Thinking About Crime

775 Words2 Pages

Thinking about Crime Through life experience and knowledge I believe individuals commit crimes for numerous reasons. Each individual is influenced differently by the elements and events in their environment and their current situation. Any number and combination of factors can influence a person to commit crimes. Some of the various reasons people commit crimes can include anything from social reasons to economic reasons and pure hedonism. Individuals have the ability to think rationally and their choices are based on their reasonable and logical thinking. Most people make decisions after they had weighed all possible risks and benefits. Based on this assessment the individual then decides if committing the crime is worth the risk. Other …show more content…

I lived and grew up most of life in Los Angeles, California which is an area pervaded with crime and lawbreaking. Growing up in a neighborhood filled with crime there were many individuals I personally knew who committed crimes regularly. Knowing these individuals personally and intimately I learned why they committed crimes. I have also moved repeatedly and lived in various cities and states where crime is prevalent and where crime has been miniscule. Overall, I have learned to understand why some individuals commit crimes while others have not by knowing these individuals personally and intimately. Some individuals committed crimes because for them they felt it is a necessity for them to live due to their limited options and opportunities. While others committed crimes because they learned and associated themselves with others who committed crimes or lived in areas where control and responsibility in the community was almost nonexistent allowing these individuals to commit crimes freely and easily. Still other individuals committed crimes for the pleasure and desire to commit a crime. As a third year criminology student I have also learned to read and become knowledgeable about current criminology research and have learned to support and favor certain criminological theories because of their statistics and indicators. Almost every element and aspect in my life has shaped and influenced why I believe individuals commit

Show More
Related

  • Crimes and Social Deviances in the 1990s

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many views on crime and deviance and many theories to why they occur.

    Read More

  • Nature versus Nurture: Criminal Behavior

    2165 Words  | 5 Pages

    Finding strong evidence surrounding this topic could be significant to reducing crime rates and addressing the public health issue. What I have learn from research-based evidence and analyzing social and cultural theories, is that criminal behavior is multifaceted and is influenced by a range of determinants in which surrounds the nature versus nurture debate. I believe that nature and nurture both play significant roles to the making of a criminal.

    Read More

  • Hirschi's Theory Of Crime: Why Do People Commits Crime?

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why do people commit crime? This is a question many people have asked themselves for the past century. Over the years, many theorists, like Travis Hirschi and Edwin Lemert, have identified possible reasons for why people commit crimes. While each of these theories differ from one another, all point us to an understanding of the paths that bring individuals to commit crime.

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice Final Exam

    2627 Words  | 6 Pages

    In addition to biological and psychological elements, there are the social factors that can influence people to engage in criminal activity. As a matter of fact, social and economic pressures play a major role in the cause of crime, since people are more likely to break the law when they have nothing else to lose. Therefore, the biological, psychological, and social factors should all be considered when trying to establish a reason for every crime. Word Count = 1,378

    Read More

  • Essay On Crime And Crime

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media is a dominating aspect of American culture. The way the media depicts crime and criminal behavior has an effect on the way society views crime and criminals. Television series such as CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds and countless others, have become very popular in our society today showing that our culture has an immense interest in crime. It is clear that there is a fascination with criminals and why they do the things they do. To analyze the way crime dramas represent crime and criminal behavior, I completed a content analysis of one episode of Criminal Minds. The episode I chose was season one; episode eight, which first aired in 2005, titled ‘Natural Born Killer’.

    Read More

  • Crime in America

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the biggest issues in America today is crime. It is a large problem that continues to erode our country economically as well as morally. Because of the vastness of the problem, many have speculated what the cause for crime may be in hopes that a solution will be found. Many believe that a bad family life, location of residence, and poverty hold a few of the answers to why an individual becomes involved in criminal activity.

    Read More

  • Rational Choice Theory: Merits and Limitations

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    The objective of this paper is to provide insight into Rational Choice Theory. This theory, highly relied upon by many disciplines, is also used to calculate and determine crime and criminal behavior. Through definition, example and techniques utilized by criminologists, the reader will have a better understanding of the subject.

    Read More

  • The Rational Choice Theory In Gangs And Gangs

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rational choice theory is the basis of almost all decisions one makes in their life. Starting at a young age kids make choices based off of self-interest, whether it be taking a toy another kid is playing with or asking the other parent for something when the first already said no hoping for an answer they want. Rational choice theory is based on intentional, goal oriented behavior (“Rational Choice Theory” 74). Before making decisions, people consciously and unconsciously weigh the pros and cons of each choice usually opting for the choice that benefits them the most or has the most desired predicted outcome. So why do people commit crimes even though they know they could get into a lot of trouble could go to jail? People enter an interaction

    Read More

  • Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ulture and beliefs. Another reason one might commit a crime, is when people fail to achieve society’s expectations through legal means such as hard work and delayed gratification, they may attempt to achieve success through crime. People also develop motivation and the skills to commit crime through the people they associate with. Some criminals commit crimes because of the controls that society places on a person through institutions such as schools, workplaces, churches, and families. Sometimes there are occasions where a persons actions goes against what society considers normal, and as a result it is instead considered a crime. Also some criminals continue their criminal acts because they have been shunned by their society because once a person is labeled a criminal, society takes away their opportunities, which in most cases leads to more criminal behavior.

    Read More

  • Crime Theory Essay

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world will always be full of crime, thus it is necessary for scientist to grow along with the gruesome and increasing amount of violations. Due to this it sparked scientist to develop crime theories in which emerged to explain why crime is caused by individuals. Some of the few theories that have advanced over the past century and provided many answers to why crimes are committed are biological theories, psychological theories and learning theories. These theories provide an insight to its first use and change in order to provide answers.

    Read More

  • Life Course Theory

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we think of crimes we always wonder why people do them in the first place. Usually when a person commits a crime we automatically assume that he or she is a bad person. But we don 't know the circumstances on how that person end up stealing, killing, raping, and etc in the first place. My perspective is that people commit crimes for many reasons, especially seeing it throughout the neighborhood I grew up in and the school I went to in California. But after taking the Crime in America class, it gave me it a better insight of why people commit crimes through the theories that other people research about, and the video examples we seen in class. One of the theories that seem plausible on why people commit crimes is the life course

    Read More

  • The Development of a Criminal Mind

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s society, one will find that there are many different factors that go into the development of a criminal mind, and it is impossible to single out one particular cause of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior often stems from both biological and environmental factors. In many cases criminals share similar physical traits which the general population do not usually have. For example criminals have smaller brains than properly adjusted individuals. However biological reasons cannot solely be the cause of criminal behavior. Therefore, one must look to other sources as to how a criminal mind is developed. Social and environmental factors also are at fault for developing a person to the point at which they are lead to committing a criminal act. Often, someone who has committed a violent crime shows evidence of a poorly developed childhood, or the unsuitable current conditions in which the subject lives. In addition if one studies victimology which is the role that the victim plays in the crime, it is apparent that there are many different causes for criminal behavior. Through the examination of biological factors, in addition to the social and environmental factors which make up a criminal mind, one can conclude that a criminal often is born with traits common to those of criminals, it is the environment that exist around them that brings out the criminal within them to commit indecent acts of crime.

    Read More

  • Why People Commit Crime Essay

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history a lot of expects have tried to understand why some people feel the need to commit crimes, even though there have been harsh laws inforced for thouse who commit crimes. These people have come up with theories as to why people commit crimes. in order to understand these theories we have to understand what a crime is and also understand the definition of theories.

    Read More

  • The Causes of Criminal Behavior

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.

    Read More

  • Crime in society

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is this world coming to? Our society is losing its authority. The syllable of the syllable Why is there so much crime in society? There is so much because there are so many people that never consider the other person that they are stealing from or causing harm to. All of these people are self-centered and never think who they could be.

    Read More

More about Thinking About Crime

Open Document