Causes of violence in American society: crime, gangs, and domestic abuse

¶ … Causes of Violence in American Society

Generally, crime is a significant factor in violence in the United States. More specifically, violence associated with crime includes both violence perpetrated against victims of crimes by criminals as well as violence among and between criminals. In some cases, criminals resort to violence as part of their competition for "turf" or for access to various resources that are sought after by different groups of criminals. Crime also generates spontaneous violence among criminals that is unplanned but that occurs in the course of criminal enterprises or dealings.

Typical examples of criminals engaging in violence against victims of crime would include carjacking and street crimes such as armed robberies. Examples of criminal violence that occurs among and between criminals would include wars between different groups of organized criminals, fights between pimps, beatings of prostitutes by pimps, and wars between drug dealers for access to neighborhoods or populations of potential customers.

Gang Violence

Criminal gangs are a major source of criminal violence in communities where there is a high level of gang activity. Generally, street gang violence is directed at other gang members of rival gangs but that is hardly always the case. By definition, criminal gangs support themselves through numerous criminal activities, some of which frequently involve crimes of violence against others. By far, the worst example of gang violence would be instances where gang shooting wars (i.e. "drive by shootings) end up killing innocent people by accident and where gang members purposely attack or murder civilians just because they happen to be wearing the wrong colors that are associated with rival street gangs in certain neighborhoods.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse causes violence in various different ways. First, there is the vicious competition among rival drug dealers for customers. Second, drug abusers tend to become involved in other types of crimes and criminal situations that end up in violent confrontations. Third, certain types of drugs of abuse that are highly addictive (such as methamphetamines and heroin) are commonly associated with criminal activities to which addicts must resort to finance their drug habits. Many of those crimes involve petty thefts but sometimes, they also precipitate violence.

Finally, alcohol abuse is another cause of violence in America. Specifically, excessive alcohol consumption often contributes to violent confrontations. That phenomenon is evident in the bars in virtually any college town in the country on any given weekend night.

Source Consulted

Schmalleger, F. (2009). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st

Century. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.