You need to know about the causes and impact of criminal behaviour. For example, people may commit crime for several reasons;
- Peer pressure
- Criminals have not been taught the difference between ‘right and wrong.’ This argument is closely associated with the New Right
- Mental illness. The majority of prisoners have mental health problems
- A failure to rehabilitate ex-offenders back into society
- The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman argues that criminals steal status items in order to appear ‘normal’ within such a materialistic society
The peak age of criminal activity is during the years 16-25. This may be due to the following factors;
- Boys often have to ‘prove’ their masculinity which can, at times, result in criminal activity
- The likelihood of a young person belonging to a subculture is high, and some subcultures engage in criminal behaviour
- Young people may have few legitimate means available of acquiring material goods
- Less responsibilities
- Teenage rebellion can lead to people breaking the law
There are several negative impacts of crime upon an area. They include;
- Depopulation, particularly in urban areas
- High levels of crime may damage community spirit and result in less neighbourliness. People may simply want to ‘keep themselves to themselves’ for fear of harassment
- High crime levels can contribute to environmental poverty
- Once a region with a high level of crime is labelling as a bad area, it might become a ghetto
There are several causes of deviant behaviour that you also need to be aware of;
- People may feel alienated from society. This is a particular problem amongst the underclass and young people
- Deviant behaviour may simply be the product of teenage rebellion
- Some people seek acceptance from a particular group, and therefore act in a deviant manner in order to conform to the subculture of that group
You also need to consider the impact of deviant behaviour. Some sociologists argue that there is little significance to a person adopting deviant behaviour for a short period of time. Indeed in many cases, it is little more than a phase in someone’s life, usually during his/her teenage years. However, some people within a deviant group face a great deal of negative peer pressure which can result in criminal activity. This latter point is common amongst gangs. |
