Реферат: Crime Essay Research Paper CrimeCriminology is the
Название: Crime Essay Research Paper CrimeCriminology is the Раздел: Топики по английскому языку Тип: реферат |
Crime Essay, Research Paper Crime Criminology is the study of crime and criminal offenders in many different settings and from many different points of view. All countries make rules, or laws, which forbid certain types of behavior. A crime is an act that is forbidden by law because it is harmful to a person, to property, or to society in general. Attitudes towards crime do not always stay the same. Laws may be changed as society develops. The definition of crime also varies from country to country. Sometimes an act that is considered criminal is only considered to be so because it defies or goes against social mores. In making decisions about what types of acts or behavior are categorized as criminal, a society’s government has to evaluate the harshness or extremity of the act. Criminal activity of all kinds has existed since people began to live together in societies. “People in the earliest societies were as much concerned as we are today with such harmful acts as stealing and killing”(Kirkham 20). They realized, as we do, that respect for life and property is essential to the survival of any society. In latter days, there were no written laws. The consequences for behaving in a criminal manner were somehow known. Many times when criminal acts were committed, they were done so in desperation. As time has progressed, we have seen where people have thought less of punishment and done things out of radical behavior. Therefore, when the lack of respect for word of mouth came about, societies developed governments to protect their interests. In these governments, leaders wrote down what acts were considered criminal and in turn gave the appropriate consequences for them all. Today, most countries have a certain code of laws that all citizens have to obey. All of the laws are created from research into the severity of crimes, the factors that cause them to happen and the people who commit them. Some crimes have always been considered more serious then others. In the United States serious crimes are called felonies. They are usually punished by imprisonment but in some states, certain felonies may be punishable by death. Some of the most serious felonies are murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, assault, treason, forgery, counterfeiting, trafficking, and arson. There are always “loopholes” in laws. What this means is that sometimes, when someone commits a crime, they are able to find ways to get around the punishment. In severe cases of criminal activity however, the opportunity for a break is less likely. Less serious crimes are called misdemeanors. A misdemeanor can range from a traffic ticket to public drunkenness. Most of the time, a person can pay a fine and be on their way. “Punishment for these offenses is a fine or imprisonment for less than one year”(Kirkham 25). More often than not however, there is more to misdemeanors than just fines and jail time. Take for instance if someone decides to commit a misdemeanor repeatedly. The punishment for repeat offenders is more harsh, even if it is a simple misdemeanor crime that has been committed. In general, there is a widespread agreement about which acts should be regarded as felonies and which as misdemeanors. It is important to realize that these definitions may change as a society’s values change. And in the United States, an act that is a felony in one state may be a misdemeanor in another. Teenagers and young adults are more likely to become victims of violent crime than other persons are. “In 1998, about a third of all victims of violent crime were ages 12 to 19 and almost half of all victims of violence were under age 25″(Bureau of Justice Statistics 1998). In addition, persons with lower incomes are more vulnerable to violent crime than those from higher income households. “Persons with household incomes of less than $35,000 per year had significantly higher violent crime rates for the category of total violent crime when compared with those who had household incomes of $35,000 or more per year”(Bureau of Justice Statistics 1998). Most of the time crimes are committed by people who are desperate for a variety of different things. They may come from broken homes or from families with multiple additions. Other times, an individual may have to provide for numerous amounts of other people. Then again, sometimes the individual commits a crime to become more accepted by their peers. They may feel that there is no way of getting what they need or want, unless they have to beg, steal, cheat, or perform other aspects of illegal activity. In the same aspect however, there are also great numbers of blue collar and higher-class criminals. The only difference in these individuals and those of lower social status is that higher-class criminals usually don’t want for many things. When more heinous crimes are committed by the higher class, it is commonly assumed that they are crimes of passion. If all the money and glitter is taken away, you are left with the everyday typical criminal. Crime is committed in every race however; statistics show that a significant portion of the criminal world is made up of the African American or black race. There are very important factors that help to influence the numbers for statistics on black crime. According to the National Drug Strategy Network, African Americans make up less than one-third of the population in Georgia. The arrest rate in criminal drug related cases for African Americans is five times greater than the arrest rate of white Americans for the same charges. A CNN article in 1996 sited U.S. figures that show more than 90% of all federal prosecutions for crack cocaine in 1995 were of African American defendants. In society, there is an equal distribution of criminals (and law- abiding citizens) among all racial and ethnic groups and blacks are no more likely to be criminals than are whites. In contrast, data shows that African Americans are more likely than others to be arrested and convicted. Some people may believe that African Americans are arrested so often for drug offenses due to the targeting of drug dealers by police. With the predominant amount of black males arrested. If that indeed is the case, why did an analysis by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles find that 77% of the offenses leading to the first conviction and 79% of the offenses leading to a second drug conviction showed less than one gram of a controlled substance. Crime is committed for many different reasons. Some people steal because they cannot afford the thing they desire. “Cars are often stolen because they are symbols of wealth, and they also make it easier to escape from the scene of a crime”(Gruszecki 44). No one knows exactly what causes crime. It may be the different forms of crime have different causes. For example, a person who becomes angry during an argument and attacks another person is probably not influenced by the same motives that lead a bank teller to steal from a bank. Some scientists think that the causes of crime are physical, or biological. This is a very old point of view. “Researchers once believed that people who committed crimes were different from other people in such things as their body builds or the shapes of their heads. Most modern scientists reject this theory”(Kirkham 34). Other scientists that the causes of crime are social. They attach importance to such things as poverty, unemployment, and poor housing. Lack of education or job training and a broken home are among factors that these researchers believe may lead to crime. Still other scientists believe that the causes of crime are largely psychological. “They view the criminal as someone driven by mental forces-often thought to be beyond the criminal’s control. In this theory, crime is viewed as a symptom of some problem–fear, or perhaps anger–that has lead to mental illness”(Kirkham 36). In addition to researching and studying statistics on crime. I have included my personal survey on young persons ranging from age 18 to 25 and discovered some very interesting facts among all races, including Caucasian, African-American, Asian, and Hispanics. My personal statistics show among African American 3 out of 7 have been arrested for crime ranging from possession of marijuana, weapons in school safety zone, petty theft, failure to appear in court for tickets. Among the Asian race I surveyed (ranging from ages 18 to 22), all 4 have reported to never been arrested. While the Caucasian race 3 out of 5 have reported crimes they have been arrested for such as D.U.I., possession of marijuana, damaging property, disorderly conduct, and shoplifting. In all fairness out of all races I have surveyed, the Asian race had reported zero crimes. And Hispanics 4 out of 9 have been arrested for D.U.I. and assault. |