Crime is a behavior involving the forceful and cunning acquisition of resources by an individual or a gang from other people. From the legal perspective, committing a crime entails ignorance while acting on forbidden affairs, and such omissions are punishable. Majorly, harmful practices, including murder, rape, driving while drunk, burglary, and neglecting moral responsibilities such as taking care of a child, are termed criminal offenses (Watson 135). The existence of crime among people influences the social co-existence within a population. Biological concepts derive that people who commit crimes have genes encoding for antisocial behavior and are stimulated by environmental factors. Studies on the interaction between gene and environment assert that low production of monoamine oxidase A from decreased gene expression is linked to people’s unfair treatment (Ling et al. 633). Consequently, the maltreated individuals become antisocial, leading to aggressiveness and crime commission. Following long-term aggressiveness, criminality becomes the behavior, which in turn, develops selfishness, poor self-control, and arrogance in response to other people (Watson 135). Thus, crime is destructive to peoples’ life and social co-existence.
Engagement in crime stems from the motives of a person seeking for an opportunity to act aggressively. Intensions cultivated in the mind of an individual are the driving force into executing antisocial activities. It is conceivable that all people will act according to how their mentality is programmed (Schultze‐Kraft 617). It implies that a thug or conmen’s forceful eradication follows a motivation to take advantage of a situation in someone else’s life. Moreover, the opportunity must prevail for criminal offenses to be committed. The insight draws to understanding that none would easily commit a crime without cultivating such a mindset within (Schultze‐Kraft 621). Biological peculiarities such as musculature in men and flexibility are factors associated with criminal activities. Therefore, the criminal justice system has established regulations to make everyone in a society bound to a moral lifestyle. At the incidence of aggressiveness, arrogance, and selfish acts, an individual must have defied legal provisions and resorted to illicit activities for self-gain (Ling et al 628). Therefore, criminals should be subjected to the dictates of the law just as morally upright people.
Crime impacts society negatively by creating violence and fear among individuals in a population. Life experiences from childhood are directly linked to criminality; antisocial traits are developed from frequent exposure to physical and social incidences, which presents with aggressiveness (Adolphs et al. 452). As a result, the person becomes impulsive, engages more in irrational practices, and becomes a criminal instead of taking a life course as a platform for sustainable development. Unless acted upon by the application of strict regulations, the child would grow up to become a burglar associated with multiple incidences of manslaughter and forceful acquisition or resources (Zhadan et al. 2). Criminality is perceived as a mechanism of natural selection and genetically linked to environmental factors. However, it should not be an excuse to ignore the cause of ill-motivated deaths and mass destruction of people in favor of thugs’ benefit. The intentions of the justice system and punishment of crime are to reduce crime, rehabilitate personality and behavior, protect the society from oppression and reconcile the offenders to the victims (Adolphs et al. 452). It implies that retribution is the principle through which a criminally suppressed society can obtain relief.
In conclusion, crime is a behavior in which moral standards that are appropriate for well-being in society are defied, and set rules are violated. Practicing antisocial activities develops from the interaction of the environment with the genetic constitution of individuals noted with aggressiveness. The impacts left by crime are negative on physical fitness, health, and social interactions within a population. Crime can be mitigated through retribution; thus, punishing criminals is appropriate.
Works Cited
Adolphs, Ralph, Gläscher Jan and Tranel Daniel. “Searching for the Neural Causes of Criminal Behavior.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 115, no. 3, 2018, pp. 451-452.
Ling, Shichun, Umbach Rebecca and Rained Adrian. “Biological Explanations of Criminal Behavior.” Psychol Crime Law, vol. 25, no. 6, 2019, pp. 626-640.
Schultze‐Kraft, Markus. “Understanding Organised Violence and Crime in Political Settlements: Oil wars, Petro‐criminality and Amnesty in The Niger Delta.” Journal of International Development, vol. 29, no. 5, 2017, pp. 613-627.
Watson, Danielle. “Alternative Positions on Crime and Criminality: An Examination of Perspective from the Margins.” International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, vol. 8, no. 2, 2019, p. 135.
Zhadan, V. N., et al. “General Social and Personal-microenviron Mental Determinants of Crimes Committed by Minors in Russian Modern Society.” Man In India, vol. 97, no. 2, 2017, pp. 1-9.