StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Why People Choose a Life of Crime - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
There are theories explaining the people’s motivation to commit crime. The objective of this paper is to look at issues such as poverty, unemployment, strain theory, routine activity theory, rational choice theory, and observational learning as the main psychological and economic theories of crime…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.5% of users find it useful
Why People Choose a Life of Crime
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Why People Choose a Life of Crime"

Download file to see previous pages

From this discussion it is clear that the fewer the resources a community possesses to construct infrastructure, the more likely it is for vandalism to thrive in the vacant, burned out, and neglected  houses in that community. Suburbs have a large percentage of people living under the poverty level as indicated by a national census report in 2009. Unemployment is another issue that induces criminal activity in people. Many of the minority groups in the United States lack proper jobs, which explains why there is a large number of African-American and Latin-American youth incarcerated by the state and national governments.

Poor and unemployed people resort to criminal lives because pilfering and theft offer a temporary solution to financial and economic difficulty.This study highlights that strain theory is one of the most common psychological theory of crime. The ideology behind the Strain theory is that an individual covets something (like a material object or lifestyle) but they have no means of ever getting that object or living that lifestyle in the near future. The rational choice theory is closely related to the strain theory because it involves a struggle to survive under the existing conditions.

Consequently, an individual weighs up the marginal cost of committing crime, versus the marginal benefit of committing crime to save or achieve something. If the marginal benefit is higher, they end up committing crimes such as dealing drugs, avoiding tram fare, misrepresentation of funds, shop-lifting and so forth.

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Why People Choose a Life of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1701621-why-people-choose-a-life-of-crime
(Why People Choose a Life of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/social-science/1701621-why-people-choose-a-life-of-crime.
“Why People Choose a Life of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1701621-why-people-choose-a-life-of-crime.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Why People Choose a Life of Crime

White Collar Crime

The essay “White Collar crime' looks at a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.... This is widely known as 'crime' throughout the ages and in essence, crimes are deemed punishable by the head of societies or by the governments at large.... Despite strict laws, bans and vastly punishable crime the prostitution exists unstoppable in all parts of the world.... People who choose prostitution, more or less like self-employment, are known as prostitutes or sex workers....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Internet dating and online friendships : harmless or not

… Even if internet dating involves the practice of basic human rights such as freedom of speech and the freedom to chose whom to date, when and where, it is extremely important that the governments step in to regulate and limit this activity for the sake of fighting crime and eliminate harm to society.... Therefore, even if internet dating involves the practice of basic human rights such as freedom of speech and the freedom to chose whom to date, when and where, it is extremely important that the governments step in to regulate and limit this activity for the sake of fighting crime and eliminate harm to society....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Profile of Victims Peculiarities

The poorest Americans face the highest risk of being victims of crime (Siegel, 2011).... The battle against crime requires a comprehensive effort to understand the offenses, the criminals who commit them and victims.... The battle against crime requires a comprehensive effort to understand the offenses, the criminals who commit them and victims.... According to Tischler (1990) the gender of an individual determines the likelihood of being assaulted by criminals and the nature of the crime (Tischler, 1990)....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Criminological Theories

These theories cover the creation and the breaking of the law, criminal and unexpected behavior, as well as trends of criminal activity (Akers & Sellers 1). One criminological theory… hat applies to a teenager boy who cannot find acceptable ways to live the life he desires and thus chooses crime to satisfy his desires is the deterrence and rational choice theory.... This theory states that human beings are rational and so a crime is committed; as a result, of Before people commit crimes they have weighed the benefits and consequences of the act and since the teenage boy cannot find other better ways of satisfying his wants, so chooses burglary....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Self-Control,Social Consequences,and Criminal Behavior

nbsp;   … One definition of crime is acts which go against societal norms and which a state has the right to punish in order to achieve deterrence.... In circumstances where sanctions and informal warning have become inefficient in the deterrence of crime, the responsibility of punishing individuals for criminal acts lies with the state.... nbsp;  In circumstances where sanctions and informal warning have become inefficient in the deterrence of crime, the responsibility of punishing individuals for criminal acts lies with the state....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Crime , punishment justice & literature

One thing that comes up with regard to the issue of crime and punishment is the way Madea chooses to deal with his husband who has wronged her by choosing to leave her and marry another woman who is… The author seems not to criticize the acts of Madea but seems to glorify it, because the end of the play is that Madea comes out victorious having comminuted her crimes (achieved her punishment).... In this novel, the issue of crime and punishments also comes out very clear....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Child in Trouble: Institute of Public Health, Social Work and Care

With help from the whole society youths should be able to overcome the temptation of crime.... Youth crime can range from the status offense; this includes minor offenses like underage smoking, violent crime are ones that the offender uses force to do a crime like a robbery with violence or murder and property crime like shoplifting and motor vehicle theft (Barry & John, 2009).... In the United Kingdom in 1999 young people arrested are fewer than the adults except in arson arrests, despite that this number is still disturbing because the youth are not supposed to get involved in crime....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Punishment and Correctional Measures for Criminals

Some people choose actions that do not conform to the norms of society and therefore are considered criminals.... All the theories why people commit crimes have one assumption in common, and that is a crime is people choose to engage in criminal activities.... They are not forced into crime, neither are they blind to the norms of the society that condemns these behaviors.... Example of a crime that results from biosocial theory is one having to steal to meet the basic needs essential for their survival....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us