Crime is an all-pervasive
phenomenon. It prevailed in all ages and all places on earth. However, with the
increase in population, the world is witnessing more complex, serious and
frequent crimes. The types of crime also increased with the advancement of
science and technology. Therefore, to curb crime, many a theory has evolved. In
this paper, crime and criminology have been discussed to the extent as it is
possible in a small research paper.
The concept of crime:
Crime is a social phenomenon
and the criminalization itself is the judgment issued by the sociologists on certain
behavior. Others believe that crime is a conduct prohibited by the state
because of necessity and they can respond by imposing a penalty. In general, crime
constitutes anti-social behavior, which harms others’ interest.
Crime in the legal sense:
According to the legal
dictionary, crime is “a violation of a law
in which there is an injury to the public
or a member of the public and a term
in jail or prison, and/or a fine as possible
penalties.” As per Fuller (1942) “A
crime, considered as a legal category, is an act punishable by the state.”
Therefore, any type of behavior that can be a violation of group morality or
custom but, in the legal sense, it cannot be considered as a crime unless it
breaches criminal law that is established and enforceable by the state and/or a
competent authority.
Criminology in its contemporary concept:
Criminology can be defined
as a science that examines the interpretation of criminal behavior both at the
individual and social level.
Theories of crime:
By explaining the factors
associated with criminal behavior, professionals in psychology, sociology,
criminology, and biology make proper recommendations on policy, prevention, and
treatment. Therefore, over time, many different theories have been developed
that help us to understand, explain and even correct criminal behavior.
Social control theory of crime:
In sociology, control theory
deals with two control systems (inner and outer controls) that work against human
tendencies to digress from social norms. The majority of the Criminology
theories explain human nature to offend whereas the control theory purports to
justify why people should obey established rules. It provides an explanation
for people how their behavior should conform to the social norms. Therefore,
social control theory focuses primarily on the external factors of criminal behavior
and the processes thereof since deviation and crime take place due to the lack
of sufficient constraints. From the perspective of the theory of social
control, the perception of human nature includes the concept of free will,
giving perpetrators the ability to choose and be responsible for their behavior.
The famous saying among the
researchers confirms that the more attached an individual becomes to others the
less likely he/she will become a criminal. Primary attachments include parents,
peers, teachers, religious leaders, and other members of the community. Due to
social commitment (that arise from attachment to others in the community),
individuals are afraid of breaking law because they do not want to lose anything
for which they have worked all their lives to obtain just by violating laws in
a single instance. Such a thing may be a good reputation, valuable education,
good relationship with family, and so on. Anyone of these may constitute a
substantial loss for an individual.
However, critiques say that
the social control theory fails to be effective in explaining adult criminal
behavior and serious instances of youth crime in general. One of the biggest
weaknesses of the theory is the fact that it places too much importance on the
bonds relative to an individual and society without looking at bigger concepts
like autonomy and impulsiveness.
The distribution of crime by
age:
Nowadays, it is widely
believed by people that crime is much more frequent and serious than ever
before. It has been reported that people are much more concerned with crime,
especially in the last half century. The available official crime statistics do
not reflect the actual crime scenario. One of the most important weaknesses of
official crime statistics is that they only include crimes that are recorded by
the police. Therefore, there is a huge gap between the actual number of crimes
and their registration by the police. Most of the petty crimes, such as pick-pocket
are never reported to the police. Even in the case of vicious crimes, more than
one-third of the total victims do not go to the police because of various
reasons, such as prestige or fear of more assault. Therefore, due to partial
reporting and recording of crimes, the official statistics portrait only a
portion of the actual crime scenario.
1.
Social
Distribution of Crime:
Some social characteristics, such as age, gender,
ethnicity, social class, and locality contribute more or less to the occurrence
of crime. Therefore, some individuals or groups are more prone to commit crimes
or to become the victims of crime than others. Researches and statistics vindicate
this fact. It is shown that crime and victimization do not take place evenly among
the population. For instance, men are more inclined to commit crimes than women;
ethnic minority groups are more likely to become the victims; poor areas
witness higher rate of crime than affluent areas; and city proper witnesses
higher rate of crime than the outskirts.
2.
Gender
and Crime
Available criminal data show
that men are much more prone to commit crime than women. As a result, male
prisoners outnumber the female prisoners in the jails. There are also differences in the types of crime. For
example, men are more involved in violent crimes; whereas, women are more
involved in non-violent crimes, such as prostitution or petty thefts.
Connections between globalization and crime in
contemporary society:
A.
Green
crime
B.
Crime
against the environment
Green crime is ever more
considered as a form of global crime because of two causes;
1. The
earth is considered as a single ecosystem in which humans, other species, and
the environment are connected and dependent on each other.
2. Damage
done to other species or features of the environment such as air, water, seas, and
forests are seen as the negative impact on the overall quality of human life no
matter on which part of the earth it takes place.
The reason that linked the green crime to globalization:
Green crime is committed by
powerful entities such as, transnational oil and chemical companies that are working
in cooperation with the nation states and local influential elites. Most of the
threats to the earth’s ecosystem originate from manufactured risks due to the huge demand for
consumer goods and technology that have adverse effects on people as well as environment.
For example, due to greenhouse gases, the earth is getting warmer and the climate
is changing. Therefore, the society in which we live in is under threat of
global risk. Although those companies are not held responsible, many of their
acts can be considered crimes as they have the permanent adverse effect on the
earth and human being.
Crime control, prevention,
and punishment, victims and the role of the criminal justice system.
The crime control model mainly deals with maintaining
justice efficiently and effectively through speedy processes and direct
handling of cases from the inception to the judgment. The crime control model informally
assumes that if the police arrest a person at the beginning of the
investigation of a crime respecting his/her rights, then there is a sturdy
possibility that s/he has truly committed the crime. In such cases, an
agreement, known as the plea bargain, is swiftly reached in criminal cases,
where the arrested person (the defendant) admits the crime in exchange for
avoiding trial and harder punishment.
Victims of crime also play
an important role in maintaining justice. A victim often provides more concrete
information than those of other witnesses to the police, which contributes to the
swift arrest of the suspect(s). Solicitors and judges are more inclined to
depend on victim’s testimony in court. However, in some countries, the
interests of offenders are emphasized. Consequently, victims’ interests are
compromised at least to some extent. Therefore, crossing the ideological and
state boundaries, victims and potential victims are more than often pressing
for enforcement of laws, faster disposal of cases, and proper sentences. For
example, women and feminist press for the trial of husbands who torture their
wives. They also question the trial procedure whenever the perpetrators are not
given proper punishment. Consumers object whenever there is any failure to
prosecute frauds in service or goods. Besides, all of us demand proper
enforcement of laws for a decrease in crime rate and prevalence of peace.
References
Morris,
Janowitz. "Sociological Theory and Social Control." American Journal
of Sociology, 1975: 82-108. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/crime
Fuller, R. C. “Morals
and the Criminal Law.” 32 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 624 (1941-1942)