Theories of Crime Causation Term Paper

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Causes Crime? There are many different theories out there as to what actually is the singular cause of crime. Some say crime is caused by poverty or by society. Others claim the cause is jealousy or adversity. Some blame crime on the breakdown of the family unit or racial discrimination. Theories include: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, economic factors, mental disease, and poverty, to name a few.

Bruce Bartlett of the National Center for Policy Analysis states, "One of the basics of liberal dogma is that poverty is the root cause of crime and terrorism. In the liberal worldview, people do not kill and steal because they are evil, but because they are deprived of material things." Still, many arguing that poverty is the leading cause of crime. If this were true, there would have be more crime in poorer nations. History also contradicts this theory. The crime rate in the United States actually rose during the long period of real economic growth in the early 20th century. The crime rate dropped in the Great Depression when incomes dropped. When incomes rose, so did the crime rate. During the recession of 1982, there was a slight dip in crime, not an increase. Thus, while poverty may contribute to crime, it is not the primary cause of crime.

Television has also been accused of being the cause behind crime. Evidently watching someone commit a crime on TV or watching violence creates a need to act violent. This theory is insulting to our intelligence. In preschool our children learn the difference between real and imaginary, between right and wrong.

The breakdown of the family unit has some merit as a theory. A child raised in a single parent home in a neighborhood where this is common, reaches out to others like himself. Without the influence of a father at home, the child becomes more and more aggressive. The mother is tired and quick to loose her temper as she struggles to be both mom and the sole financial provider of the "family.

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" The child acts up to get the mother's attention. This behavior continues and worsens as the child. He reaches out and the gangs are there with open arms. Then he experiments with alcohol and drugs. Slowly he begins to commit crimes. The older he gets, the more violent the crimes become. Somewhere in this cycle his teenage girl gets pregnant, they split and the cycle repeats itself as she is now left to raise a child alone. This theory of family breakdown has merit; however, the boy in the above example still could have chosen to help his mother, to study hard and to break the cycle.

The lack of police protection is also argued as a contributing factor to high crime rates. According to the Natural Law Party, increased police patrols in major cities in the United States have had little effect on crime rates. Washington, D.C., for example, has the highest police/population ratio in the nation -- and one of the highest violent crime rates.

The struggle for power - or control - is a popular theory as well. Andrew Johnson was investigated for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. There are also those who believe Lincoln's murder was the result of a Confederate plan. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was political in nature. Hitler strived for power over his countrymen.

Some criminals - it is theorized - simply enjoy the thrill of the chase. Billy the Kid is a perfect example. Newspapers followed his activities and virtually made him famous. William Bonney chose to become Billy the Kid. He chose the life of notoriety.

Did these factors -- the lack of police protection, poverty, political gain, the thrill, television, the breakdown of the family unit - cause crime? Or did they just….....

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