what causes crime essay

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.

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The evolution on crime

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Law and Crime

What are the "causes" of crime, it's important to differentiate between cause and opportunity..

Posted March 16, 2022 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

For decades, there has been a futile search for "root causes" of crime, citing nearly any adversity as causal to criminal conduct.
There is a difference between an environmental cause and providing an "opportunity" for crime to occur.
Critical to understanding criminal behavior are basic personality makeup and thinking patterns.

The perennial search continues to identify causes of criminal behavior. Nearly everything but the federal deficit has been identified as playing a causal role. The term “root cause” is still used to describe what are considered critical environmental factors. The earliest citation of a link between poverty (long considered a “root cause”) and crime has been attributed to Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.) who stated, “Poverty is the mother of crime.” In some quarters, crime is even considered to be a normal and adaptive response to economic disadvantage.

Unanticipated setbacks and hardship have been regarded as critically important to “pushing over the edge” into crime people who have been law-abiding throughout their lives. A woman in jail told me that when her boyfriend deserted her and her baby, she had no money even to purchase diapers. Out of desperation, she started selling drugs (eventually to an undercover police officer). She asserted that she is not a “criminal,” but just wanted to care for her infant. One might wonder the following: What does her choice of boyfriend say about her? Why did she not seek help to receive financial assistance? What, if any, was her prior connection to drugs and how did she find her way into the drug market? As was the case with this woman, there is always more to the story about the person committing a crime versus resolving her dilemma in a more responsible way.

Hardship does not "cause" criminal behavior

Let’s take three recent examples in which a particular hardship has been seen as causing people to turn to crime.

According to a Wall Street Journal column of December 6, 2021, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is “a root cause [of a surge in crime] in a lot of communities.” The Washington Post reported that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in “a growing subset of Americans who are stealing food.” A young woman explained to a reporter, “People are being forced to steal when they shouldn’t have to.” Another said, “I don’t feel too bad about taking $15 or $20 of stuff from Whole Foods when Jeff Bezos [owner of Whole Foods Market] is the richest man on earth.” The statements made by the two thieves clearly are after the fact justifications. One might wonder why one of them chose to shop at Whole Foods when it is one of the most expensive grocery chains. Next to this article was another that focused on a very different response to the pandemic— generosity by Black Americans despite their own hardships.

Millions of people have been struggling through the pandemic while suffering loss, illness, isolation, and financial pressures. There is no evidence that the pandemic has turned responsible people into criminals.

Recently, The Los Angeles Times (3/10/22) reported, “Concerns about gas thefts from cars rise as prices soar.” Citing a warning from the American Automobile Association, the Times stated, “There is a possibility that people are looking for crimes of opportunity [and] gasoline for their own vehicles.” Consequently, they are punching holes in gas tanks. However, most motorists are trying to become more economical and find ways to reduce gasoline consumption. Inflated prices do not “cause” criminal behavior.

Crime results from the way a person thinks

It is time to eliminate the term “root cause” because it turns out to be meaningless. Twelve years ago, a Christian Science Monitor article concluded with a simple statement, “The root cause of crime is the opportunity to commit it.” Opportunities present themselves, but only a small number of people exploit those opportunities in a criminal manner.

Making improvements to the environment can reduce opportunities for criminals to strike. However, such changes do not transform a criminal into a responsible person. Attributing criminal behavior to external circumstances perpetuates a deterministic view that ignores the role of choice and tends to absolve people of personal responsibility.

Crime results from the way a person thinks. One must look at the overall personality of the individual and his thinking patterns to understand the genesis of criminal behavior. Writing about juvenile crime in 1966, sociologist Robert MacIver stated, “To ask why delinquency occurs is like asking why human nature is what it is.”

Gerard Baker, "Biden Finds a Culprit for America's Crime Wave: Covid-19," The Wall Street Journal , 12/6/21

"More Americans are shoplifting among pandemic," The Washington Post, 12/13/20, p. G1

"While Black Americans have less, they give more," The Washington Post , 12/13/20, p. G1

"Concerns about gas theft from cars rise as prices soar," The Los Angeles Times , 3/10/22

Tim Worstall, "The root cause of crime? It's Simple," The Christian Science Monitor , 2/22/10

Robert M. McIver. The Prevention and Control of Delinquency , NY: Atherton Press, 1966, p. 41

Stanton Samenow, Ph.D. , an expert in criminal behavior, was the author of many books including Inside the Criminal Mind .

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Causes Of Crime Essay

Crime is a problem that has been around since the beginning of time. It is an act that goes against the law and can result in punishment. There are many different types of crime, ranging from petty theft to murder. The severity of the crime usually dictates the punishment that will be handed down. Crime is a complex issue with many causes and no easy solutions.

There are many different theories on what causes crime. Some believe that it is due to individual choices and others believe it is due to socio-economic factors. There is no one definitive answer. However, there are some general agreement on some of the main causes of crime. These include poverty, inequality, family disruption, poor education and unemployment.

Poverty is thought to be one of the main causes of crime. This is because people who are living in poverty are more likely to resort to crime in order to survive. They may steal food or money, or they may sell drugs in order to make money. Poverty can also lead to desperation, which can lead to violence.

Inequality is another major factor that contributes to crime. When there is a large gap between the rich and the poor, it can create feelings of resentment and frustration. This can lead to criminal activity as a way to level the playing field.

Family disruption is also thought to be a cause of crime. This is because when families are broken up, children often lack role models and support systems. They may turn to gangs or other criminal activity in order to find a sense of belonging.

Poor education is another factor that can contribute to crime. When people are not given the opportunity to get a good education, they may turn to crime as a way to make money. They may also lack the skills necessary to find legitimate employment.

Unemployment is another major factor that can lead to crime. When people are out of work, they may resort to criminal activity in order to make ends meet. They may also feel trapped and hopeless, which can lead to violence.

Crime is a complex issue with no easy solutions. However, there are some things that can be done to help reduce it. These include increasing economic opportunities, improving education and providing support for families.

As a criminal justice major, I am all too aware of the crime problem in America. While it’s commonly accepted that cities have the highest rate of crime, smaller towns shouldn’t be overlooked – only the tip of the iceberg is what gets reported. some criminals serve less than half their sentence even when they are reported.

The majority of people that commit crimes are not reported, making the iceberg even bigger. Criminology is the study of crime and its causes, costs, and prevention. There are four main goals of criminology: to describe the extent and nature of crime, to explain why crime occurs, to develop effective crime control and prevention strategies, and to provide policy makers with information they need to make informed decisions.

The prison system in America is not working as it should be. With prisons being overcrowded, violent offenders being let out early, and recidivism rates high, something needs to be done in order to bring down crime rates. One solution would be to build more prisons so that there is room for all of the criminals. Another solution would be to make the punishments harsher so that people think twice before committing a crime. The death penalty is one way to do this, but it is not always effective.

Crime will always be a problem in America, but there are ways to help reduce it. By increasing funding for law enforcement and building more prisons, we can make a dent in the iceberg. Harsher punishments will also act as a deterrent for potential criminals. And finally, by educating people on the causes and effects of crime, we can help prevent it from happening in the first place.

In the United States, any sort of crime, particularly murder and drug-related offenses, must be severely punished. Criminals should be assumed to be guilty rather than innocent until proven otherwise. All offenders should know what their punishment will be before they commit a crime so that they can make an informed decision.

This will make them think twice about breaking the law. The death penalty is one of the most effective ways to deter crime. It sends a clear message that if you commit a crime, you will be punished severely. The death penalty also gives closure to the victim’s families and helps to keep dangerous criminals off the streets.

Prison is another way to effectively deter crime. Criminals should be locked up and not given the chance to commit more crimes. Prison sentences should be longer and there should be more of them. This will make potential criminals think twice about breaking the law.

Criminology is the study of crime and its causes, effects, and prevention. It is an important field of study because it can help us to understand why people commit crimes and how we can prevent them from doing so.

There are many causes of crime, but some of the most common include poverty, peer pressure, poor parenting, and mental illness. Crime is often a result of a combination of these factors.

It is inevitable that crime will always be committed in our society. The only hope is to bring the crime rate down in future years. When a criminal commits a crime, they are presumed innocent in our justice system. Even if there is video footage of them committing the murder, they are still presumed innocent until proven guilty by law.

Many Americans don’t agree with this fundamental principle of American society because it doesn’t make logical sense – why give murderers who have been caught red-handed the chance to walk free?

Crime should have harsher penalties, and the criminals should not be presumed innocent. Crime is a growing problem in the world today. What causes people to commit crimes? Is it simply because they are bad people, or are there other underlying factors?

There are many different types of crime, ranging from minor offenses such as shoplifting to major ones such as murder. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine why someone committed a certain crime. However, there are certain factors that can contribute to criminal behavior. For example, poverty can lead to crime if people feel that they need to resort to illegal means in order to survive. Additionally, a lack of education or opportunities can also be a factor, as people may turn to crime out of desperation. In some cases, mental illness may also be a factor, as it can lead to impulsive and violent behavior.

While there are numerous factors that can contribute to crime, there are also various solutions that can help to reduce its incidence. For example, increasing economic opportunities can provide people with alternatives to criminal activity. Additionally, education and social programs can help to keep people from turning to crime in the first place. Finally, harsher penalties for criminal activity can act as a deterrent and help to discourage people from breaking the law.

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What Causes Crime?

What really causes crime? While sociologists talk about social factors (integration, conflict, inequality, control), economists say crime rates are more determined by the likelihood of being caught and convicted and the severity of punishment. For the first time, researchers have combined a wealth of socioeconomic data now available from both camps to unify these different perspectives and isolate the key factors that determine crime rates.

There are two schools of thought – one economic, the other sociological – when it comes to explaining crime statistics. Michel Lander says that the two models rarely see eye-to-eye. “Much of the crime literature talks at cross purposes,” he states. “Studies are published that either favor the economic approach or focus on sociological theories. We wanted to unite these two disciplines so we could support more robust theories and policy-making.”

With this laudable goal, Lander and his co-authors set out to develop a model that would integrate both perspectives. “Our model is one of only a few today that can systematically test the effects of both theories working in parallel,” he explains. “It is also very timely: right wing politicians today suggest that punishment is the only way to reduce crime while left wingers say that we should address the social and environmental factors that induce or inhibit crime.”

Deterrents versus drivers

Economists tend to explain crime rates in terms of probabilities of conviction and arrest, and the severity of punishment. They argue that people make choices about their behavior based on a cost-benefit analysis. If a crime is unlikely to be solved, or if the punishment is worth the risk, then people will be more willing to try their luck. In contrast, sociological theories consider a variety of environmental factors that influence crime rates. These include:

Routine activity theory suggests the presence of guardians as an important factor in reducing crime.
Social disorganization: when social control in the community breaks down, perhaps due to low economic status or increased cultural heterogeneity, crime starts to climb.
Structural strain: a perceived lack of possibility for social success can entice individuals to criminality.

Getting the data

The only way to unify these differing perspectives is to analyze a large socioeconomic data set. The team found suitable data collected from across North Carolina in the USA. It contained 22 independent variables related to both economic and sociological theories; previous studies have only been able to compare 10 or fewer variables. When Lander and his co-authors brought all these variables together, they found that factors believed to be important in one or other of the pure models often lost their significance in the integrated version, which led the researchers to argue that some of the conclusions from economists or sociologists may be inappropriate due to the interplay between factors.

The threat of long prison sentences and capital punishment does not help to reduce crime rates.

Is punishment a deterrent?

Using their model, the team tried to see whether the factors that drive people to violent crime (e.g. murder, manslaughter, rape, assault) are different to those that encourage crimes against property (e.g. burglary, robbery, larceny, car theft). According to Lander, the probability of arrest is a major inhibitor for both types, but the severity of punishment does not significantly influence crime rates. Lander stresses the importance of this finding: he concludes based on his research that the threat of long prison sentences and capital punishment does not help to reduce crime rates.

Socioeconomics in property crime

Further analysis revealed that for property crime, the level of poverty has a strong influence on the likelihood of criminal behavior (as predicted by the theory of social disorganisation theory). People from larger households are less likely to commit property crimes, supporting the routine activity theory and the argument that guardians help to keep property crime down. However, these findings were not replicated for violent crimes.

“If we want to combat crime, we need to understand that property and violent crime have different drivers,” notes Lander. “The way we deal with different crimes is really important.” The study suggests that living in a heterogeneous community with a mix of ethnicities seems to influence both violent and property crime rates. Meanwhile, prison-run vocational programmes to integrate offenders back into society seem to reduce rates of violent crime effectively.

The future of crime prevention

This comprehensive analysis on an unprecedented volume of data reveals the pitfalls in relying on one discipline or another to study crime rates. However, in combination, they provide important insights. “When it comes to developing theory, economists and social scientists should stop ignoring each other and start talking about how the theories they propose might interact,” suggests Lander. “We now need to explore the dynamics between theories much deeper. We have shown that not one side is right, but they both bring something to the table. The influence of capture and punishment versus socioeconomic influences differs depending on the type of crime.”

Lander points out that his analysis would have been impossible without the remarkable North Carolina data. “I think the most important thing for governments to do, if they are serious about reducing crime, is to collect information systematically on the many factors that both disciplines predict as being important, especially for the sociological theory variables. With more data we can refine our models and draw both disciplines closer together as we cooperate to find evidence and recommend the best action to take to reduce crime rates.”

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Sample Essay on Rising Crime Rates

Posted by David S. Wills | Nov 21, 2022 | Model Essays | 0

There are many common IELTS topics that you frequently see in task 2 of the writing test, and one of those is the topic of crime. Today, we are going to look at a sample essay relating to this subject and I’ll point out some useful ideas in terms of vocabulary and structure.

Analysing the Question

Before you start any IELTS essay, you should spend a moment thinking about the question. This is important because sometimes they can be trickier than they initially appear.

Here’s our question for today:

In many countries, the level of crime is increasing and crimes are becoming more violent. Why do you think this is and what can be done about it?

Fortunately, this is not a difficult question. The meaning is pretty straightforward and I think most people could grasp what they need to do. Ultimately, you need to do two things:

Say why crime is increasing in frequency and level of violence
Suggest some solutions to this problem

This is what’s known as either a “ cause and solution essay ” or “problem and solution essay.” Either way, you have two parts – either a cause or a problem and then a solution to that problem.

It is important you don’t focus only on one part. Also, in this particular question, don’t overlook the fact that it’s about both rising crime levels and rising violence levels.

Generating Ideas

This isn’t the easiest question to answer. Actually, it took me a while to think of some good ideas for it because, to the best of my knowledge, crime (and especially violent crime) has actually been decreasing in recent decades! Look at this line graph:

Of course, that’s just for Western Europe, and in some parts of the world the opposite trend can be observed. Here, we can see that some places have, sadly, seen a rise in homicides (that means the same as murder):

Considering the question, I had to think creatively. In those places that I don’t really know about, what factors could have caused rising crime levels and in particular rising violent crime rates?

To answer questions like this, it’s not enough just to be good at English. You need to have a good general knowledge and that means you should read widely, listen to podcasts, watch the news, and become an informed world citizen.

I have a whole article on learning to generate great ideas for IELTS essays.

Structuring your Essay

When it comes to cause and solution essays, I typically structure them like this:

There may be other great ways to structure your essay, but this is my preference. It allows me to write sample answers quickly and effectively, putting forth my position as clearly as possible in a very short time.

Think about it: You have two things to write, so why not put one in each of your body paragraphs? Simple!

I will structure this essay as follows:

In this sort of essay, it can be hard to write an introduction and in particular an essay outline . That’s because you aren’t putting forth any opinion and instead you’re hinting at the ideas that you will explain later.

I want to make clear in my essay that this is not an easy situation to explain and that it will also be hard to fix! Don’t worry. You can be honest. It’s better to give a nuanced explanation than to simply say, “We need the government to solve it.” That is simplistic and lacks intelligence.

Finally, remember to include a conclusion that summarises your ideas without repeating them.

Vocabulary about Crime

I have a whole article on the IELTS topic of crime and punishment . It gives lots of vocabulary and even includes a helpful video that can make learning more interesting!

In this essay, I will use the following words and phrases:

Remember that you can always learn more crime-related vocabulary by searching on Google News or just reading the newspaper each day. I highly recommend that you check out websites such as BBC News and The Guardian . You will see a lot of articles about crime there.

Sample Band 9 Answer

In some parts of the world, crime rates are increasing and the types of crime are becoming more violent. This can be attributed to urbanisation and the deterioration of traditional values and, in order to fix it, societies will need to work to give people more opportunities.

Whilst crimes rates are plummeting in most parts of the world, in some places they are on the rise. Obviously, the reasons for this depend on the individual location, but generally it seems to happen because people are moving from traditional ways of living to big cities. The problem is that, in small communities, people have purpose and accountability. In other words, a young man would be known by all the people in his village and have a job to do in order to contribute to that society. However, when the village disbands and he goes to the big city, it is not easy to make a good living. He might become part of a gang or become addicted to drugs. Without accountability and in the comparatively anonymous environment of the big city, he could easily become engaged in desperate and violent crimes.

Fixing this sort of problem is never easy, but there are various approaches. Certainly, it helps to improve policing but perhaps the problem can be stopped at its root if people are given more education and opportunity. These people would likely not turn to crime if they were supported as part of a community. Again, this is not an easy thing to facilitate, but it is possible through different approaches. Ultimately, the aim needs to be maintaining social values and giving people a sense of responsibility and purpose. When people have these things, they are much less likely to engage in violent crimes.

In conclusion, there are myriad reasons for crime rates increasing but perhaps urbanisation and the loss of traditional values are to blame. Giving people purpose and making them accountable for their own actions could counteract this.

As I mentioned above, I felt surprised that this question talked about rising crime rates but it does make sense when you think that certain countries or parts of countries are indeed experiencing this problem. Thus, I tried to put my feelings forward with careful explanations.

You will see that my body paragraphs are quite complex. That’s because this is not a simple topic. I don’t feel it’s possible to get a band 9 for Task Response without explaining just how complex the causes and solutions to crime are. It is not an easy issue to discuss.

You will see that I’ve avoided any bizarre vocabulary. Long-term readers of this blog will know that such an approach is not helpful. The best thing is to use the right word, whatever that may be. Aim for accuracy rather than obscurity.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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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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Introduction to Crime Essay: Structure and Format

Table of Contents

All writings on crime have the same objective – to find and assist. Any cause-and-effect relationships you uncover can help you understand the problem more.

It can also develop new techniques for preventing, minimizing, or dealing with crimes and criminals and expose numerous other relevant information.

This article features the best way to report your crime essay. Just follow the essay structure guidelines and start writing!

How to Write a Proper Crime Essay

Writing an essay on crime is nearly identical to writing any other essay. However, you must be specific with the content you provide in your essay.

Endeavour to verify the credibility and accuracy of any Internet sources you use. It is also prudent to rely on data and numbers.

In addition, choosing a narrow topic for your essay is preferable, as this will make it more interesting and newsworthy. If you select a topic that is too wide, you will end yourself writing about everything and nothing. Choosing a restricted topic, however, may be challenging due to the scarcity of available knowledge.

Therefore, study your issue and locate the sweet spot. Let’s get unto how to properly outline a crime esssay.

Outline: Introduction to Crime Essay

Every essay should have three sections: introduction , body, and conclusion.

They may also have paragraphs to facilitate reading comprehension. When you have finally decided on a topic, creating an outline is a good idea. This is where you will emphasize each section of your essay. Here is a free sample of an essay outline.

1. Introduction

This is where you give all the background information needed to understand your ideas. It is the foundation of your research. You could also explain what the words mean, if necessary.

2. Body section

The main body is where you put all of your ideas. Find out if more men or women commit crimes. Try to answer the question “why” or find an answer.

Race and immigration

Look at which groups of people are more likely to commit crimes. Also, look into how being an immigrant can affect criminal behavior.

List the things that may have happened in a person’s early life that led them to commit crimes later. Trauma, family size and relationships, alcoholism and drug addiction, bullying, and poor school achievement might cause this.

A few studies have looked at how religion might affect criminal behavior. Find out if religion makes crime worse, how, and why. Maybe the effects of different religions are different.

Political ideology

Look into different political ideas and how they influence people to act. Are there any that seem to make people want to break the law?

Psychological traits

Talk about how a person’s psychological background can affect them. Give some examples of mental illnesses that can make people violent or destructive. Find some numbers to back up your claims.

Socioeconomic factors

Look at which groups of people are more likely to commit a crime and why. Explain how the economy in the family, the city, and the country may affect criminal behavior. You could even write an essay about poverty and crime.

3. Conclusion

In your conclusion, wrap up everything you’ve said. Remember that you don’t need to say or think anything new here.

4. References

Add a list of the sources you used in your essay (if required).

Argumentative Essay on the Root Causes of Criminal Behavior

Of course, the government and law enforcement agencies work to reduce crime (which is a great goal, by the way).

But it continues to happen.

Most people don’t have a clue as to its origins, and that’s a big concern. Because “just mad” is rarely the answer, we need to raise our understanding of the reasons behind criminal behavior.

Here are a few things to think about if you decide to write such an essay:

1. Certain physical traits

People still think that people with certain physical traits are more likely to commit crimes. It is said that these people have smaller heads, more prominent jaws and ears, and a certain height and weight.

2. Illnesses of the mind and psychological disorders

Some illnesses make people more likely to be violent. For instance, some people with schizophrenia be psychotic or possess psychotic symptoms.

3. Social status

Those considered outcasts or someone with a hard life are more likely to have a more challenging time succeeding. This is why you have the lower social groups committing crimes against those considered higher in the social strata.

4. Poor Economies

The same is true for the economy. When a country is poor, there is more crime. It was found that people with less education are more likely to commit a crime than people with more education.

5. Unemployment

Also, unemployment is considered one of the most common reasons people break the law. If people cannot find employment, they may commit crimes as an alternative to getting a job.

6. White-collar crime

White-collar crime is common among deputies and high-ranking government officials. They include taking bribes, abusing power, being too busy, and other things.

The criminal justice system is an exciting topic for research papers and analytical essays.

Crime is, unfortunately, ever-present, and there is a wealth of data and statistics from which you may draw answers to your specific issues.

While crime rates are rising in every community, I believe both governments and individuals can improve. On the one hand, governments can take several significant steps to minimize or even eliminate various forms of crime.

To begin, governments can increase the number of police officers in every community to keep an eye on citizens and deter criminal behavior. Secondly, the state can use cutting-edge technologies like surveillance cameras in all public areas to prevent illegal activity.

Strong sanctions like incarceration, physical punishments, or financial fines may reduce crime since they dissuade people of all ages.

Members of the society can also play a significant role in reducing crime rates. The vast majority of people are willing to help the government maintain a secure society, from my experience.

Ordinary people may play a crucial role in crime-prevention efforts simply by reporting issues to the police. When citizens are invested in reducing violent crime in their cities, it provides the government with an opportunity to take preventative measures.

In a nut shell, all members of society, including governments and people, must prevent crime for a community to be safe.

Introduction to Crime Essay: Structure and Format

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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The Cause of the Crime Essay

Crime is a social phenomenon that is in existence in the world today. Crime entails having a defiant behavior that leads criminal failing to follow the acceptable norms. Not all crimes in the world today are covered by law, but at times people commit crimes without the knowledge that they are committing them.

Those who commit crimes are at times looked down upon, and most of the times are made to be accountable for their actions through punishment of law. Punishment in this case may include being charged a penalty, incarceration and in worst case scenario being subjected to death.

For the longest time ever, there have been debates on why people tend to involve themselves with abnormal behavior as well as involvement in crime. To some, criminal activities are considered a sin that people get involved into due to possession by an evil spirit.

Though there have been many reasons that people come up with to try to explain why people get involved in crime, one thing stands out; the decision to get involved in crime rests in the hands of the crime committer. This paper therefore tries to bring out this point by showing that crime is a decision of the committer of the crime, and not the surrounding factors.

The action of committing crime among different people is entirely on those people who are involved in this crime. One of the schools of thought of reason why people commit crime is the rational theory.

The theory finds its bases in economics, where one has to balance the cost and the benefits that one will incur before venturing in a certain business. Just like the explanation in economics, rational choice theory focuses on how a person is thinking before engaging in a certain crime.

For one, the person has to be calculative of what he/she is going to gain when engaging in a certain crime. In this case, the person is considering the personal interest he or she has, that relates to engaging in that particular crime. When a person goes through the options that are available for him/her, he decides whether to continue with the crime or not.

Another consideration put in mind by committers of crime is whether they are going to be caught and put up to face their actions or not. In case the person feels like the rewards that he/she is going to reap out of committing the crime are more than the risk involved, more often than not these people find themselves engaging in crime to leap the foreseen reward.

As the rational choice theory shows, committing a crime is a process that takes time to resolve to engage in these activities (Briggs Para 2). Involvement in crime is dependent on the assurance that one gets from careful analysis of the rewards to be gotten from these activities.

Since it takes a lot of time and resources to get involved in crime, it is evident that involvement in crime is entirely due to decision of the person to gain the rewards that are foreseen in the involvement of crime.

Some studies have been carried out on the effect of punishment on the crime rate. During these studies, several things have been evident. To start with, if there was an increase in the number of police force operating in a certain region, crime rate was noted to have decreased by a considerable number, and in case the police force was on the decline, the crime rate was noted to increase.

The two findings are indication of the perception of people when getting involved in crime. In the first scenario, the reason why people desist from involving themselves in crime is due to the fact that they have the fear that the police force will catch up with them in case they get involved in crime.

The high number of police workforce threatens the crime committers and in turn shy away from carrying out these activities. In the other hand, fewer police personnel to crime committers means that the threat of been caught is lesser, and committing a crime may go unpunished.

In such a scenario, they tend to involve themselves more in crime as the risk that comes with it is lesser to them. The findings go ahead to show that involvement in crime is entirely dependent on the criminal’s thinking. When they think they will not be caught and can get away with committing of crime, they involve themselves with crime (Arrigo 68).

In the second scenario that involves serving time in jail from being caught in crime, the reasoning is the same. In this scenario, the severity or the length of the crime is what drives crime committers to get involvement in their actions. In case the punishment that they are expecting from committing in crime is severe, it deters the people from committing any sort of crime.

However, in an instance where these people feel that the punishment that comes with committing a crime is lesser than the conceivable benefit, involvement in crime is high, as a lesser sentence to a crime acts as a motivator of committing a certain crime.

The behavior by crime committers in this case is a show of how these people resolve on committing crime. The notable word here being deciding to commit a crime, people tend to result to involvement of crime from the resolutions they make from their risk reward analysis.

Different people have different ways of thinking. The same may be said when it comes to what people admire in their life. Ironically, there are the people in life who admire crime committers and who have high regards to people who engage in these activities.

The admiration is more, especially if the crime committers got away with the crime successfully. To these people, committing crimes is a thrill and at times may go to greater intents to commit them. Admires of crime committers get excitement that comes with involvement in crime.

They committing these crimes as long they do not get caught, which gives them a thrill to get involved in crime. In this scenario, these people have resolved to getting involved in crime from the depth of their thinking. The decision to get involved in crime in this case rests on the crime committers.

Driven by the thrill to get involved in crime, these people tend to make the decision to get involved in crime themselves without any notable pressure from an outside source. Other people commit crime due to some elements like greed, revenge, anger and pride (Bessant 96).

When crime is committed from all these motivations, the decision to commit crime entirely rests on the hands on the crime committers. It is from their own resolution that they decide that committing a crime is more desirable to them than not getting involved in crime.

For instance when it is about greed, the people involved in these crimes usually take a longer time to ensure success of their venture.

During this time, they are usually coming up with means of getting to minimize the risk associated with the act of crime and concentrating with the benefit they may gain from involvement with crime. In this case, the people are directly involved in affecting their behaviors as the malicious motive is the main driving force.

Routine activity theory is the other cause of crime, which tends to show that crime is entirely caused from the decision of the crime committers. Developers of this theory resolve that involvement in crime does not necessarily involve a criminal.

Involvement in crime in this case is a decision by the person, whether he /she may take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself of committing a certain crime. In this particular theory, a crime does not necessarily have to be a big crime, but is inclusive of the petty stealing.

There are three things that have to be there for a person to be presented with that chance of making the decision whether to commit the crime nor not. For one, opportunity has to be there, then there must be no protection in existence, and finally, the person involved must subsequently be motivated to get involved in the deed (Siegel 201).

Decision to get involved in the crime rests on the person who is presented with the opportunity, and he/she may take or leave it. If the person resolves to take it, he/she is personally liable for his/her actions as there is no pressure around. At this point, the choice the person makes determines the action he/she takes.

Self-control is one of the important characters that a person should always have. The decision to commit crime is not always dependent on how the person can control himself when presented with an opportunity to commit crime.

The moral principles that a person upholds are very important when it comes to committing of crime. Though having low self-control has a considerable effect on how a person behaves when presented with an opportunity to commit crime, the moral principle has a very big part to play in any case.

Rational choice theory is keen to show the morals that one upholds play a very important part in deciding whether to get involved in crime or not. It is the motivation that someone has that leads to the person behaving the way he or she does.

Bad motivation in this case leads to the person in question getting involved in the wrong activity of committing crimes. Some of the incidents of crime are usually calculated, and whichever the drive, which may include greed and pride, some people result to criminal activities without any other influence but from their own choices.

Therefore, though debates may pop up as to why people get involved in incidences of crime, at the end of the day it is the decision of the person to do what he feels like, as the choice lies in his/her hands.

Works Cited

Arrigo, Bruce. Social Justice, Criminal Justice . Califonia: Wadsworth, 1999.Print.

Bessant, Judith. Sociology Australia . Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2002. Print.

Briggs, Steven. Important Theories in Criminology: Why People Commit Crime . Web.

Siegel, Larry J. Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies . Massachusetts: Lowell, 2011. Print.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Poverty — Poverty Is The Root Of Crime

How Poverty is The Main Cause of Crime

Categories: Criminal Behavior

About this sample

Words: 593 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 593 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

brooklyn eagle. (2019,October 15). New York's most desperate caught up in 'crimes of poverty'. Retrieved from https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/10/15/new-yorks-most-desperate-caught-up-in-crimes-of-poverty/
Ginni Correa. (2020,june 18). Addiction center. Retrieved from https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/low-income-americans/
OSAC. (6/18/2019). Venezuela 2019 Crime & Safety Report. Retrieved from https://www.osac.gov/Country/Venezuela/Content/Detail/Report/b0933dac-4154-4dc2-89c1-160ca3b2c4c2
Tom Mack. (3 JAN 2020). Leicestershire live . Retrieved from https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/man-stealing-metal-feed-family-3699993

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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The Causes Of Crime

The causes of crime seem to be indefinite and ever changing. In the 19th century; slum poverty was blamed, in the 20th century, a childhood without love was blamed (Adams 152). In the era going into the new millenium, most experts and theorists have given up all hope in trying to pinpoint one single aspect that causes crime. Many experts believe some people are natural born criminals who are born with criminal mindsets, and this is unchangeable. However, criminals are not a product of heredity. They are a product of their environment and how they react to it. This may seem like a bogus assumption, but is undoubtedly true.

There is a study devoted to finding the causes of crime and what makes people criminals. This study is appropriately called criminology. There are two main theories which criminologists categorize causes of crime, and sometimes an individual would be subject to both their influences. Theories in the first group locate the causes of crime inside the individual, which focus on stress and other psychological factors. Conversely, theories categorized in the second group focus the causes of crime on factors that are out of the control of the certain individual. These influences are sociological.

Some psychologists theorize that criminals are born with a predisposition towards mental illness . Even though this is a widely accepted idea, for a mental illness to come out, it has to be catalyzed by the person’s environment. In other words, even if a person were born with the biological makings of a criminal, depending on how he was raised and how he lived life would determine if this inherent attribute would manifest. There needs to be an external cause to trigger the characteristic. Many criminologists are stuck on developing biological explanations to the make-up of criminals. These theories are often called “bad seed” theories.

They hold that criminals are born and not developed . The most recently discovered “bad seed” theory is that some men are born with an extra Y chromesone that makes them more aggressive (Adams 157). The problem with this theory is if one of these men with the extra chromosome was raised in a way that would inhibit the individual’s trait, you would never see the characteristics of this extra chromosome and it would just devalue this theory. Another problem with this theory is that there are criminals who just happen to be women and there is no way that you could tie this theory in with the behavior of women criminals.

Women do not have Y-chromosomes. They simply have a pair of X’s. The second category of explanations for criminal behavior based solely on a human’s environment is the theory that receives the most credit, and obviously is backed by the most truth. Endless examples and mountains of proof back this environment theory. To further bash the first category, all of its components are only brought out by their environment. While the level of stress a person can handle is an inherent part of their make-up, how they react to that stress is a learned attribute.

Not only reactions to the stress are varied on different social structures , but the types and levels of stress vary as well. For example, a violent minded child who is not capable of dealing with stress well could be born into a rich family and experience no frustrations. On the other hand, if a calm child were born into an abusive environment, he would have a better tendency to snap because of the levels of stress he experiences in that environment. A quite popular idea is that a person’s childhood has the greatest influence on their personality and their moral standards.

As stated by Patrick Crispen in Criminal Minds, a child’s morals are learned and set by the age of ten years old (67). Also stated in Criminal Minds, is the assumption that a sixth-grade teacher could look at a class of students and determine who will be successful, who will be a “trouble-maker”, and so forth (70). This is a deeper example of how personality traits are developed at an early age. Parents play the most crucial role in the development of a child’s life. Children learn by example. Through the examples that the parents set, criminal behavior could be either encouraged or prevented.

This “learn by example” way of development by a child could easily be mistaken for the genetic make-up of the child’s mindset. How easy would it be to say that because the child acts in the same manner as the parents do, that this is simply a product of inheritance when, in fact, the manners of a child is learned through parent’s actions rather than being passed on through genetics. This explains why adopted children still have the same moral values and standards as their adoptive parents which could be as well be much different from their biological parents.

But stubborn geneticists would still insist on the inheritance factor by finding small, insignificant personality traits that both the biological parents and the child share. In many cases, a child will have a virtually parentless upbringing. In some of these cases, both of the parents still live with the child . not necessarily abandoning them . but certain responsibilities cause them to not see much of each other. Through the lack of interaction between parent and child, the child would have to base its moral standards on another figure, such as a television show or cartoon or a teacher.

This would decrease the connection between parent and child, and further decrease the parental influence. A child who has raised himself is much less likely to listen to an authority figure. Another main influence in how a child thinks is his peers . the moral structure that they have been raised with. In desperation of fitting in, people can do things that are uncharacteristic of themselves that may land them in “deep sneakers”, but the consequences are not as important as fitting in. Eventually, a habit gets formed of living up to dares and taking more risks.

Over a period of time , this type of behavior becomes the norm and a new way of living is developed. In absence of parental figures, children will find substitute figures to latch onto. These substitute figures will form their code of ethics and moral behavior. Depending on the substitute figure chosen, the code of ethics and moral behavior is reflected. Unfortunately, in the absence of parents, children are attracted to the more exciting and daring personalities such as people who get in trouble in class and seem exciting.

So, in other words, without the parents’ guidance, the child would naturally veer toward the more daring side of life. Even though they may look up to their friends more than their parents, kids still need someone to tell them what is wrong and what is right because no one is born with a sixth sense of this. It has to be learned (Kraeplin 3). What is morally right is usually accepted as what the majority of the population around you accepts. Consequently, what is morally accepted in one environment may not be morally accepted in another environment. City living is a breeding place for criminals.

There are so many people in big cities that no one focuses on grouping individuals. People simply do what they do and everyone leaves everyone alone. The entire city has too many people in it, to worry about everyone’s moral standards. So when you do something immoral, it goes practically unnoticed. Even if someone notices it, it’s very unlikely that they could pick you out of everyone in the city and point you out as the person who did the crime. Criminals are encouraged when they see crimes go unsolved. It gives them the confidence they need to continue their criminal behavior without fear of getting caught.

And there are enough people in a city that no matter how you act; you could find people just like you. If you have a tendency to get in trouble a lot, you could easily find someone to encourage your actions. A social status , whether you like it or not, can drag you into or out of a life of crime. A dead-broke bum with no house is forced to steal food in order to stay alive, and steal clothing in order to stay warm. Of course, you could suffer and not break any laws, but the immediate need would usually outweigh the consequences.

You may not be literally forced into a life of crime, but it just might be the best choice you have. Being in such need makes stealing seem much more attractive than it would if you had no need to steal. As stated in the preceding paragraphs, criminals are influenced and not born. You can easily infer this on your own, but with the help of this report it seems much more obvious. The most obvious and consistent influence in the development of a person seems to be the environment in which they live in and the influence, or lack thereof, of their parents.

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Essay on Poverty Causes Crime

Students are often asked to write an essay on Poverty Causes Crime 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 Poverty Causes Crime

Understanding poverty and crime.

Poverty is when people do not have enough money for things like food and a home. Some believe that not having money can lead to crime. When people are poor, they might steal to survive. They might feel they have no choice but to break the law to feed their families.

The Link Between Need and Theft

Imagine you’re really hungry, but you have no money. What would you do? Some might steal food. This is a simple example of how needing something badly can push someone to commit a crime, like theft.

Desperation Leads to Bad Choices

A person who can’t find a job and is desperate might feel forced to sell illegal things or join gangs. They might think this is the only way to make money. This shows how not having options can lead to crime.

Crime as a Last Resort

Sometimes, people who are poor see crime as the only way out. They might not see any other way to change their lives. So, they take risks to try to escape poverty, which can include doing illegal things.

Breaking the Cycle

To stop this problem, everyone needs to help. If poor people get support, like education and jobs, they might not turn to crime. Helping them can make our communities safer for everyone.

250 Words Essay on Poverty Causes Crime

The link between poverty and crime.

Many people wonder if not having enough money can lead to crime. The answer is not simple, but often, when people are very poor, they might break the law to get what they need or want.

Struggle for Basic Needs

When families do not have enough money, they struggle to buy food, pay for a house, or get medicine. This can make someone feel desperate. In desperation, stealing or other illegal ways to get money can seem like the only choice.

Lack of Education and Jobs

Schools in poor areas might not be very good, making it hard for kids to learn and get good jobs later. Without a good job, it’s tough to earn money legally. This can lead some to choose crime as a way to make money.

Feeling Left Out

People who are poor often feel left out because they can’t have what others do. This feeling can turn into anger or jealousy, which might lead them to take things that aren’t theirs.

Not everyone who is poor will commit a crime. But when there’s no other way to survive, some might see crime as the last option. It’s like when you’re playing a game and you’re losing badly, you might break the rules just to keep playing.

In conclusion, being poor can sometimes lead to crime, but it’s not the only reason people do bad things. It’s important to help those in need and make sure everyone has a fair chance at a good life to prevent crime.

500 Words Essay on Poverty Causes Crime

Many people wonder if being poor can lead someone to act wrongly. It is a topic that has been talked about for a long time. This essay will explain why some believe that not having enough money can make people commit crimes.

Struggling to Survive

When people do not have enough money, they might find it hard to buy food, find a place to live, or get clothes. This situation is called poverty. Imagine you are very hungry and you have no money; you might think about taking food from a store without paying. This is an example of how poverty can push someone to steal, which is a crime. People who are very poor often feel they have no choice but to break the law to survive.

Education and Opportunities

Schools in richer areas usually have more resources, like books and computers, than schools in poorer areas. Children from poor families might not learn as much or might even stop going to school. Without a good education, it is hard to get a good job. This makes it tough for people to earn enough money legally. So, some might turn to crime as a way to make money because they feel they have no other options.

When people are poor, they might feel left out of society. They see others with nice things and feel they can never have those things. This can make them angry or jealous. Sometimes, to get what others have, they might decide to take things that are not theirs. This is not right, but it shows how feeling left out can lead to crime.

Drugs and Crime

In places where there is a lot of poverty, there might also be more drugs. Drugs can cause big problems. People who use drugs may need a lot of money to buy them, and this can lead to stealing or other crimes. Also, people who sell drugs are committing a crime, and they might do this because they think they can’t make money any other way.

What Can Be Done?

To stop crime, we need to help people get out of poverty. This means making sure everyone has enough food, a safe place to live, and clothes to wear. It also means giving children the chance to go to good schools and learn. When people have what they need and feel they are part of society, they are less likely to commit crimes.

In conclusion, not having enough money can lead to crime because people are trying to survive, they might not have good education or job opportunities, they feel left out, or they get involved with drugs. To solve this problem, it is important to help people live better lives. By understanding the reasons behind crime, we can work to make our communities safer for everyone.

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

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Happy studying!