A crime is an act that is unlawful and more often than not, punishable by laws put in place by authorities responsible for prevention and fighting of crime. Crime ranges from simple misdemeanors such as theft to serious national and international wrongdoing including acts of murder, rape, hate crime, corruption and the globally popular crime of terrorism in the recent days. Whatever the magnitude, crime is unacceptable in all spheres of society. Crime is found in every society and the reason given for this is the fact that members constantly fail to agree and/or adhere to the manner in which they should behave ( McPhail, 2003). This essay is going to discuss crime and how societies deal with this deviation from what is considered normal in respective communities.
Since the society in inherently independent, it becomes hard to force its members to act in a certain way. Humans are dynamic creatures and cannot remain in one state for long. What is right in one place is frowned upon in another. There lies a blurred line between doing good and what society accepts as good. An example, should you drive at 70mph in a 50mph area then you have committed a crime, but if everyone around is speeding as well, then it becomes acceptable as the norm. Social control is important in societies as it keeps it in check; it enables the lawmakers to assess the values and rules that govern the members.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Control theory offers that the presence of crime is the lack of togetherness in a community. Social control is easier to maintain when the society in question is united and their social bonds are united. There are four core elements that lead to the establishment and strengthening of social bonds. The first is an attachment. When a community is strongly linked, then the presence of crime will be reduced or even done away with. This is because the members of the society are concerned with the well-being of each member of society. When this closeness is absent then each member is concerned with their individual affairs and it is here that deviance or crimes will foster. The second core element is the degree of commitment individual exhibits towards the society. Members should be willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the society ( Siegel, 2006). Thirdly, it is their involvement towards fostering close societal bonds and the fourth and the last element is how deep their belief is the society they are a part of.
Victims of crimes will feel fearful and alone and hence it is important for the society to show support for these victims. They will suffer from anxiety as they will be attacked for who they are, a situation that cannot change. Attacking one based on their race, ethnicity or sexual orientation is difficult to change for the victim and they will feel isolated and afraid for their life. Society cannot stay silent as this will mean an acceptance of the acts. It is important to have a strong support system for the victims of crime. It is also vital to report any incidence of crime to the police. Individuals who feel intimated to do so have the privilege of reporting anonymously and this way their identity is protected.
One of the most common violent crimes in the United States is a hate crime. The Federal government has classified hate crime in the United States as the number one violent crime due to the emotional attachment offenders have while undertaking these acts. Hate crime is defined by the federal bureau of investigation as being an offense that has an added element of bias. Those who are accused of committing the crime are usually motivated by the victims’ race, gender, religious affiliation, or gender affiliation ( Bernsten, 2002) . Feelings of hate cannot be classified as being a crime but when these feelings lead one to commit an action that violates the victims’ civil rights and liberties then it is classified as a hate crime ( Gerstenfeld, 2013) . The American administration, and more so the Federal Bureau of Investigation, places hate crimes at the top of their civil rights program, and this is for the sole reason that groups and individuals that perpetrate these crimes preach intolerance and hatred among communities.
Most types of hate crime will lead to persons committing violent acts which have profound effects on families and communities. It is important to note that anyone can be a victim of a crime ( Gerstenfeld, 2013). Groups and individuals who propagate these crimes do not have a proper understanding of tolerance and the differences we have as a community as so will use their ignorance to target given sections of the society ( James & Kimberly,1998) . It is important to report incidences that have an element of ill will in them because when left unaddressed; they can escalate to more serious offenses with severe consequences. These incidences are referred to as bias incidences and law enforcement officers are required to check into them ( Gerstenfeld, 2013) .
The best way to combat any kind of crime is to speak up ( Henry and Pratto, 2010) . A society that is informed and unified cannot fall victim to episodes of crime from violent groups as they will fear the consequences of doing so. These sellers of aggression will dumb down when they are placed in the spotlight and their actions are revealed for what they are. Many criminal offenders are cowards who hid behind misinformation and their own insecurities and what to take out their frustration on innocent bystanders (Sumner, 2005).
There are various reasons why people commit crimes. In most cases, these crimes are conducted by individuals who feel threatened by those they consider to be outsiders, or well off, or simply for the thrill of it. They have an intense need to protect themselves and their heritage against those they consider to be a threat to them. While there are better ways to protect their heritage and their territory, many will resort to the human tendency of committing crimes and finding a scapegoat to blame it on (Gerstenfeld, 2013). For example, in hate crimes, the most motivating factor is race and it is closely followed by religion. Those who perpetrate hate crimes based on any form of bias have not taken the time to understand the differences between the races and religions (Sumner, 2005). They rather act out of their ignorance based on the little knowledge they have gathered from inaccurate sources.
There is more to these criminal attacks than a couple of youths seeking thrills; these attacks have revealed an underlying insecurity, poverty, intolerance and hatred in the community. They have preached a need for violence within communities, and persons who have not understood that the differences they have are what make them unique. Many of the defensive attackers will develop these tendencies when they are moved away from areas in which they are congregated. For example, an attack on a white property by Hispanics or blacks will most likely occur in an all-white neighborhood as they feel the need to defend their race (James & Kimberly, 1998).
There are various categories of criminal offenders. The first are thrill seeking offenders- these persons commit crimes for the enjoyment and the excitement they get out of it. Such crimes can range from simple vandalism, spray painting and other petty offenses. They can also escalate to more serious levels and have fatal consequences on the victims the crimes are directed towards (James & Kimberly, 1998). Another type of criminal offender is the defensive offender. This type of offender commits crimes on the belief that they are protecting their neighborhood among other things they value.
Defensive offenders take it upon themselves to protect their community from those they perceive to be outsiders. Retaliatory offenders will cause unrest in response to a crime. Mission offender is the another category, this type makes it their life’s mission to rid the world of those they perceive as being inferior or undeserving to live (James & Kimberly, 1998). A good example is the ISIS jihad wars that have been spread by the terrorist group across the world. They have made it their life’s mission to rid the world of western influence.
Acts of crime will be found in communities that allow it to breed and fester. When the seeds of prejudice and intolerance are planted in my areas that do not condone them, then they will not bear any fruit. Just as charity begins at home, tolerance should be preached in our homes. This ensures that once we leave the comfort of our homes, we are equipped with knowledge that treating each person we encounter with respect is the first step in combating crimes such as hate crimes (Sumner, 2005).
The terror attack in America on September 11, 2009, led to a sense of mistrust placed on the Arab Americans for the sole factor that they shared the same ethnicity and religion as the terrorists. The entire Muslim and Arab community were judged on the actions of a few individuals and the violence has only escalated since then ( Gerstenfeld, 2013) . The prejudice associated with members outside the given group is greater than what is the actual truth. Americans became suspicious of Muslims and those who seemed to have a Middle Eastern look, ignoring the fact that many of them were against all acts of terror.
Statistics placed by the crime statistics in 2014 provided that of the 6,418 reported cases 47% were racially motivated and the others were crimes against the society and against persons. The 2,317 crimes reported were acts of vandalism, damage and other acts of destruction. There has been an increase in the number of crimes against certain communities such as the Muslim community and most of this has been attributed to the acts of violence being committed by the Islamic State. The FBI has over 6,000 reported several categories of crimes in 2014 and the numbers are thought to be higher. Americans need to understand that they are a country that was built on immigrants and it is only right for them to extend the same hospitality to those who come from different backgrounds. Islam as a religion does not support any acts of violence of any form. It is a religion of brotherhood and peace and those who commit crimes in the name of this religion are going against all the core values it stands for. It is therefore not right for an entire community to be judged based on the actions of a few ( Henry and Pratto, 2010) .
According to Bernsten (2002), Americans were ignorant of their Arab neighbors before the attacks on September 11 and it was due to the fact that they did not have any information as well as their population being in a few areas in the United States. The result of the negative attitude by Americans over the Arab community is based on the information they view from the media most of which is not accurate and paints the Middle East and their culture as being violent. This has led many Americans to have a poor relationship with the Arabic community in America ( Rawls, 1999).
Alston & Dickerson (2009) notes that t here have been widespread crimes being directed to the African-American community who feel that the police are targeting them thus they have developed a sense of mistrust for the police. There have been multiple protests over the same with conversations being held on social media using the phrase black lives matter. Cities such as Chicago have experienced massive retaliatory attacks between minorities groups in the area and the law enforcement agencies ( Henry & Pratto, 2010) .
Responses to crimes include treatment based reactions such as counseling and rehabilitation for perpetrators and victims of the crimes. Such social control interventions and programs are meant to preach tolerance and understanding to the members of society and showing them that a peaceful society will have positive outcomes for all who live in it. The country is coming out strongly to condemn acts of hate crime and promoting inclusion and tolerance among its citizens. When incidents of hate flare up, there will always be good people who will stand and speak against it. In the face of criminal activity, apathy will be interpreted as acceptance. Action must be taken against criminals as this is the only way the crimes will cease ( Bernsten, 2002).
So, how would society discourage criminal behavior? The mechanisms put in place are social control or socialization as a way of regulating the behavior of its members. There is a mix of both the internalization and externalization social control. These controls can be either formal such as a criminal system or informal such as a having a teacher walking around a classroom during an examination. The rate of crime in the United States has resulted in stiffer penalties being placed on criminals to discourage further acts (Shafritz and Russell, 2005).
The criminal system has the use of a legal code that is threefold; the first is the police force. They are divided into federal, state and local. They are tasked with maintaining law and order on the streets and protecting the public from any disturbance that might arise for whatever reason. The United States does not have a national police force but the security matters of national security are enforced by the FBI ( Henry & Pratto, 2010) . The state police are tasked with regulating traffic and enforcing the state laws. The second is the court system which is divided into state and federal courts. Many of the criminal cases are handled at the state level. The third is the prison system and it has four core mandates; to separate the criminal offenders from the society and keep the members of the society safe, to punish the criminal behavior, to deter the future occurrence of the behavior, and to rehabilitate the criminal ( Bernsten, 2002).
These social control methods are subject to flaws and so cannot be fully relied on. The police have the choice as to who gets arrested and so they may be biased with regard to the race, or stature of the suspect. The DA can be swayed and decide who they want to try and what crime they want to try them for. The judge and the jury can decide to convict one person for certain reasons and release another for reasons only well known to him or her. The prison system decides who goes where and the treatment they receive while incarcerated ( Henry & Pratto, 2010) .
The due process model is one in which champions for the liberties and rights of those implicated of having committed crimes and it pushes to have them enjoy their privileges and liberties as enshrined in the constitution. It promotes adherence to uniformity in the reprimanding of lawbreakers, proponents of this concept insist that equal punishments should be given to wrongdoers and no favoritism should be condoned as this will cultivate hate. The idea of justice sees a jail sentence as correctional and not punitive as the latter will aid in lowering the frequency of repeat delinquents (Shafritz and Russell, 2005).
While the existence of prisons is not beneficial to a society, it is argued that it is better to have these criminal elements behind bars as opposed to having them free considering the cost crime has on the population. An inmate a day costs the taxpayer roughly $100. Overcrowding beginning to be experienced in many facilities across the country is as a result of an influx on the criminalization of victimless crimes such as illegal gambling, drug use, prostitution and so forth (Shafritz and Russell, 2005).
The best solution to having each offender locked up is to have some of the behaviors decriminalized. It would be more effective to have drug users enrolled into programs that counter their drug use rather than have them behind bars. Juvenile facilities are nothing but minor prisons. The children placed in these facilities have the chance to turn their lives around and having them behind bars will do little to change their habits. One motivating factor is school. They can be shown the effects of having a good education as opposed to being a criminal and a school dropout. It is the time the society accepted that mental disorder is the number one cause of criminal activities. There are more people suffering from mental health disorders locked up than there are in mental institutions. These situations need to be addressed ( Henry & Pratto, 2010) .
In conclusion, society has the obligation to teach generations the importance of tolerance and unity. Children do not understand criminal activities and only when they are constantly exposed to episodes of it will they act out. Parents should educate the children on the need to live in harmony and provide facts from false information regarding different communities. Violent groups will use social media and leaflets to get their message across and it is vital for everyone to be vigilant and report to the relevant authorities. Failure to do this will see these groups and gangs recruit unsuspecting persons and further spread their ill-willed agenda. Social control and justice are inseparable are important in the creation of a fair and crime free world. They are responsible for the equal rights that members of society enjoy devoid of the coercion or discrimination. Everybody should enjoy freedoms as per the constitution including all those who have been socially and economically marginalized. Social control is the means through which the society achieves fairness, equality and this will foster confidence in the authorities charged with social control to manage themselves and instill confidence in its subjects
References
Alston, A., .A. Dickerson, J.L. (2009) Devil’s Sanctuary: An Eye-Witness History of Mississippi Hate Crimes . Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books
Bernstein, M. (2002) The Contradictions of Gay Ethnicity: Forging Identity in Vermont . Oxford University Press
Gerstenfeld, P. B. (2013). Hate Crimes: Causes, Controls, and Controversies . Sage
Henry, P. J. and Pratto, F. (2010). Power and Racism. In A. Guinote & T. Vescio (Eds.). The Social Psychology of Power (pp. 341-362). New York: Guilford.
James, B. & Kimberly, P. (1998). Crimes: Criminal Law and Identity Politics . New York: Oxford University Press
McPhail, B. (2003). Gender-Bias Hate Crimes: A Review . Psychology Press
O'Grady, W. (2011). Crime in Canadian Context: debates and controversies . Oxford University Press
Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice . Oxford: Oxford University Press
Shafritz, J. M., and Russell, E. W. (2005). Introducing Public Administration . Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education.
Siegel, L. J. (2006). Criminology .10th ed. University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Thomson.
Sumner, L.W. (2005) Crimes, literature, and speech . Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing
