983). Crime and the structure of social relations. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers , 9 (4), 427-442.

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Why Crime Is A Social Problem? (Essay Sample) 2023

Why crime is a social problem.

Crime is a violation of given law in which there is penalties incurred after a certain violation. Crimes represent a type of formal deviation from social customs and norms administered by a certain authority or state. A research was conducted between criminology research and policy youth and concluded that crime is critically evaluated from the modern social trends in the world. Depending on the country or authority, crimes are divided into categories by law, the exact age of the offender, the severity or intensity of crime or offence, the potential punishment that can be undertaken as a result of violation of law. Society today has seen various people and crimes have originated in the community around and spread to be crisis. Biological and physiological explanation has not fully given an explanation of how and why higher crime rates are associated with certain location or even social background of people. For instance if Texas has higher crime rate than los Angeles  and the united states has higher crimes than Russia, it would be wrong to say that people in Texas and united sets have the same biological problem and psychological problems than those people from Los Angeles and Russia. This essay seeks to describe and explain why crime is a social problem and how one can change depending on the environment.

Sociological explanations have found their ways to explain the social pattern of crime, also the increase in number of crime rate, and to give us some possible solution from it. According to the functional perspective, social structural theory suggests that most crime is due to the fall of society norms including societies organization and the root crime problem is from the society itself rather than one’s biological or psychological life. Society has been disorganized in such a way that certain number of social characteristics experienced in the neighborhood is the major contributor of high crime rates. These traits are poverty, population density and population turnover of the society. As said by Merton Robert, crime committed by the poor comes from a space or a gap created between culture emphasis and society’s success, and the incapacity to attain accomplishment through more logistical way which is working. According to Sutherland Edwin’s, crime is a social problem since criminal behavior can be learnt due to close friends who practice such crime and teaches another person. This social interaction has yielded higher crime rate in the society and has become one of the major reasons for crime in society. This has seen many communities fail to teach their children the correct way of life and some end up to be labeled: “arrested and will be imprisoned for life”. Another aspect of crime is emergency e of conflict. Conflict arise as from different factors social class, ethnicity, race and classs.as result crime has seen its way in and become a social problem since the rich or those who are wealthy use resource to fight the law if they commit a violation. Since the society comprises of different people with different ethnical background or has categorized themselves to different groups, this creates desire for power and control over resources. People of a certain group, if powerful, can influence certain laws to be passed in which they do not favor the other group. Crime comes in and people try to assume those facts but after some time it is becoming a crisis in the society.

In conclusion all this crimes originate from the society itself. It’s a social problem because it affects the entire society. Crime is majorly influenced by interaction of bad friends, difference in opinion, the desire to influence power, the ability to control resources and social organization. All this is seen as a result of people ignoring the fact that society is not about competing in social class or even focusing on economic success but to generate good behavior pattern.

Essay on Crime Prevention

Students are often asked to write an essay on Crime Prevention in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Crime Prevention

Understanding crime prevention.

Crime prevention is the act of stopping crime before it happens. This is done by identifying the causes of crime and finding ways to reduce them. It’s like a doctor who tries to prevent illness by promoting healthy habits.

Types of Crime Prevention

There are two main types of crime prevention. The first is ‘primary prevention’ which aims to stop crime before it starts. It includes things like education and community programs. The second type is ‘secondary prevention’. This focuses on areas or people at high risk of crime.

Importance of Crime Prevention

Crime prevention is important because it helps keep our communities safe. It also reduces the cost of law enforcement and the justice system. By preventing crime, we can create a better society for everyone to live in.

Role of the Community

The community plays a big role in crime prevention. Everyone can help by reporting suspicious activity to the police, participating in neighborhood watch programs, and teaching children about the dangers of crime.

In conclusion, crime prevention is a vital part of maintaining a safe and peaceful society. Everyone has a role to play in preventing crime and creating a safe environment for all.

250 Words Essay on Crime Prevention

Crime prevention is all about stopping crime before it happens. It’s like a game plan to keep people safe. This plan includes things like making laws, teaching people about safety, and having police officers around to help.

The Importance of Crime Prevention

Crime prevention is very important because it helps keep our community safe. Without it, there would be more crime and people would not feel safe. When people feel safe, they can do their work better, kids can play outside, and the community can grow stronger.

Ways to Prevent Crime

There are many ways to prevent crime. One way is through laws. Laws tell us what we can and cannot do. When we break a law, there are consequences like fines or jail time. This can stop people from doing bad things.

Another way is through education. Schools and community groups can teach people about the dangers of crime and how to stay safe. This can help people make good choices and avoid dangerous situations.

Police officers also play a big role. They patrol our streets and respond to emergencies. Their presence can deter criminals and make people feel safer.

Role of Community in Crime Prevention

The community also has a big role in crime prevention. People can look out for each other and report suspicious activities to the police. Community programs can also provide support and resources to those in need, which can reduce crime.

In conclusion, crime prevention is a team effort that includes laws, education, police, and community involvement. By working together, we can create a safer and happier place for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Crime Prevention

Crime prevention is all about stopping crime before it happens. It is a way to keep people safe and maintain peace in our communities.

There are two main types of crime prevention: primary and secondary.

Primary prevention stops crime before it starts. It includes things like better lighting in dark areas, security cameras, and community programs to teach people about safety.

Secondary prevention is about stopping crime that has already started. This could be through police work or community efforts to help people who might be at risk of committing crimes.

The Role of the Community

The community plays a big part in crime prevention. Community members can work together to watch out for each other and report suspicious activity. They can also create programs to help people who might be at risk of committing crimes. This could include things like after-school programs for kids or job training for adults.

Role of Law Enforcement Agencies

Law enforcement agencies are also vital in crime prevention. They can patrol neighborhoods to deter criminals, investigate crimes, and arrest people who break the law. They also work with communities to develop strategies to prevent crime.

Importance of Education

Education is a powerful tool for crime prevention. By teaching people about the law and the consequences of breaking it, we can help them make better choices. Schools can play a big part in this by teaching students about the risks and consequences of crime.

Effectiveness of Crime Prevention

Crime prevention can be very effective. It can reduce crime rates and make communities safer places to live. It can also save money by reducing the costs associated with crime, like police work and court costs.

In conclusion, crime prevention is a crucial part of maintaining peace and safety in our communities. It involves everyone, from law enforcement to community members to educators. By working together, we can prevent crime and create safer, happier places to live.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Short Essay on Effects of Crime on Society

The crime is a result of various things in our life, the first biggest and the greatest one is called money, an expression is that “money is root of all evil”. Many people who are in need of money, they commit different types of crimes just to avail money. And the second one and most popular is revenge, in this circumstance most people do not want to call the police, mostly such types of incidents are happened in upper Sindh.

Poor people commit some small crimes because of money; they may steal and snatch things like mobiles and bikes. Some people used to be beggars, some people were workers but none of them was born as a criminal.

Poor people who have aim, mission and destiny in his life, they can become transcendental person without commit any crime but fame, painstaking and hard work is needed. Not only poor people commit crimes but also rich people are busy in commit crimes and to breach law and legislation, although they are already rich. They accumulate money through many ways against humanity. They give the priority to accumulate lots of money through some faster methods such as grog’s, trade and smuggling etc…. they should use their money in useful projects for the sake of healthy, prosperous and peaceful society.

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People, who commit small crimes, are not like great and dangerous crimes. The punishment of small crimes is small and lower level. a criminal of a small crime have to be sentenced to prison for months or just to pay money as a compensation ( fine ) or any other punishment according to the stand point of the judge. And on the other hand, huge crimes require a strong punishment such as almost represented in torture and murdering crimes. The punishment of such crimes is sentence to imprisonment of life or sentence to death to make criminals afraid and timed of committing these crimes against human rights. These persons with their dreadful crimes do not have the right to reside side to side with other peaceful people.

Justice is a small word, but it has a great and transcendental meaning as it play an important role in crimes and punishment. A judge has to take the balance of each criminal to be perfectly matched with his crime. Justice also makes criminals be afraid, timed and coward of each punishment. Such punishments become compel to the criminal to think hundreds of times before committing any crime.

Now, we have to plane to eliminate these types of crimes from our peaceful society, and to make jurisdiction in order to law according to constitution of Pakistan. restoration of justice in all over the world under the supervision of law to give the rights to each desire person, sovereign to the institutions and departments as they do their properly and we have to promote law education to every one as we serve the nation as well as individual rights and lawyers use their knowledge and power of law to defeat culprits, to execute proper punishment for contempt of law and order.

Generally, crimes are considered the biggest problem in our daily life. all classes of people commit crimes but on one of them has the right to do. Crime is a bad phenomenon that appeared in all ages and it is prevalent till now…….

Muhammad Khatti

Hyderabad, Sindh

Email: muhammadkhatti-at-yahoo.com

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Essay on Crime Prevention

Crime is a global problem affecting each and every country. Every country suffers from increased crime rates which result to insecurities and a negative impact on the economy. This increased crime rate is fueled by poverty, parental negligence, low self-esteem, alcohol, and drug abuse, resulting from the lack of proper moral values (Topalli & Wright, 2014). Moral values are responsible for determining what is right and wrong and also establish what is socially acceptable. They are ideas considered by society as important and contribute to one’s general personality, and thus, without them, an individual is lost. It is significant to prevent crimes to raise the quality of life of all citizens. Preventing crimes also results to long-term benefits as it reduces social cost resulting from crimes and the costs involved with the formal criminal justice system. In order to prevent these crimes, there is the need to develop evidence-based and comprehensive approaches addressing several factors impacting crimes, including moral values on growing children.

Crimes result from negative moral values, and thus there is a need to promote positive youth development and wellbeing. Horace Mann believes that this prevalence of crime in society could be reduced by moral instruction in schools (Spring, 2019). He argues that for the crime rate to reduce, the moral value of the general public needs to be shaped accordingly. According to him, the most accurate method of doing this is by incorporating moral instruction in the education system. He referred to this method as putting a police officer in every child’s heart. This would enable the child to be conscious of the evil in society and be aware of good and bad. This would guide them as they grow up and prevent them from engaging or committing any crime.

The American Education book portrays crime as a global nuisance, and the more accurate and effective method to prevent it is through education. Mann suggests in this book that the number of police required by society would significantly be reduced by schooling. Thus, education is portrayed as a source of knowledge and a significant tool that would help reduce crime rates remarkably. It is supposed to do this by allowing students to acquire more educational attainment that leads to high paying jobs and thus higher earnings, which increases the opportunity cost of crime and consequently reducing crime. Mann also believes that education would reduce the crime rate by affecting individuals’ personality traits associated with crime. This is done by making students become patient, disciplined and moral. Despite this being a more suitable method of preventing crimes in society, it is not as effective as Mann and other researchers rate it.

Mann theory of preventing crime through schooling is a considerate method, but it is not enough to do so. There is no causal relationship between crime rates and school attendance (Lochner, 2020). It is assumed that schooling and crime rates are related, and thus if school attendance is increased, a consequent crime reduction would be noticed. However, this is wrong, and Mann theory has not proved a reality. According to Joel et al. (2021), the percentage of 5-to 17-years-old students increased from 82.2 in 1959-1960 to 91.9 percent in 2004-2005. The average days of attendance also increased from 160.2 in 1959-1960 to 169.2 in 1999-2000. There was also a rapid increase in violent crimes in 1960-2000 from 160.9 to 506.5 per 100,000 residence (Spring, 2019). As the number of students attending school and the attendance days increased from 1960 to 2004, so did the crime rate. This is proof that the crime rate is irrespective of the number of students going to school and the average days of attendance, and thus Mann theory is ineffective.

Moral value instruction is a vital tool to prevent crimes but implementing it only through schooling, such as Mann suggested, is not only a failing strategy but a waste of time and resources. Moral values in children need to be implemented in many different ways to ensure that they stick as they develop into adults (Damon, 2008). Implementing these moral values would ensure that they grow into morally upright adults, thus reducing crime rates. Implementing moral value through schooling is advised, but it would work with a combination of many other methods including through religion and good parenting. Religion helps in the spiritual growth of a person and emphasizes moral codes aimed to develop values such as social competence and self-control, which are major virtues in crime hating people. According to the study done by Brown and Taylor (2007) on how religion impacts child development, it was found that social competence and the psychological adjustment of third-graders were positive influenced with several religious factors. This shows that religion helps in developing children to become adults with a positive and better judgement that would keep them from engaging in any crime and thus would contribute to crime rate reduction.

Parents are responsible for their children, and they are required to guard and guide them as they contribute to their personality. According to Penn (2015), how a child turns out as an adult depends on how their parents brought them up. As a result of this, it is crucial for parents to be careful of how they handle their children. It is the responsibility of every citizen of a county to help fight and prevent crimes, and thus it is the responsibility of parents to reduce the crime rate by training their children to be better people in future. They should be consistent with rules and monitor their children behaviour to ensure that they instil good moral value in them, equipping them with the knowledge of good and evil. If a child is raised in a way that makes them hate crime, then they would not engage in any, and this would contribute to the general reduction of crime in the society.

In conclusion, the main way of preventing crime is by instilling positive moral values on growing children to ensure that they develop into morally upright adults who would not engage in criminal activities. It is assumed that to instil this moral values in children and prevent crimes in future, the best way is through schooling. But this is not the case as there is no causal relationship between crime rates and schooling, and thus schooling will not necessarily result to a reduced crime rate. In order to ensure that moral values are successfully instilled in children, schooling would have to be combined with other methods, some of which include religion and good parenting, resulting in adults who are conscious of good and evil. Increased crime rate is a problem experienced by all countries globally, and the only way to fight it is by shaping the personality of the future generation by instilling positive moral values as their driving force.

Topalli, V., & Wright, R. (2014).  Affect and the dynamic foreground of predatory street crime  (1st ed.).

Spring, J. (2019). American Education.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429274138

Lochner, L. (2020). Education and crime.  The Economics Of Education , 109-117.  https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-815391-8.00009-4

Joel, M., Bill, H., Jijun, Z., Xiaolei, W., Ke, W., & Sarah, H. et al. (2021).  National Center for Education Statistics: The Condition of Education 2019. NCES 2019-144 . ERIC. Retrieved 5 July 2021, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED594978.

Damon, W. (2008).  Moral child: Nurturing children’s natural moral growth  (3rd ed.). FREE Press.

Brown, S., & Taylor, K. (2007). Religion and education: Evidence from the National Child Development Study.  Journal Of Economic Behavior & Organization ,  63 (3), 439-460.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2005.08.003

Penn, H. (2015).  Understanding early childhood  (3rd ed.). Open University Press.

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Essay 269 – The best way to reduce crime in society

Gt writing task 2 / essay sample # 269.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people think that the best way to reduce crime in society is to give longer prison sentences to offenders. Others think that there are better alternatives to reduce crime.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

People remain deeply divided when it comes to their opinion on punishing offenders and decreasing crime in society. Many believe that the most useful tool for curbing crime in society is to punish criminals by sentencing them to longer periods, whereas others believe there are more effective instruments for reducing crime. This essay will discuss both views, but I believe a short prison sentence with active community service and education programmes for offenders are the most useful steps to beat crime.

The advocates of longer prison sentences believe that it effectively cuts the crime rate in society. They go on arguing that long term imprisonment is more effective in reducing crime since it keeps criminals away from society while offering convicts enough time to ponder on what they have done wrong and how they can become better citizens once they are out of prison. Moreover, the thought of going back to jail is a motivator to dissuade them from committing further crimes. Interestingly, not only them but people in their circle are also scared of violating laws in the future when longer prison sentences are in place. Thus, the threat of longer prison time will deter crimes in society.

Others, on the contrary, argue that there are far better measures to beat crimes in society. One of the most prominent alternatives would be engaging convicts in community services. It offers an opportunity for the criminals to observe the damage caused by their crime. In addition, community services also provide the offenders with a constructive means of repairing the damage brought forth by their offence. This, in turn, can evoke responsibility for their actions, thereby averting them from committing further offences. According to the Bureau of Crime statistics and research study, for example, community service is more effective than incarcerating criminals.

In my opinion, however, the best approach to reducing crime is short prison sentences and education programmes along with community services. This is because it enhances skills to compete in the labour market; consequently helping previously imprisoned persons lead a decent life. This, in turn, reduces recidivism. For example, a growing body of studies suggests that an education scheme with a short prison sentence reduces the crime rate substantially by decreasing recidivism.

In conclusion, there are far more effective ways to tackle crimes in society than longer prison sentences. However, short prison periods with an education scheme are the most effective instrument for reducing crimes.

One Comment to “Essay 269 – The best way to reduce crime in society”

Also, we can stop crime by creating job opportunities for those with abilities in different fields regadless of their educational qualification.

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Essay on Crime in India

After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Subject-Matter of Crime 2. Meaning and Defintion of Crime 3. Characteristics of Crime 4. Classification of Crime 5. Violent Crimes 6. Trend Analysis of Various Violent IPC C rimes 7. Classification of Criminals 8. Corruption 9. Steps taken to Prevent Corruption in India 10. Prevention, Detection and Control of Crime. 

List of Essays on Crime in India

Essay Contents:

• Essay on the Prevention, Detection and Control of Crime

1. Essay on the Subject-Matter of Crime:

Crime is a very old concept and it is transmitted to the society from generation to generation. Crime produces law and order situation. It is a social evil. It is generated by the society and the society also suffers a lot because of crime committed by its members. The rising wave of crime to-day has caused alarm any the public.

Nobody is safe to-day. The world is full of criminals and criminal activities are on the rise through out the world to-day. With the development in science and technology criminals are using scientific techniques while committing the crime and police has been baffled by the techniques used.

The peace and happiness of the society is disturbed because of constant and continuous operation of criminals. When criminals are not punished they are encouraged to do more crime. Particularly in this age of wide scale unemployment educated and uneducated youths commit crime for easy money.

Many crimes are committed for money, property wealth and disputes within the family for distribution of property. A son kills his father, a brother assaults his brother or a brother in law murders his sister in law and her minor children.

In every society there are some accepted patterns of behaviour approved by the society and culture. In order to lead a harmonious life following the approved patterns of behaviour certain rules, laws and regulations are framed.

Any body who violates these rules is said to commit a crime. In India now crimes are so rampant that in one hour about 187 cognizable crimes under IPC and 443 crimes under the local and special laws are committed.

According to the reports by crimes of India (1994) in one day, the police nabs 832 thefts, 258 riots, 66 robberies and 333 burglaries and 2991 other criminal offences.

Crimes of India further reports that between 1953 and 1983 the crimes in India had rose from 6.09 lakh to 13.49 lakh i.e., in 30 years a rise of 116 percent or 2.2 times, while between 1984 and 1994 crime increased from 13.59 lakh to 16.35 lakh i.e., the crime increased by 25 percent.

2. Essay on the Meaning and Definition of Crime:

Crime is an anti social and illegal behaviour to which penalties are attached. This anti social behaviour is rejected by the by the society and punished by law. Those actions which are sinful but no punishments are attached to them they are not criminal acts like anti social activities.

Through no anti social activity is punished by law the society and public condemns it. But in certain criminal tribes stealing is not looked upon as a crime. Children are praised if they steal property from others. They are taught the art of crime and how to become careful while committing the crime. 

Definition of Crime:

The concept of crime has been defined from the social and legal stand point. What is a criminal behaviour depends upon the legal codes of a particular society.

1. Non Legal or Social Definitions of Crime:

Morwer (1959) has defined crime as an antisocial act. Thorstein Sellin (1970) has described crime as violation of conduct norms of the normative group.

According to Garofalo, even the actions contradictary to the prevalent conceptions of pity and truth should be considered criminal. Elliot and Merrill view that a crime implies a disturbance in a social relationship and a social definition as to what such a disturbance is.

According to Coldwell (1956) “Those acts on failures to act that are considered to be so detrimental to the well being of a society as judged by its prevailing standards, that action regarding them cannot be entrusted to private initiative or to haphazard methods but must be taken by an organised society in accordance with tested procedures are called crime.”

Clinard (1957) however holds that all deviations from the norm are not crimes.

Deviations:

(i) Tolerated deviations.

(ii) deviation which is mildly disapproved and

(iii) deviation which is strongly disapproved.

Clinard perceives the third type of deviation as crime. Those persons who initially deviate from the social traditions and customs to some extent are not criminals. Society has good as well as bad traditions and customs. Anybody going against the bad customs and superstitions is not a criminal.

In that way Raja Ram-Mohan Ray, Mahatma Gandhi is not criminals. Only those deviations that harm the society arc strongly disapproved and hence labeled as criminal acts.

Criminologists having a sociological and psychological bias do not object to the legal definition of crime in criminology. They only emphasize to situations in which people who engage in criminal behaviour are either not caught or are acquitted by courts due to insufficient evidence or legal loopholes or pressures.

According to Darow “Crime is an act forbidden by the law of the land and for which penalty is prescribed.” This is a social definition of crime.

Legal Definitions of Crime:

The legal definitions of crime are more objective. The official statistics on crime are based on the legal definitions. All the empirical studies on criminals are done according to the crime defined by law.

Hall Jerome (1947) has defined crime as legally forbidden and intentional action, which has a harmful impact on social interests, which has a criminal intent and which has legally prescribed punishment for it.

This definition suggests that no action should be considered as crime unless it has the following characteristics:

(a) Crime is legally forbidden

(b) it is not intentional

(c) it is harmful to the victim and the society

(d) it has criminal intent and

(e) some penalty is prescribed for it.

If it is proved that somebody has killed someone accidentally without any intention or previous plan then such an action cannot be called a crime.

Recently a criminal case was filed in the Supreme Court against a doctor of Delhi by the relations of a patient who died when a plastic surgery of the nose of the patient was in progress. However the hon’ble Supreme Court dismissed the case by observing that unless it is proved that the doctor has intentionally killed the patient it cannot be called a criminal offence. Analyzing the merit of the case it can be said that normally a doctor does not intentionally kill his patient. In the instant case the Hon’ble Court observed that the doctor can be penalized if his negligence is proved.

Thus if the act is proved to be self defence, (like a woman while going to be raped takes a kitchen knife and kills the victimizer) or committed during insanity or is accidental it will not be deemed as a crime even though it causes harm or injury to others. But if someone says that he has committed the crime without being aware of the law and pleads ignorance, that is normally no defence.

According to Barnes and Teeters “The term crime technically means a form of anti social behaviour that has violated public sentiment, to such an extent as to be forbidden by statute.” This definition only includes those anti social activities which are prohibited by law.

Considering the various aspects of legal and social definitions of crime Reid (1975) has viewed the legal definition may be used for compiling statistics on crime and assigning the label criminal, but the studies conducted to find out the causes of crime should include criminals who admit their crime but are not convicted by the court.

A lots controversy on the definition of crime has been observed. The question is crime seen as the violation of the legal code or a behaviour that offends the social code of a particular community has been a matter of debate by the sociologists, criminologists and psychologists since long.

Other aspects of crime on which various investigations are needed to get a clear-cut answer such as:

“Is crime viewed as a limited phenomenon, committed by a small number of people or an extensive phenomenon engaged by a large proportion of the population?

How the causes of crimes are explained?

Are the causes of crime basically lie within the individual or is crime seen as a product of the society, where the individual leaves?

Is it desirable to punish the offenders’ or is it desirable to treat the criminals?

3. Essay on the Characteristics of Crime:

According to Tappan (1960) “Crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law committed without defence of justification.” In this definition Tapan has emphasized five characteristics of crime.

(1) A crime should be an act or omission of an act. In other words, a person cannot be punished for his criminal thoughts. Only when his thought is expressed in criminal action, it will be considered as a crime.

(2) The act must be voluntary and the person (criminal) has control over his actions. In other words, any act committed when the person is insane and has no control over his action cannot be a crime.

(3) The act should be intentional with a motive and intention may be general or specific, i.e. any crime committed without a specific intention, all of a sudden, out of rage or any sudden situational factor is not a crime.

(4) The act should be a violation of criminal law which is clearly different from non criminal law or civil and administrative law. This is essential because the law and order authority can thereby take action against the accused.

(5) The act should be committed without defence or justification.

Hence, any action which is committed for self defence or self protection and during insane or abnormal condition cannot be considered as a crime, even if it causes harm or injury to a person. For instance if it is proved that a rape victim kills a man to protect her prestige, it is not considered as a crime according to Tappan. But ignorance of law is not usually a defence.

An act may be considered a crime if it has the following characteristics:

1. Harmful:

A crime is an action. An action to be called a crime must harm the victim. It must have harmful impact on the victim which can be observed externally.

2. Illegal:

An important characteristic of crime is that it is illegal in nature and violates the law of the land.

3. Malafide Intention:

An action to be called “crime must be performed with a malafide intention.” The intention of the crime is always to do harm to someone either physical or mental like causing physical injury or killing someone, forcibly taking away the valuable properties, abducting or kidnapping some one’s child or relation etc.

4. Criminal Intention:

Any action to be labeled as a crime must be criminally oriented. It must have criminal intention. In certain crimes the motive may be good but the intention is always illegal and criminal. For example, recently in a pathetic incident a woman threw to the well all her 3 daughters and killed them and then committed suicide.

Because she was too poor and could not see her daughters starving for days together, she committed this act. The motive of this crime is good but the intention of killing is criminal as per law and legally not allowed.

5. Cause-Effect Relationship:

There must be a cause and effect relationship between crime and the voluntary misconduct. For instance, if a man dies for some other reason (suffocation) even after he is shot, the relationship between the criminal conduct and death (harm) is not clear cut. It will only be considered a crime when the cause effect relationship is quite clear.

6. Concurrence of Intention and Conduct:

The conduct and intention of a person must coincide with each other to be called a crime. In other words the criminal intention and conduct of a person must coincide with each other. A policeman who enters a house to arrest somebody alleged to be involved in a murder cannot be called a trespasser.

7. Punishment Prescribed must be Legal:

Any punishment awarded to the criminal must be legal and prescribed by law. If a misconduct comes under a criminal action, then the punishment prescribed to him must have the legal sanction.

When all the above characteristics are present in a behaviour or conduct it is ideally called a crime. These seven characteristics of crime are however interrelated and overlapping in nature. In short it can be said that a crime is any act which causes harm to man’s interest, be it personal, social, familial, physical or economic.

Some specific characteristics of crime, in India may be different from the characteristic of crimes in other cultures, but crime in general has certain common characteristics.

The crime rate in India is not very high compared to other countries. While the crime rate for one lakh population in India is 614.79, it is 10404 in Britain, 5898 in U.S.A., 10,955 in Canada, 1510 in Japan and 9507 in Netherlands. Of the total crimes committed in India, every year about 16.35 lakh crimes are cognizable crimes under IPC which include theft, robbery, burglary, dacoity, murder, riot, kidnapping, cheating etc.

Under the local and special laws about 38.76 lakh offences are committed every year under Dowry Prohibition Act, Prohibition Act, Gambling Act, Arms act. Immoral traffic prevention act. Explosive Substance Act, Narcotic drug and psychiatric substances Act, Railway Act etc.

Thus in India crimes under local and special laws are more than cognizable crimes under Indian penal code. The pattern of IPC crime indicates that of the total cognizable crimes 14.4 percent are violent crimes such as murder, rape, abduction, kidnapping, 26 percent are property crime such as burglary and theft, 3.1 percent are white collar crimes like cheating, breach of trust, Fraud and 56.5 are other types (miscellaneous) of crimes.

Of the total cognizible crimes committed in India a year 28 per cent are property crimes, out of which 18.6 are theft and 7.4% are burglary, 1.4% are robbery and dacoity 0.6%.Thus, crime is greater for property offences than for other offences against persons like murder, abduction which is similar to U.S. where 77 percent of the crimes are property crimes and 23 percent are crimes against persons.

Of the total IPC crimes 50.6% are committed in 5 states of India namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan in order of percentage of crimes committed. More than 85%; of the offenders commit cognizable crimes under the IPC for which they get less than six months imprisonment.

Crime rates are much higher for males than females i.e., 96.2% are males and 3.8% are females. The ratio of urban offenders is much less than the rural offenders.

Crime rate is highest among the low, low middle and middle socio-economic groups. Crime rate is highest in the age group of 18 to 30 years (51%), 41% in 30-50 years age group and 7 percent in 50 + age group. Thus adults seem to commit more crimes than children and adolescents.

The rate of organized crime has increased in India, i.e., large scale organisations have come up for criminal activities. Rackets for control and distribution of illicit goods like drugs, narcotics, smuggling of gold, girls for prostitution in inland and Arabian countries Mafia groups to control Cinema industry, coal industry, unions in industries etc. are on the rise in India.

All these data about Indian crimes and criminals go to prove that in the recent times there has been disorganization in society due to non-conformation to social norms and disturbances in social relationship. Crime rate is increasing alarmingly day by date because of social unrest among young and old, rich and poor.

The unrest and tension is increasing in almost all sections of our society, among the minorities, peasants and youths.

This increases strain and frustration leading to violation of social and legal norms and standards. Because of various organised and unorganized crimes at various levels of the society the law and order in the society have been disturbed. Peaceful citizens of the country are in night mares due to their fear for the criminals. Murders have become every day affair.

4. Essay on the Classification of Crime:

On the basis of criminal procedure code all crimes can be classified in to two categories.

(1) Cognizable crime

(2) Non cognizable crime

Cognizable Crime:

Cognizable crimes are broadly categorized falling either under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or under the special and local laws (SLL). All cognizable crimes reported in a state are dealt by the police in which a police officer may arrest a person without a warrant. In cognizable crimes the police have a direct responsibility to take immediate action on receipt of a complaint or secret information.

He may visit the place of crime, make investigations, interogate the suspected offenders, apprehend the offender deemed fit and produce him before a court of law having jurisdiction over the matter. He has also the responsibility of preparing charge sheet against the alleged offender. Let us take a sample survey of cognizable crimes committed in Chennai from 1995 to 1998.

Given below the ratio of IPC to SLL crimes during the period 1995 to 1998 in Chennai: