Reasons for crime

• Reasons for Crime


  • Mental Illness
  • Poverty
  • Addiction
  • Greed
  • Upbringing
  • Opposition to existing laws
  • Hate
• Poverty


  Being without money, food or other basic needs of life (being poor)
• In the UK, there are some people who live in poverty and cannot afford the basic necessities of life, things like food or shelter. Welfare payments should cover their living expenses but sometimes, they may not.
• Poverty as a reason for crime

  It may cause people to steal the food or essentials they need, but cannot afford. It may cause them to steal other items in order to sell those and get money. A person may commit a crime because they see no alternative way to survive. They may have no money, no job or cannot provide for themselves or their children.
• Even if poverty seems like a good reason, it is still against the law.
• Pope Francis: 'Focusing on poverty and sacrificing for the poor are the heart of the gospel. If Christians don't dig deep and generously open up their wallets, they do not have genuine faith.'
• Mental illness


  A medical condition that affects a person's feelings, emotions or moods, and perhaps their ability to relate to others.
• The state of mind of a person may lead them into crime. They may have serious psychological issues with no understanding of right or wrong; they may feel no guilt or compassion for others; they may enjoy hurting others; might have educational learning issues and be easily led into crime; or are themselves victims of some event which has disturbed their minds such as depression or abusive upbringing.
• Some people may suffer from a mental illness that causes them to commit crimes – such as kleptomania, a medical condition that makes people steal. Anger management problems may lead to assaults or even murder.
• In cases involving serious mental illness, the defendant may be seen as 'unfit' to stand trial. They would likely be sentenced to a secure unit where they will be kept and receive the treatment they need.
• Addiction


  Physical or mental dependency on a substance or activity which is very difficult to overcome.
• A person may have an addiction for example, to alcohol, drugs, sex or money which leads them into crime to feed their habit or their cravings. They may even be addicted to crime, for example, stealing.
• If someone is addicted to drugs, their body can't cope without the drug in their system. Addicts are may resort to stealing in order to purchase the (expensive) drugs they need. Similarly alcohol is an addictive substance that causes more crime than any other. Alcohol shuts down the rational thinking parts of the brain and if taken to excess, causes people to loose control of their thoughts an actions. It may lead these people to commit acts of violence, get into fights or cause an accident.
• Most denominations of Christians do not forbid alcohol but would not encourage excessive drinking. For Catholic especially, drunkenness is a sin. For Muslims, alcohol is haram, meaning 'forbidden'. It is believed to be an evil substance created by the devil to cause humans to disobey God and commit sin.
• Upbringing


  The environment a person is brought up in, the morals of the family/friends/neighbourhood around them. Whether a person is surrounded by crimes or criminal activity can also effect people's attitudes to crime. Financial and social status of the family have also be known to effect peoples willingness or reason to commit a crime.
• If someone has grown up in a household where crime is part of everyday life, they may follow the example set by those around them. It could be peer pressure or even their parents that push them to commit crimes. These individuals may know that they are doing wrong but once they are involved in a life of crime it is difficult to stop.
• Family relationships


  Studies have shown that many criminals have experienced deprivation in childhood, such as poor parenting, parents with problems like alcohol dependency or family break-up/divorce. This makes a child far more likely to be involved in crime as they become older.
• If the relationship between the parents and the child is poor, i.e. the child gets little in the way of love or attention, the child is unlikely to care as much about their own wellbeing, be able to get on well with others or respect other people and their property. Some psychologists argue children who have these experiences are far more likely to develop deviant or criminal behaviour.
• Greed


  Wanting to possess wealth, goods or items of value which are not needed.
• Greed can lead someone to commit crimes like theft or fraud. Businesses or people may try to gain these things dishonestly, taking short cuts with products or services, not paying tax, or even scamming.
• Hate


  A negative feeling or reaction. It can lead to violence or aggression towards whoever the offender hates. The emotion of hatred may feel justified, particularly if the victim has previously done something to offend or hurt them.
• Christianity teaches that being greedy is sinful. Christians are taught in the Ten commandments "You shall not covet…", which means they should not be jealous of what somebody else has.
• Peer pressure


  Being a teenager brings increasing responsibilities, greater demands from parents and teachers, as well as a growing awareness that life is unfair. Peer pressure can be hard to resist. For example, some teenagers may become involved in anti-social behaviour. Attracting and keeping friends is not always easy. Bullying can occur if an individual teenager is seen to 'do as they are told all of the time'.
• Criminologists disagree as to the extent of peer pressure as a factor explaining crime (some see it as less important than other factors). However, most people would agree that 'being in with the wrong crowd' or equally, 'being part of a good crowd' can affect behaviour.
• Violent media


  Some child psychologists argue that if young people see violence in films and television or play violent computer games they are more likely to become violent themselves.
• One American study, started in the 1980s, found that children who watched large amounts of violence on television from the age of eight, tended to show higher levels of aggressive behaviour at the age of eighteen. They were more likely to be prosecuted for criminal acts as adults.
• In 2011 the Swedish Media Council carried out a review of over 100 articles about violent video games. It concluded that there is a clear, statistically significant link between violent games and aggressive behaviour but that there is no evidence that violent computer games cause aggressive behaviour. It suggested that underlying factors like poor health and family problems could explain the violent behaviour.
• Opposition to an existing law

  Some crimes are committed in protest about laws that exist and are considered either unfair or for the benefit of a select few in society. Sometimes laws have to be broken to get laws to be changed.
• Any breach of the law is wrong, however there have been many occasions where someone has broken a law deliberately because they feel that it or another law is unjust. For example, in 1955 Rosa parks refused to give up her seat on the bus even though it was the law to do so.
• Some people think that it is right to break laws if the laws stop people protesting about injustice. It is important to remember however that protests do not intend to cause injury or death.