Introduction
Virtually all societies in the world experience incidences of crime in one way or another. In most countries, there are organized criminals who have been in existence for a long period and they use various means to carry out criminal activities. These groups are very well structured, commit very serious crimes for there own gains, use violent means, and other related cruel approaches (Crutchfield, 2000). Crime can be defined generally as an act that infringes the rights of an individual, or a group of people, or their belongings. In the United States, consequences of crime have been felt across all sectors of the society, mainly in the work places, homes, and in day to day activities. A study of the American population reveal that everyone has encountered some form of crime in their lifetime, if not engaging in crimes themselves (Garoupa & Klerman, 2003). People have been influenced by music and movies into committing crimes since they are treated as worthwhile and materially rewarding activities. Due to the adverse effects on the society at large, crime has received much attention from law enforcement agencies who apply appropriate laws to put it under control. The research paper explores the causes and types of crime, its related costs as well as a consideration of some criminal careers. It also discusses the concepts of deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, and rehabilitation in relation to crime in the society.
Causes of Crime
People commit crimes for different reasons, all of which cannot be used to justify these activities. Most of the studies have found that the major causes of criminal behavior are biological and psychological in nature. Researchers have also concluded that industrialization as well as urbanization in the United States contributed significantly to the increase in the rates of crime (Dolgoff & Feldstein, 2008). Furthermore, the levels of crime in the America society were accelerated by the increasing number of immigrants from other parts of the world. The various social and economic problems were also identified to be the causes of criminal behavior. The significant economic disparity among people in the same region breeds criminals from all racial backgrounds, particularly among the out-of-school and unemployed youth. According to research findings by Crutchfield, criminal tendencies are not inherited, instead they are learned from the environment through exposure (2000). Some of the common agents of criminal behavior include; peers, relatives, and the media. Conklin, a prominent criminologist concludes that greed, revenge, pride, jealousy, and anger are some of the reasons why a person engages in deviant behavior (2010).
Types of Crime
Criminologists have classified crime into three major types: property, violent and public order crimes. Property crime refers to antisocial behavior that targets either money or expensive belongings. They include such incidences as burglary, auto thefts, vandalism as well as white collar crimes. This type of crime is generally driven by the desire for material gain. It is fueled, according to research, by the status quo where other people are perceived to be very rich while others are poverty ridden (Dolgoff & Feldstein, 2008). Those in the lower class will therefore seek to posses some of the valuable materials, mostly electronics, automobiles and furniture in order to be at par with the rich (Albanese, 2007). This type can be distinguished by the fact that when it takes place in the society, no force or violence is involved. In most cases, however, property criminals prefer money and materials which can easily be disposed in the market. Investigators in the United States established that in 2004, about 10% of households experienced some form of property crime (Dolgoff & Feldstein, 2008). This trend has been on the decline compared to previous years. The commonly reported type of property crime is theft which is committed by teenagers aged 16 on average.
Violent crime on the other hand involves the use of force and intimidation by the offender. Assault, murder, rape and robbery are examples of violent crimes which imply that violence can be the means as well as the end. Over 90% of all reported violent crimes, according to researchers in the US, target males (Lott, 2003). Moreover, this type of crime may either involve the use of weapons or not at all. The third type is public order crime which involves all types of behaviors that causes disorderliness and unrest in the society. The victims of this crime may not be directly identified but suffer the consequences of a crime committed (Siegel, 2006). For instance, a criminal activity which threatens the normal commercial activities in the society will by extension affect many people in the society apart from the business people.
Crime and its Costs
Criminal activities have the potential of depriving an individual or individuals their rights as well as endangering the well being of the society in general. In most cases in the US, crime involves the use of firearms and other weapons (Albanese, 2007). This implies that at any given moment, everyone within the place where crime is committed is at risk of being a victim. As the law enforcers engage the criminals, everyone’s life is endangered since even a stray bullet can hit anyone in the vicinity. No one can deny the great magnitude of risk which crime exposes people to. Criminals have no consideration whatsoever for anyone else since they are all driven by selfish gains. They target individuals, groups of people, companies, and other businesses where they can either get away with money or valuable materials.
With the various types of crime, it is evident that crime has far reaching impacts on the society at large. Criminal activities result in unrests in the society which forces the government to react by taking precautionary measures to protect innocent members of the society. This implies that tax payers’ money has to be heavily invested. Everyone is expected to contribute in the development of prisons, jails, rehabilitation programs, and the hiring of more police officers to provide maximum security. The funds used in all these responses come either directly or indirectly from the American society. Areas which experience rampant incidences of crime have witnessed direct side effects. There has been a significant decrease in the development of housing and educational facilities as well as lack of job opportunities in the surrounding economy. Prevalence of criminal activities can drastically reduce the population of the affected region (Siegel, 2006). The society, therefore, loses a lot in the attempts to maintain law and order through the extensive and costly intervention measures. These contribute towards increasing the cost of living in the society thus causing more problems.
According to research conducted by the American government, the society pays double their average household income for a detainee’s safety (Dolgoff & Feldstein, 2008). This implies that the society spends a lot to feed and keep the inmates safe instead of using the money in preventive measures like paying good wages and improving the quality of education. Crime has also restricted free movement in the society due to the increasing insecurity. Children are no longer allowed to play freely since they are at a higher risk of being kidnapped by criminals who in turn demand ransom before they release the children. Some parents, according to research in most crime prone states, have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars through such incidences (Lott, 2003). These cases have also resulted in unhealthy relationships among neighbors as a result of suspicion and mistrust. Many families have invested heavily in alarms, electric fences and other security measures in order to enhance their safety. The cost of crime in any given society, therefore, is significantly high.
Criminal Careers
Researchers have established that criminal behavior is learnt and developed just like any other career in ordinary life (Albanese, 2007). There are various social systems and regulations that govern the adoption and progress in criminal behavior. One chooses and learns criminal activities and eventually dedicates the entire life to them with continued struggle to increase gains and minimize risks. According to data collected by American criminologists on the rates of crime, there is a steady increase on the number of offenders aged 12 years and with a peak at teenagers between 16 and 18 (Siegel, 2006). This demonstrates that criminals are recruited at an early stage of life and several reasons discussed above push more adolescents and young adults to engage in criminal activities. A high number of males and females aged 17 and 16 respectively have been found to engage in property crimes. The number of males involved in violent crimes peaked at age 18 compared to females at age 24. These disparities in gender and age as far as the type of crime committed is concerned can be explained by both biological and social factors. Physical development among males drives many of them to engage in violent crimes at an earlier age than females. Further research has revealed that delinquency is contributed by both history of conduct of the criminal as well as family history. According to Dolgoff and Feldstein (2008), antisocial behaviors and poor performance in school characterize most full-time criminals. Poverty and trend of criminal behavior among close relatives have also been identified as contributing to deviant behavior among criminals.
Deterrence, Retribution and Rehabilitation
Criminal behavior has great impact on the society and the necessary measures must be put in place to address this problem. Researchers have identified deterrence as one of the best ways of dealing with criminals. It involves the use of punishment as a consequence of any crime committed (Garoupa & Klerman, 2003). There are three major categories of deterrence: specific deterrence applies to the criminal and the punishment enforced is aimed at discouraging the individual from committing further crimes while general deterrence involves the prevention of criminal activities by using real examples of people who have suffered the consequences of criminal behavior. A criminal is punished in public in order to deter other individuals from engaging in similar deviant behavior. The third category is incapacitation which is closely related to specific deterrence. It involves the permanent infliction of an inability to commit a given crime. The criminal may be jailed for life as a way of incapacitation.
Retribution, on the other hand, involves the use of punishment as a consequence of any given crime as long as it is proportionate to the gravity of the crime committed. In America, the severities of criminal activities are categorized and appropriate punishments enforced (Garoupa & Klerman, 2003). However, the determination of the severity of a given crime varies significantly from state to state.
Contrary to deterrence and retribution, rehabilitation advocates for the use of alternative approaches in handling criminals rather than using punishment. Most researchers have found that rehabilitation can be cost-effective since the behavior of an individual is inherently changed and reduces cases of recidivism. The society is educated not to discriminate those returning from jail and this helps ex-criminals to revert to normal life. In the US, criminals are rehabilitated while in jail using several programs which prepare them to co-exist once they are released (Siegel, 2006).
Conclusion
It is evident that criminal activities can affect the entire society if appropriate measures are not taken to control them. The criminals in America have been known to do so for different reasons and circumstances. Research findings have also shown that the cost of crime is so high that people end up paying for them either directly or indirectly. Criminal careers have also been discussed and how individuals are recruited into deviant practices. Ways of handling criminals in America which include deterrence, retribution and rehabilitation have been explored.
References
Albanese, J. S. (2007). Professional ethics in criminal justice: being ethical when no one is looking. Prentice Hall
Conklin, J. E. (2010). Criminology (10th ed.). McGraw Hill
Crutchfield, R. D. (2000). Crime: readings in criminology (2nd ed.). Pine Forge Press
Dolgoff, R. & Feldstein, D. (2008). Understanding social welfare: a search for social justice (8th ed.). Allyn & Bacon
Garoupa, N., & Klerman, D. (2003). Optimal enforcement of the law in America. American Law and Economics Review Journal, 5(2) 98-125
Lott, J. R. (2003). Understanding crime: gun-control legislations (2nd ed.). the University of Chicago Press
Siegel, L. J. (2006). Understanding criminology: theories, trends and typology (9th ed.). Wadsworth Plc.