Our world is full of different captivating things, which may entertain, disappoint, make us happier or sadder, and just fulfill our existence. Of course, it is impossible to say that our life is all about good things only. There are so many negative issues, which turn out to be an integral part of this life, and we should not forget about them. Peer pressure, alienation, teenage gangs – all these are the components of one word with huge meaning, all these issues are about crime. What is a crime? Who or what may perfectly define crime and present a clear explanation? Is it possible to fight against crime and improve this society? The answers to these and many other questions I want to give in this paper. Lots of writers have already tried to introduce a more or less clear explanations of crime, define its nature, clear up what anti-social behavior means, and find out the types of crime; with the help of examples connected to peer pressure, sociological positivism, teenage gangs, and so on, we will try to present a clear picture of what crime is all about and whether it is possible to prevent crime.
Many theorists admit that not only criminologists should be able to define crime; those people, who study or just try to comprehend and prevent all those outcomes of crime, should be also able to realize what crime may count. (Henry & Lanier 2001) This is why our discussion should be started with a clear definition of crime and its major components. For example, in their book Crime, Bancroft and Darrow define it as “an act forbidden by the law of the land, and one which is considered sufficiently serious to warrant providing penalties for its commission.” (Bancroft & Darrow 2007) After we get a clear explanation, it is high time to think about the nature or crime that is closely connected to the causes of crime and offenders’ characteristics. These and many other characteristics “show a pattern of crime consistent with the recreational patterns of youth and inconsistent with the vocational patterns of adults…they show that accessibility increases the risk of potential victims.” (Gottfredson & Hirchi 1990) These authors argue concerning criminal behavior, make a wonderful attempt to explore the nature of the crime, and choose the best conceptions only for their General Theory of Crime.
As crime is considered to be a kind of violation of settled rules, it is necessary to mention the influence of deviance and other kinds of anti-social behavior. Deviant behavior is considered to be those actions, which violate certain cultural and even social norms. For example, deviant behavior may be caused by peer pressure, when the members of one group try to persuade another person to take some illegal steps and break the law. When a person is affected by his/her peer, it is hard to clear up his/her own intentions and find out the causes of crime. Taking drugs, smoking, and rapping are considered to be the cruelest outcomes, to my mind. Also, because of peer pressure, people may get married, have children, and create families at a young age that may also be a strong reason to commit a crime.
It is also necessary to admit that anti-social behavior plays a very important role in the sphere of criminology. In his researches, Millie admits that “ASB has a significant impact on the lives of a minority of people in Britain, particularly in areas of social deprivation and inner cities.” (Millie et al. 2005) So, peer pressure and teenage gangs are considered to be good examples of anti-social behavior that leads to numerous crimes and other negative outcomes. Teenage gangs are such groups of people, usually at the age of 12 till 17, who prefer to gather in order to violate the norms and commit crimes. The purposes of the creation of such groups are quite different: to make money, to find drugs, to rape, or even to murder. The major point is that such teenage gangs may appear everywhere. For example, the case when a member of one gang was attacked by several members of another gang and a teen gang member was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (Jackman 2004) Or the case, when 12-year-old members of one gang conducted numerous robberies, also deserves certain attention. These teenagers were sentenced to 40 years in prison. “Young men have been responsible for over £800,000 being stolen. That is extraordinary.” (Telegraph 2009) With the help of such examples, it is quite clear that the reasons for crimes may be rather different, and it is impossible to predict who will be next to commit this or that crime. Collective crimes are rather frequent in our society, unfortunately, not each member of a gang may be punished, and, usually, only a few people may suffer. In order to prevent any kind of law violation or collective crime, it is better to concentrate children’s attention on the consequences of any crime and motivate them to participate in some activities with a lower levels of criminology. Some children may suffer from social alienation, this is why they can join numerous teenage gangs in order to find themselves and be worth this world.
When we concentrate on the ideas of criminality, we cannot but take into consideration the ideas of social positivism that is all about different external factors like wealth, class, social status. With time, social positivism became one of the most significant theories of crime, developed in America. Social positivism does not pay any attention to human choice and creativity; human activity is not that meaningful as lots of people think. This is why social positivism usually creates certain limitations of the scope of agency within crime causation. “Social positivism is imbued with a sense of the objective, the mechanical and the instantaneous.” (Walklate 2007)
Without any doubt, there are so many negative issues that may force someone to take some unpredictable steps and breaks the law. Labeling theory is one of those theories that concentrate on human behavior and various influence from other people’s sides. “Label theory represented a shift toward the study of the effects of negative labels such as ‘troublemaker’, ‘delinquent’, ‘drug user’, ‘criminal’, and so forth.” (Finley 2007)
Is it possible to comprehend the essence of crime? Of course, it is! In order to realize what the components of crime are, it is better to focus on real-life examples and investigate what cause children to start their criminal career. Analysis of labeling theory, evaluation of teenage gangs, and thorough attention to outside pressure – all this will help to explain the essence of crime and find out its weak and strong points and prepare the future generations to overcome criminal cases and negative outcomes.
Reference List
- Bancroft, E. & Darrow, C 2007, Crime. BiblioBazaar.
- Finley, LL 2007, Encyclopedia of Juvenile Violence. Greenwood Publishing Group.
- Einstadter, WJ & Henry, S 2006, Criminological Theory: An Analysis of Its Underlying Assumptions. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Gottfredson, MR & Hirchi, T 1990, A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press.
- Henry, S & Lanier, M 2001, What Is Crime?: Controversies over the Nature of Crime and What to Do about It. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Jackman, T 2004, ‘Teen gang Member Gets 15 Years in Machete Attack’, Washington Post, p.B05.
- Lott, JR 2000, More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws. University of Chicago Press.
- Millie, A, Jacobson, J, & Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2005, Anti-Social Behaviour Strategies: Finding a Balance. The Policy Press.
- Telegraph 2009, Teenage Gang Robbed £1 Million in Series of ‘Sophisticated’ Raids. Web.
- Walklate, S 2007, Understanding Criminology: Current Theoretical Debates. McGraw-Hill International.