Comparison of Crime Rates in the USA, Canada and Germany

According to the statistics on international comparison of crime, the number of homicides per 100,000 people in the United States is 4.7. This is far higher than the number of homicides per 100,000 in Canada and Germany (1.5 and 0.8) respectively. The average firearms per 100 people in USA, Canada and Germany is 88.8, 30.8 and 30.3 respectively. Interestingly, the total number of adults in prison in USA, Canada and Germany is 2,234,751, 38,691 and 64,873 respectively. The trends of crime as established by the United Nations Office on Drugs and crime are as depicted in charts below.

Source: http://www.unodc.org/gsh/en/data.html

The statistics reveal that the United States have higher homicide rate than Canada and Germany. It also shows that the total number of criminals incarcerated is disproportionately higher in the United States than Canada and Germany. I think the statistics are true. There are two reasons to prove this. First, it should be noted that different countries have a different perception of safety. Canada, for example, value safety more than the United States. The perception of safety in Canada and Germany is 80 respectively, while the perception of safety in the United States is 73. Because Canadian and Germans are preoccupied with personal safety, they have instituted stricter laws governing gun ownership, anti-gang laws and young offender laws. Another contributing factor could be the firearm possession. The United States have disproportionately higher firearm possession than Canada and Germany.

The process of comparing crime rates among countries often depends on many factors. First, it depends on the types of crime selected. Although the United States may be leading in the number of homicide, it could be doing well in other forms of non-violent crimes. Consequently, using homicide as an indicator of crime rate may not give a clear picture of the situation. 

One of the social factors explaining the difference is that most Americans are individualistic. They value their self than others. They tend to resist State’s laws. On the other hand, Canadians and Germans are communist. They are willing to compromise part of their freedom for the good of the community. That is why they follow laws such as gun laws and do not drink unresponsively. The major economic factor influencing crime rate within the three countries is social inequality. Black and Hispanic murder rate are relatively higher in all three nations. Since the United States have more Blacks and Hispanics, it will be valid to conclude that social inequalities due to poor resource distribution are an underlying cause of higher crime rates in the United States.

I believe social inequality (economic factors) influences the rates of violence most. Social structure theory attributes higher crime rate to discrimination and social inequalities (Kim & Pridemore, 2005). When the certain group is discriminated, they will not get the basic needs including education. Lack of basic needs and means of acquiring basic needs would often force an individual to engage in crime. The United States have high violence rate because the rate of social inequality is higher. I believe that the social inequality forces individuals to commit a crime as a way of earning a living. 

References

Kim, S., & Pridemore, W. A. (2005). Poverty, Socioeconomic Change, Institutional Anomie, and Homicide. Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), 861377-1398. doi:10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00351.x