Free Custom «Crime Related Factors and Theories» Essay Paper

Factors related to crime

Which theories use this element

How have your thoughts about this variable changed? Why?

Poverty

Strain theory is related to the crime factor. Poverty denies one a chance to have good life and basic needs. In order to achieve the goal of having good life, one is forced to commit a crime (robbery/ burglary) earn money that will make them survive.

My thoughts have not changed because I still believe that for many people living in poverty, stealing may be their only means of feeding their family. Though, I internally understand the theory.

Mental Illness

Biology, genetics and evolution theory also explains reasons to why crimes are prevalent. Poor state of the brains is biological thus may be one of the causes of crime. This is because unstable brains cannot differentiate between a right and a wrong.

The theory has significantly changed my thinking because I have learnt that it is not the poor taste of drugs that makes individuals to turn on crime. It is rather the unstable conditions of the brain that makes the individual unable to avoid committing crimes.

Family Problems (fighting, divorce, criminal history)

Systematic crime theory is related to this factor. Family problems and divorce create disorder, which makes the parents to be unable to observe and instill good morals in the children.

My thoughts about family problems have changed because I have learnt that family problems have caused disorder within the families thus there is lack of appropriate authority to right wrongs, which may turn to criminal behaviors among the vulnerable family members not necessarily to seek attention.

Greed

Social control theory shows how greed may make an individual commit crime. Individuals fail to commit crime because of existence of some power that govern and regulate their activities. The moment the power is dysfunctional an individual may commit a crime.

My thoughts have not changed because I still believe that greed makes individuals in power to commit crime the moment no one is watching them.

Unemployment

Underemployment

The crime factor is related to strain theory. Unemployment denies individuals source income that may make their lives difficult, thus, they turn out to crime to feed their families and provide their basic needs.

My thoughts have not changed because I still believe that underemployment contributes to crime as individuals are looking for ways to earn money by any means possible. However, not all unemployed/underemployed people turn to a life of crime.

Peer Pressure

Routine activity theory is related to the crime factor. This is where handlers lack strong moral values to pass on to their friends. Thus, a youngster will have poor manners like their friends.

My thoughts about peer pressure have not changed though my thinking is improvised and I learnt that crimes may be learned from friends with weak moral values.

Bad Neighborhoods

Social learning theory, environmental criminology. Bad neighborhoods play a significant role because children tend to imitate what their seniors are doing thus; they lack no values because they don’t know what is right and what is wrong, which makes them to commit crime without knowing (Felson, 2007).

My thoughts have not changed because I still believe that children are exposed to various types of crime and grow up thinking that it is an acceptable or normal way of life. If the neighborhood is filled with homes with broken windows and graffiti everywhere, it becomes acceptable to break windows and deface buildings.

Poor Parenting

Routine activity theory, this is because the children lack parents who have the control and ability to instill moral values within them. Thus, poor parenting will increase crime rate down the generations due to lack of authority to instill good morals.

My thoughts have slightly changed because I have learned that it is lack of control or disorderliness that crime rates increase.