Crime and Deviance Crimes and Increasing Criminal

¶ … Crime and Deviance

Crimes and increasing criminal activities have become a major concern for the security enforcement agencies. They seek help from technology as well as social and psychological theories to prevent crimes and deal with them. The first priority of security agencies is to prevent crimes and the second priority is to control them by punishing the criminals so that they become an example for the society. This paper offers an insight to how the crime prevention activities can be implemented. This includes understanding few biological, psychological and sociological theories pertaining to crimes and criminology. Human being's generally and criminals specifically act under the influence of some physical, environmental, cultural and individual factors that will be discussed in this paper.

Theories of Crime and Deviance

Crimes as well as deviance are behaviors that show violation from the settled and accepted norms of a society. Crime is something that is unethical as well as there are laws against it while deviance lacks any formal rules against it. Criminal behavior can be explained through example of stealing and theft and deviance can be explained by adopting a discourteous communication style. These two behaviors are a point of concern for the society and the sociologists try to explain causes and effects of these behaviors.

It is vital to understand the causal factors behind crime and deviance since these two spoil the peace of a society and the productivity of individuals is disturbed too. Crime is often described as illegal act against person or the property (Community Crime Prevention Guide n. d.). Thus, when the actions of criminals are studied, the main objective behind such an investigation is to protect other people and their property. Often it becomes difficult to differentiate between crime prevention and punishment because punishing one is sometimes preventing the other person from doing same.

There are many ways in which crime can be prevented. Based on the objectives and resources of the organization, strategies can be made dealing with people crimes prevention, place crime prevention and situation-based crime prevention. Theories of criminology suggest that crimes can be understood through humanistic factors of biology, sociology and psychology. Sometimes people think that physically fit people do not commit crimes but incidences where athletes killed their loved ones has shown that there are some other factors too beyond biological factors (Saletan 2013). Thus, some strategies will be developed based on the theories presented by the experts that hold that there can be several different reasons for a person committing crimes. The strategy to deal with crimes and criminals should understand and acknowledge that a habitual criminal should not be treated or punished the same way a psycho-criminal would be treated.

Crime Prevention Potential of Theories

The theories are theories and not laws. These are not established yet they offer a direction to develop strategies used for criminal activities prevention and control. Crime activities can be explained in the light of several different theories that finally help in understanding the problems of criminals. This equips the security forces to anticipate criminal behavior and take measures to control it. Rohald & Akers (2011) say that studies across nations and cultures established that each individual is different from other and so is each criminal yet there are some common patterns in the behavior of criminals that can be studied through theories. These theories help understand criminal behavior and take measures against them. Social learning and control patterns can be established in light of these theories that will certainly help prevent and punish criminal behavior.

Focus on eradicating cause or punishing the offender

As stated earlier, punishment of one criminal is crime prevention in another area or for another group of people. Thus these two are different yet interrelated; punishment for one is warning for the rest. The basic difference between the two is that crime prevention is proactive approach whereby a criminal is held from committing crime while punishment is a reactive approach used to punish the criminal once he has committed crime. In some economies, the punishment of crimes is evaluated in terms of economy while others take it as a social activity (Robert 1991). From economic perspective, crime control offers a peaceful environment for conducting business. But, some criminologists are not sure whether to follow crime prevention or crime punishment strategies. This problem can be solved by analyzing theories of crime and deviance and understanding which theory works in which setting.

Theories of crime

There are different theories of crime and each represent something different as cause of the crime. Following table offers an overview of theories of crime and tells about the causes they attribute to crime.

Theory

Causes

Policy

Biological

inheritance, disease, toxins, brain dysfunction, vitamin deficiency, hormonal imbalance

To isolate, offer treatment

Psychology

low intelligence, depression, psychopathy, stress treatment, counseling

Sociological

jumbled neighborhoods public empowerment

Control

socialization, little self-control child-rearing, social bonds

Figure 1: Summary of Crime Theories (Crime Theories 2004)

No factor of biological, social, ecological or control background can be ignored while finding cause of criminal behavior and laying down the strategy for dealing with it. However, some factors are often more active than others in a particular case. While biology tells capacity of person for crime, ecology tells what can actually push a person beyond a decent behavior (Moore 2011). A complete pattern of influence of criminal factors can be studied by laying down a matrix that tells how different factors combine with one another to cause criminal behavior. A detailed understanding also helps develop a criminal path that is anticipation of crime by a person or crime in an area (Office of justice programs 2011).

Biological Theories: Above hundred studies have proven that human genome is involved in the factors causing crimes (Cohen 2011). Sometimes, a person finds himself too helpless about his anger, aggression and anxiety that he is often very violent. This can be because he has inherited aggression or hormonal imbalance from his family. Thus, the criminologists consider it very important to understand the biological factors that become the cause of crimes. Without understanding and solving the aggression problem of a criminal, his illegal habits cannot be solved. Often a criminal can lose a bad activity only by getting medicine that balances his hormones. Thus, the justice system needs to incorporate biological factors in the crime prevention processes. This is vital because an injection is often the solution to problems that cannot be solved by years of detention.

There is a biological difference between the criminals and non-criminals. These biological features can be very clear and sometimes they can only be detected through the biological tests. These characteristics may include certain hormonal level, working of brain, physical strength etc.

Psychological Theories: There is another aspect of crime and that is the psychology of criminal. The psychologists believe that people are not born criminals or saints rather anyone can develop bad or criminal habits. They feel that psychology is more useful device of criminal detection than biology. It is an area of study with double interest. Psychology not only helps find and prohibit activities that can lead to crimes but can also help deal with depression of the criminal that is the cause behind the crimes. Often there is a sharp difference between the IQ of an average person and a criminal. In such cases, the criminals can be identified from the non-criminals. Some psycho-criminologists also find it helpful to understand the personality disorders which identify a future criminal behavior (Siegel 2007). These include sociopaths, psychopaths, and antisocial personalities. Identifying that a person can show a criminal behavior in future, one can put check on the person to avoid violence.

Sociological Theories: The sociological theories of crime study how different people behave under different social circumstances. The Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago studied these patterns for the first time in 1920's and found relationships that exist between a person and his surrounding environment. Sometimes the area and environment around the person is disorganized thus it may have negative impact on his behavior (Crime Theories 2004). People often face such sociological burdens that lead to crimes. The Chicago studies worked on 'Anomie Theory group'. The investigations on the group found that there are inequities prevailing in the society that are the main cause of crime. The social discrimination causes stress among people compelling them to offensive behavior.

Control Theories: These theories explain that some people are raised in a manner that they lack self-control thus they cannot resist getting something they want. This may lead to stealing which is basis of many further grave crimes. The improper child rearing is basic element leading to lesser self-control (Crime Theories 2004). Thus the crime prevention strategy should begin right from the upbringing of a child. What a child watches, what games he plays and everything else should be arranged to give him more control on self rather than losing his self-control.

Crime Prevention and Crime Reduction

As mentioned earlier, the crime prevention is proactive while crime reduction is reactive approach. Yet both are important. The crime detection and control departments operate in a double manner where existing crimes are dealt by punishing the criminals and the new crimes are prevented. Crime prevention is a way to achieve crime reduction (Community Crime Prevention Guide, n. d). It is one basic function of criminology departments to look for crimes in the areas that are not yet hotspot for criminal activities but are potentially at risk of crimes. Likewise, there are couples of other concerns when finding ways to control crimes. These include the design of city and flow of traffic in such a way that the criminals should not find it attractive to commit crime in certain area, thus, discouraging crimes by ensuring a proper structure of zone.

Crime Prevention Potential of Theories

The crime theories have high potential to assist in design of a structure or strategy whereby the criminals can be prevented. These theories tell which biological, psychological, social and control features are more common among the criminals and thus on the basis of these traits, the criminologists can make arrangements to observe such people and stop them when they have intentions for crimes (Crime Control: A Short Note n.d). The criminals also can be chased rightly because the sociological and psychological attributes of a person also tell where a criminal can seek refuge. Thus, using these theories, the society can prevent and discourage crimes.

Detention and Punishment

An ideal society would be one where the crime is prevented and no one is detained for committing crime. But in the real world, detention and punishment of the criminals is as important as is the crime prevention. There are some people that are too violent that they cause a lot of harm to the society through stealing, snatching and assaults. Simply treating these people for biological and psychological problems won't do justice to the offended and his family. Thus, punishment is justified. Also unless the criminal is found to have left bad habits and is certified 'morally fit', he cannot be released. This makes it important to detain the criminal. Detention is in itself a punishment and a guarantee of security to the society.

Development of crime prevention strategies

Understanding that a justice department personnel will benefit from the theories of crime, the next step is to come up with strategies that will help a society deal with criminals, both in proactive and reactive styles, and to decrease the rates of crimes (Hackethal 2011). This section discusses the role of theories in two steps i.e. The role of crime theories in developing crime prevention strategies and the role of crime theories in crime punishment strategies.

Crime Prevention Strategies

Under the light of biological, psychological, sociological and control theories, we know that the criminals have special genetic features, hormone imbalance, level of stress, anxiety, speech pattern, sitting and standing postures, feel for inequity in society and lesser control on self. Thus the crime prevention strategy may involve following steps:

I. Conducting medical tests of population especially children and teens to check if they have certain biological or psychological problems and then to treat those problems.

II. The children of the criminals may become cops yet; there is also another possibility that they may have crime in their genes in terms of inheriting aggression (Cohen 2011). Such children should be offered special care and should be trained in a way that they hate crimes rather falling for them (Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Literature Reviews 2010).

III. Eradicating the cause of crime is very important. Violent games, inequity in society, careless parenting, stressing a person and bullying, all these factors of various different natures can lead a person to commit crimes. Thus without eradicating these causes of crime, one cannot achieve a zero-crime state of society.

IV. Awareness programs are very critical. It is awareness of human equality that today the President of United Stated of America is a person from African-American decent. Thus, society and particularly the oppressed segment should be offered awareness about how to deal with the issues of unfairness, injustice and inequality. Such an awareness will encourage them to do well and abstain from bad i.e. crime.

V. The structure of a city or populated area and the traffic flow are two very helpful methods of preventing crimes. Blind and sharp turns in the streets can be attractive spots for snatching and raping. Thus, either there should be no sharp turns or there should be concave mirrors in such corners. This will help people stay safe and will also discourage the criminals. Traffic control is a method of environmental control that ensures that no one can escape after committing crime. For example, banning the pedestrians from stepping on the road other than the pedestrian's way will discourage beggars and snatchers.

VI. Child rearing is another social development method in which the crimes can be reduced. Parents should be offered parental help so that they understand how to bring up their children. Parents should be counseled how the children can be helped in developing good habits (Sherman et al. 2011). A child would be less inclined to commit crimes if his family is caring and spends quality time together.

VII. The environment development technique can be used, like traffic control, to check the potential areas for committing crimes. These areas may be underground apartments where the human rights can be violated. When there are no hidden areas that can be misused, the crime rates will surely be reduced. There should be more police so that increased number of places can be investigated (Renn 2013).