Causesof Increased Street Crime in the Society
Streetcrime is a criminal wrongdoing of unlawful activity that takes placein the streets or public places. Most street crimes have undesirableimplications in the society as they usually contribute to thedestruction of streets and societies. Often, criminals make theirplans in advance for an intensified material gain but with adecreased risk. Criminals believe that crimes generate a greaterexcitement, admiration, and rewards, a reason as to why most of themconsider living crime lives than securing a regular job (Spicer etal. 67). It is essential to understand how these aspects or elementscreate an environment for the development of street crimes. Becauseof the increased rates of the street crimes, a detailed research isessential to examine their root social causes and the solutions thatmitigate this choice of crime, some that will be highlighted in thisdiscussion.
Mostcrimes including street crimes advance extensively in societies withhigh rate of unemployment. For example, it is usually impossible toencounter mugging in high-end communities or streets. Most scholarlyreports identify a range of factors especially unemployment in theeconomies, cultures, and society that endorse the street crimepotential (Shiode 369). Poor children, for instance, are highlyexposed to illiteracy since their parents lack the capital to educatethem. These children thus suffer unemployment and as a result, theyget involved in shoplifting, drug trafficking, automobile theft,burglary and robbery crimes. Shiode argues that lack of educationleads to unemployment, which forces individuals to deviate into theprospect of profitable street crimes (369). It is a known fact thatmost muggers and pickpockets in the streets are usually uneducatedand unemployed. An access to education would, therefore, providechances to job opportunities hence subdue the effects of poverty,abuse and other limiting factors that cause street crimes. Byinvesting in education fund, the needy children will have a chance tostudy and the government can solve unemployment effectively. On theother hand, peer influence has strong impacts on one’s decision toengage in crime. Children who come from challenging situations oftenfall prey to undesirable peer influence often dropping from schooland engaging in crimes. For instance, young children normallyneglected or those whose academic achievements do not meet theexpected standards usually fall prey to negative peer influence.Additionally, children from poor backgrounds are generally affectedthe same way. The studies of Hipp affirm that such factors influenceyouth to join fraudulent gangs, as they believe that this membershipearns them status and respect in a different manner (278). Peerinfluence also leads to alcohol and drug abuse in some individuals.Both alcohol and drugs reduce self-consciousness to decisions andimpair judgment hence, encouraging an individual to commit streetcrime.
Poorparenting skills also cause street crime. Children who are abused orneglected have a high likelihood to commit crimes in future. Similarly, sexually abused victims become sexual predators in theiradulthood. According to Spicer et al. family breakdown, parentalconflict, harsh discipline, lack of parental monitoring andsupervision, alcoholic, anti-social and criminal parents are some ofthe poor parenting skills that instill anti-social behaviors tochildren (66). To discourage criminal activities, parents should besupportive to their children by responding to their basic needs andby instilling self-confidence and an interest in their social domainsto discourage these criminal activities. Furthermore, criminologistsalso consider easy access to handguns as another key factor thateases street crime. Majority of the firearms used to commit streetcrimes are either purchased illegally or stolen. Firearms simplifythe acts of committing crime while allowing disengagement from theirvictims (Hipp 277). Firearms lead to the most violent crimes in oursociety. Comparably, easy access to internet’s free information,also make certain forms of crime easy to carry out. Websites, forexample, offer detailed instructions and information on how to buypoisons and make bombs, a guidance that is easily available toanyone, and this promotes street crime even more. The governmentshould impose punishment on individuals who own such equipment todiscourage them from committing street crime.
Poverty,peer influence, poor parenting skills, unemployment, easy access,lack of education, drugs and alcohol are the most prospective causesof street crime. Street crimes often occur in societies or publicplaces where criminals find the motivation to do so, for example,places with poor lighting or security. People engage in street crimesdue to the inclination for material gain or the lack of materialwealth. The desire for power, revenge or control leads to certainviolent crimes, for example, rape, assaults, and murders. Unemployedand uneducated people normally fall prey to peer influence or drugabuse and without social care or productive aspects, they engage instreet crimes however, societies can minimize and inhibit streetcrime with the right remedies. Remodeling the jurisdiction, economicand educational systems is a core necessity and the chief way tolessen criminal activities. By transforming the causes that heightensstreet crimes in our community, we can both reduce and prevent crimeeffectively. It is the duty of parents therefore, to meet the basicneeds of their children hence discourage them from engaging incriminal gangs that result to theft, fraud, and extortion.
WorksCited
Hipp,John R. "The Criminology of Place: Street Segments and OurUnderstanding of the Crime Problem." ContemporarySociology: A Journal of Reviews 44.2(2015): 277-278.
Spicer,Valerie, Justin Song, Patricia Brantingham, Andrew Park, and MartinA. Andresen. "Street Profile Analysis: A New Method for MappingCrime on Major Roadways." AppliedGeography 69(2016): 65-74.
Shiode,Shino. "Street‐levelSpatial Scan Statistic and STAC for Analyzing Street CrimeConcentrations." Transactionsin GIS 15.3(2011): 365-383.