Crime as a discipline is part of the history of human society. Activities defining crime include burglary, robbery, murder, fraud, amongst others. There exist multiple and controversial arguments on the cause of crime in society. However, the most common arguments explaining the causes of crime include poverty, genetics, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Research shows that approximately 6.5 million people lose their lives annually due to crime-related activities (Alper et al., 2015). Despite the existence of criminal justice systems in every country, these numbers can only be reduced but not phased out completely. Therefore, crime cannot be fully prevented but rather reduced. In essence, crime is fueled by the following factors: drug and alcohol abuse, racism, family violence, poverty, incompetent correctional services, amongst other social factors. Therefore, to reduce the crime rates, factors such as improved education, improved criminal justice systems, and drug awareness should be considered. This paper discusses the causes of crime and ways of reducing crime-related incidences. Poverty and economic inequality are some of the major causes of crime in society. Different researchers argue that criminal behavior is often connected to genetic behavior. However, statistics might show different since the number of poor people involved in crime as an avenue to escape poverty is directly proportional to the rate of poverty in a given societal setting (Curran, 2012). Furthermore, the laws of economics state that the economic standards in the society cannot be equal. Therefore, economic deprivation counts as one of the major causes of crime. The desperation that comes as a result of poverty mostly influences crime-related behavior due to the scarcity of resources in society. Coupled with factors such as overpopulation, the poverty rates are most likely to increase as people strive to compete for scarce resources. This often leads to individuals resorting to crime as an avenue to survival in society. Therefore, poverty and economic equality can be regarded as a cause of crime. Additionally, drugs and alcohol abuse is one of the major causes of crime. One of the most common effects of drug use is addiction, which often fuels crime-related activities. Once drug use becomes habitual in an individual, it most definitely leads to addiction. Therefore, when drug users run out of finances to support their addiction, they resort to crimes such as burglary and robbery with violence to aid their drug needs. A survey by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows that approximately 23.5 million people are involved in drugs and alcohol abuse (Mullins, 2019). It means that the drug-related crimes are likely to escalate if these numbers also increase. In addition, the drug cartels often recruit people that are mostly victims of circumstances such as the poor and school dropouts. Therefore, as much as such people may not use drugs directly, the crime rate is likely to increase due to the environment around them. It is, therefore, evident that drugs and alcohol abuse are contributors to crime in society. Another cause of crime is racism and discrimination in society. When one race is discriminated against in society, their social and economic opportunities are mostly hindered. This, in turn, limits their ability to fully participate in income generation activities due to the massive discrimination. The superiority complex from one race limits the productivity of the inferior race, leading to crime-related activities. For instance, institutional racism is mostly depicted in public places such as hospitals, schools, and government offices. This often contributes to unemployment since the inferior race is discriminated against, making them resort to alternative methods for survival. In essence, racism limits the opportunities of the discriminated race, which makes them resort to activities that include crime such as cybercrime and bullying, where extortion is done using technology. For instance, Detroit is one of the cities with a high number of African Americans and has high drug abuse prevalence, which can be attributed to racism (Curran, 2012). This has reduced the social and economic opportunities of Detroit residents in the United States of America to a large extent. On the other hand, the reduction of crime can be done through increased awareness and education. Awareness of the effects of drug use, crime, and improved education can help limit the crime rate. Research shows that at least one out of 10 people commit crimes due to being misinformed (Mullins, 2019). Increased awareness of the different levels and types of crime can go a long way in ensuring crime is reduced in society. Despite the government’s and organization’s efforts towards curbing crime, the most effective way of preventing crime is through sensitization through the mainstream media. This would ensure a collective effort in society to curb these factors that fuel crime, such as drug and alcohol abuse. For instance, with robust and effective sensitization programs, causes of crime such as racism would greatly reduce since the efforts to reduce crime-related activities would, therefore, be collective. Therefore, this would ensure crime is reduced to a great extent. The major causes of crime, such as poverty, racism, drugs, and alcohol abuse, can be counteracted through proper sensitization programs. Furthermore, other causes of crime may include incompetent criminal justice systems, family violence, amongst others. On the contrary, the same factors that influence people to commit crimes are the same avenues that would help them quit crime. Factors such as poverty could be exploited to ensure the poor in society have access to alternative ways of improving their lifestyles apart from crime. People are pre-exposed to different social, psychological, and economic conditions that could influence crime. However, with improved education and awareness, the government, in conjunction with the society at large, could sensitize the people with criminal tendencies on the effects of crime-related activities while providing alternatives to crime as a mode of survival. Therefore, since crime cannot be fully wiped out, providing proper information to the public must be the first step towards preventing crime.
References
Alper, M., & Chappell, A. T. (2015). Untangling fear of crime: A multi-theoretical approach to examining the causes of crime-specific fear. Sociological Spectrum , 32(4), 346-363.
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Curran, D. J., & Renzetti, C. M. (2012). Theories of crime . Pearson College Division
Mullins, C. (2019). Why Crime?: Some Causes and Remedies from the Psychological Standpoint . Routledge
