Introduction
The occurrence of a crime dictates that a given law has been broken and someone has been affected directly or indirectly. This study aims at establishing the causes that motivate people to commit crimes. After establishing the causes of crime, the study aims at establishing whether understanding the causes of crime can help in reversing this vice. It is clear that crime in the US is a major problem that requires to be addressed. From the research conducted on the crime trends in the US, it was found out that the rate of property crime in the country has reduced tremendously in comparison to the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Western European countries. However, in comparison to violent crimes, crime rates are relatively higher in the country than in the other western democracies which prompts the studies to evaluate the root causes of this problem.
Definitions of Crime
The lexical definition of crime defines it as any act or failure to act as one had been requested or is obliged. This failure to act constitutes an offense if it hurts directly or indirectly any interested party. This offense can be punished in a state using the state’s statutory regulations. Crime can be defined using the legal fraternity dictionary as the absolute violation of the laws of a country. This violation results in hurting the public or an individual and thus is punishable as per the stipulated laws
Causes of Crime
The reasons why people commit crimes is a complex topic to evaluate because of the diversity in the world socio-cultural and socio-economic differences displayed by the various societies. In order that we may understand this better, the classical theory will be used to illustrate what really motivates people to commit a crime. It is also important to note that many countries in the world have been experiencing drastic increases in crime rates. The lash and secure neighborhoods in the country are no longer safe and serene places to live anymore. The global rise in crime necessitates that criminal justice experts come up with mitigating measures to ensure that the issue of rising crime rates is addressed. Crime trends should also be used to evaluate the possible causes of increasing crime rates. For instance, in the United Kingdom, home invasions and burglary have hit a higher recorded mark than in the US. There is a need for criminal justice experts to come up with solutions that are tailored to address the issue of crime in their localities.
Literature review on the causes of crime
The study of the possible causes of crime can be traced from 3700 years before Christ were the Babylonians tried to explain the reasons that motivated people to commit crimes (Fitzgerald, 2001). Later on, in the early 18th century, European missionaries and colonialists are recorded to have stated that crime and sins as per their religious orientation are one and the same thing. To the early missionaries, crimes were motivated by evil spirits that possessed the offenders. These evil spirits made them defy rules that govern social order and thus negating their social obligations. Therefore, they were to be dealt with promptly and harshly so as to correct them before it was too late (Fitzgerald, 2001).
The development of man over the centuries and the sophistication in the way he lives has influenced the crime trends, which have also evolved alongside man. The complexity in crime and the motive of committing crime led to the constitutional criminology department to deal with the understanding of crime in society. Criminologists have identified the possible factors that can be attributed to criminal activities. The factors have been classified into the following broad spectrums; biological factors, psychological factors, social factors, and economic factors (Siegel, 2011). Criminologists argue that a combination of all these factors instigates people to commit a crime.
Biological factors such as a physical structure of an individual play a key role in determining whether a person commits a certain crime or not. For instance, being a male person is a predisposing factor that influences a person to commit an offense such as wife battering, assault among others (Newman& Rothberg, 2002). On the other hand, some crimes such as prostitution are more likely to be associated with women. The IQ of a person is yet another biological factor that influences whether a person may commit a specific crime or not. People who perform poorly in intelligence tests and could not keep up with the country’s school curriculum and with their fellow students are resentful of their failures. Due to their poor education, they become frustrated, and anger sets in. They become rebellious and tend to deviate from society’s set norms. Sooner after these changes, they start indulging in criminal activities such as rape, property crimes among others (Newman& Rothberg, 2002). Some of these crimes are motivated by the need for survival while some are motivated by internal resentment that is associated with such kinds of persons.
The social factors do not influence crime directly, but they act as catalysts of crime. Issues such as poverty, racism, discrimination, abuse, unemployment, and illiteracy are some of the social factors that have been cited as major catalysts of crime. Records have shown that countries that have social problems as those highlighted above always have high crime rates. Poor people will commit property crimes such as burglary so that they can afford general necessities that satisfy the fundamental human utilities (Robinson, 2009).
Persons who have been assaulted will tend to act violently towards the abuser or the gender that inflicted the pain to them or towards a certain group in the society that they feel resentment towards. Areas in the country that lack the government’s support for instance the inner cores of ghettos have organized gangs who team up with the promise of providing security for the society members and to give a sense of belonging to the residents due to neglect by the central government. These gangs end up extorting the residents. They are ruthless and they punish victims to set them as an example for any other person who tries to defy their orders. These areas become drugs and illegal arms encroachment territories. The factors highlighted above influence the probability of people living in these areas taking part in criminal activities. As the social neglects rise, rates of crime also rise and the opposite is always true (Fitzgerald, 2001).
Another sociological factor that has played a key role in propagating crime in the US is fatherlessness. The father figure in the family brings a sense of defined family configuration where the father takes the lead role as the head of the family. According to research carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services in the US, in 1999 alone, there were over 60% of child abuses had been inflicted on the children by their mothers who held the parental custody of their children. The remaining percentage was contributed by the boyfriends or stepfathers. These children lacked a father who would have made sure that they receive good care from their mothers. To further illustrate how the concept of fatherlessness contributes to crime, research has indicated that over 90% of the runaways from home are occasioned by causes that go back to lack of a father figure. Many children from fatherless homes are depressed and thus are prone to crime. Such children end up committing crimes either by committing suicide, becoming thieves so as to survive, being rapists, dropping out of school, being drug addicts among other social evils. The above are just a few of the facts that are available to illustrate the effects of fatherlessness on children (Kender, 2001).
Some crimes are also caused by psychological issues. Many of the crimes that are committed are motivated by greed, anger, jealousy, revenge, and at times, arrogance from the offenders. Kender, (2001) notes that some people commit a crime with one sole aim, to hurt the other party. Such people get a psychological reward in inflicting pain and suffering on other people. Crimes motivated by psychic disorders are carefully planned to reduce the chances of being caught while executing the crime. People who commit this category of crime are always conscious of their behavior, but the urge to satisfy their urge overtakes their consciousness. It gives them the pleasure to feel in control and this adrenaline rush pushes them to commit a crime. This can be done out of rage, one is angry and they want to release their anger through their victims. To others, it is the fear of being seen as powerless. Some people may feel powerless and insecure, and the only way to ensure that they are safe is by committing an offense (Schmalleger, 2009).
Another psychological factor that has been connected to the increase in crime rates is fundamentalism. Many young people are becoming hardliners of varying opinions. One of the most notorious fundamentalisms is the one associated with Islamic terrorism that originates from hardliner Islamists who take pride in killing people who do not profess the Islamic faith. Such people use their religious orientation as the stepping stone to indulge in criminal activities such as terrorism. For instance, Islamic fundamentalism has contributed to the committing of grave and horrendous crimes against humanity such as the 11th September attack. Fundamentalism is the motivating factor of some of the mysteries of the serial killings in the country (Schmalleger, 2009).
The study has made it clear that economic factors have also played a pivotal role in propagating crimes in the country. This knowledge should act as an incentive to the central government to begin funding these areas. It should come up with finance packages that are friendlier so as to stimulate residents’ loaning. This will enhance the self-employment and independence of families. The federal government with the help of the central government should come up with subsidized daycare services among other programs that will improve the well-being of its citizens (Fitzgerald, 2001).
On the other hand, a good number of people commit crimes for monetary or material gain. Crime committed for monetary gain is classified as economic or property crime and may include burglaries, robberies, and white-collar crimes like fraud. These crimes are committed with the main intention of having some material gain. Violent crimes like murder and rape are instigated by the desire to control. Some crimes in this category are motivated by impulse and are not premeditated by the offender. For instance, manslaughter is a crime that occurs due to a rash reaction whereby the person kills without a prior plan to kill.
Why the study of crime?
The study of crime is essential for any progress to be made in curbing this vice. For instance, criminologists have found out that punishing criminals and putting crime mitigating measures in place reduces the number of crimes. This is because a punishment like death makes people who desire to kill think twice. On the other hand, crime preventive measures like proper lighting of streets and alleys in big shanties reduce the number of criminals who are willing to commit crimes for fear of being seen committing an offense. Another measure is putting more police officers on patrol in crime volatile areas as their presence instills the essence of maintaining law and order (Fitzgerald, 2001).
The classical theory
The proponents of this theory with relation to the study of crime in society hold that people should always be guided by their own free will. According to these proponents, people have the right to decide on what is the best thing to do. It is inherent that every human wants to derive pleasure in every action executed. Therefore, every human being avoids anything that will inflict pain on them. This theory involves evaluating all the possible outcomes that will result from undertaking a certain action. According to the theory, a person takes a cognitive assessment of rewards and punishment before executing a specified act. The person looks at the benefits that will be derived when they act as required and also at the consequences that will be suffered if the action is undertaken. The classical theory seeks to evade unreasoning and unconsciousness as the driving factors towards specific actions, but it stresses the importance of using rationale before doing anything (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 2005).
With this in mind, the classical theory seeks to explain why many people do not want to engage in criminal activities. Punishment takes a dominant place in this theory. People will evaluate the benefits they will gain if they engage in illegal activity and the possible consequences that will be suffered for taking an action that is prohibited by the law or the rules of natural justice. For instance, people may keep away from crime to avoid imprisonment, being fined among other legal actions that are carried against offenders. If the benefit of an action outweighs the consequences, the individual is at free will to undertake the action out of reasoning, but if the consequences are more eminent, it deters them from executing such actions.
This theory is very viable to American society because the country is a free democracy that is governed by the free will of its citizens. All American citizens are guided by the founding principles of the United States of America that stipulate every American is of free will to do what they want. However, this independence philosophy has been misused to mean that every person is free to do whatever they please including committing a crime. Gottfredson and Hirschi, (2005) argue that the recent trends in an American’s way of life seem to hold that indulging in criminal activities is rewarding as neighborhood gangsters are a guarantee to stardom. He further asserts that Hollywood heroism has been etched into the minds of the Americans hence propelling the commitment of a crime. The Hollywood actors who for the purpose of acting emulate criminals are now being imitated in the streets which results in torrents of crimes being made every day with the number escalating at an alarming rate. More and more violent crimes are being made every day. This has negated the American dream of free will to one that is governed by the free will to commit a crime with full knowledge of the outcomes and the possible consequences.
Conclusion
It is evident that the study has come up with the causes of crime and related the widespread rates in crime to the classical theory. Understanding the causes of crime can help in formulating measures that can curb the vice. The American way of living has been greatly influenced by the demographic differences that exist in American society and also the American notion of an absolute life as portrayed by Hollywood actors and therefore, the nation is working towards achieving that dream.
References
Fitzgerald, M. (2001). Crime and society: readings in history and theory. London: Routledge.
Gottfredson, M., R &. Hirschi.(2005). A general theory of crime. Chicago: Stanford University Press.
Kender, S. E. (2001). Crime in America. New York: H.W. Wilson Company.
Newman, J. & Rothberg, D. (2002).Crime in America: causes and cures. Washington: U.S. News & World Report
Robinson. (2009). Justice Blind? Ideals and realities of American criminal justice: Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Schmalleger, F. (2009). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the twenty-first century. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Siegel, L., J. (2011). Criminology. Connecticut: Cengage learning.