Neal 3
Evelyn Neal
Sociology 160
Professor Cripps
11/15/2018
Causes of Street Crime
Almost without exception, Americans believe that violent crime is increasing. In the short run, they are right: Violent crime did increase between 1985 and 1990. But what really worries most people is not the short-run trend but their sense that violent crime has been climbing steadily for a long time and that the future will only bring further increases. Such worries are linked to anxiety about drugs, permissive childrearing, hedonism, declining academic standards, the growth of the ghetto underclass, and our collective inability to compete with the Japanese. Taken together, these fears have convinced many sensible people that American society is on the skids. Crime rates have been the drop of decreasing to increasing over time.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a crime as “an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law” (BBC). A crime is a fact, a matter of law and it is not an opinion. As society changes, some actions which used to be criminal are no longer so. Likewise, some actions which were legal can become prohibited. An example of this is the introduction of by-laws which allow local authorities to prohibit drinking in designated public places. Laws are made by the politicians we elect democratically we may not agree with the law but there are democratic opportunities to change it. Greed, anger, jealousy, revenge, and even pride could be a reason why some commit crimes. There are some people that commit crimes that they plan everything in advance, such as property crimes; this would increase there their gain and lower their chances of getting caught. Some people that commit crimes believe that committing crimes brings them great incentives, respect, and for the satisfaction it brings to them. Some may even get an adrenaline rush out of committing a crime and they commit even more crimes to fulfill that need for a rush. While some do it for the excitement there are others that do it because they are scared or afraid, out of anger, and some do it because they have a sudden desire. The desire for material gain, such as money or expensive belongings, leads to property crimes such as robberies, burglaries, white-collar crimes, and auto thefts. The desire for control, revenge, or power leads to violent crimes such as murders, assaults, and rapes. These violent crimes usually occur on impulse or the spur of the moment when emotions run high.
According to the NCRB data, the total crimes on register were 2.97 million while the crime rate figured to be 379 crimes per lakh population. The year 2018 has witnessed some of the most horrific cases of crime. The rape and murder incident of Kathua just petrified the entire nation. Similar...
