The History of Crime and Its Evolution

The History of Crime and Its Evolution

Introduction

Usually, crime threatens the security, economy and other interests of a country through actions or omissions that disregard the rule of law. Criminal activity has been evolving in the past several decades and taking on a progressively transnational nature. For instance, open borders and development of the Internet has increased the threat of crime from within American borders and beyond. Though common crime has not received much media and Congress attention like terrorism and other national concerns, criminals have not relented on their illegal activities. Violence or the threat of violence is a fundamental factor of crime. Several policies have changed the perspective and influence of crime. This essay focuses on the history of crime and its evolution.

Overview of criminal activity

The factors that constitute criminal activity vary to some extent depending on the society and the different moments in the society’s history (Emsley, 1996). Crime has a long history in the United States. Though the history dates back to the 19th century, crime thrived during the time of Prohibition, attracting the attention of policymakers. Throughout the 20th century, different policies were enacted to tackle crime networks and several efforts made to investigate and control crime. Notably, a series of Congressional hearings were conducted between 1967 and 1968 to enhance the federal government’s role in tackling crime. Between 1692 and 1693, the Salem witch trial occurred in Massachusetts, and in excess of 200 individuals were charged for practicing witchcraft (Emsley, 1996). Twenty individuals were executed but the state later admitted the charges to be a mistake and co...

... middle of paper ...

... American Society of Criminology 1993 Presidential Address. Criminology, 32 (1), 1.

Emsley, C. (1996). Crime History and Histories of Crime: Studies in the Historiography of Crime and Criminal Justice in Modern History. Journal of Criminal Justice, 24 (5), 476-77.

Farrington, D. P. (2000). Explaining and Preventing Crime: The Globalization of Knowledge--The American Society of Criminology 1999 Presidential Address. Criminology, 38 (1), 1-24.

Manchester, C. (1991). A History of the Crime of Obscene Libel. The Journal of Legal History, 12 (1), 36-57.

Thoumi, F. E. (2009). Drug Lords. The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel. The Richest, Most Powerful Crime Syndicate in History. Global Crime, 10 (3), 288-290.

Voronin, Y. (1997). The Emerging Criminal State: Economic and Political Aspects of Organized Crime. Trends in Organized Crime, 3 (1), 40.