Notion of Criminal Activity - Term Paper Example

The difference that exists in the occurrence of crime is concerning the type of crime being committed and the frequency of occurrence of crime by geographical location. For example, in urban areas and places that are associated with low living standards, the crime rate is usually higher (67). Also worth noticing is the fact that there are crimes that are common while others are less common. Some of the most common crimes in almost every society include burglary, robbery, murder, and rape (61).

Crime victims in every country do not necessarily have common characteristics. What this means is that people across the economic scale can become victims of crime. Those who reside in poor neighborhoods are however more likely to become victims of crime compared to those in rich neighborhoods. With technological developments and the introduction of the internet, crime has gotten to cut across boundaries like never before as evidenced the crimes such as synthetic ID theft, hacking, and viral attacks. Organizations like individuals also fall victim to criminals. From the analysis above, it is beyond doubt that crime knows no bounds and anyone can become a victim of crime.

There are several myths about crime in the United States of America. One such myth is regarding the prevalence of crime in the country over other countries. Given the size of the US and its high population, it is a common belief that the country has a higher crime rate compared to other countries including England, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, and Australia. This may however not be the truth considering that the International Crime Victims’ Survey reveals otherwise. Yet another myth about crime in the US is pegged on the belief that criminals specialize in their activities. In this respect, it is often assumed that sex offenders, for example, only commit crimes that are related to sex and not other crimes (79). This again is against what past research conducted by criminologists reveals.

The media and the political discourse have made such myths appear true by giving greater attention to crime compared to other news. Terrorism has for example received a great share of media and political attention following the 9/11 attacks. Yet again, it is beyond doubt that in some cases the media and politicians misrepresent facts related to crime and criminal activities as they make their presentation not based on solid evidence but on flawed perceptions (62).

Given the attention and misrepresentation of crimes by the media and politicians, policymakers tend to make flawed decisions. For example, the policy makes, like the general public often believe the truth that criminals such as sex offenders specialize (79). When policymakers make decisions based on such flawed assumptions, the policies that they make often become ineffective when it comes to crime prevention and rehabilitation of criminals (79).

Several studies have highlighted the changing nature of crime over time. While there are crimes that have previously been termed as common, this term may no longer be accurate in application. This is so considering that cybercrime, terrorism, and sexual offenses which were less prevalent in the past have become almost as prevalent as robbery, burglary, and murder in recent times. One main crime that has been subject to change in the US is homicide. The last two centuries have seen a fluctuation in the prevalence of this type of crime (116).

The socio-economic environment of a place is known to be one of the factors that affect the prevalence of crime. In the early 80s, the rate of homicide was low but increased greatly as the years progressed toward the 90s only to reduce later in 2000 (114). The drastic fluctuations in the pattern of this crime have been associated with the increase in crack cocaine markets. The changing crime pattern was associated with the rate of the arrest rates of drug users and dealers. Lee and Ousey note that there is a correlation between drug market activity and resource deprivation. This correlation is stronger in cases where towns are more disadvantaged (117). On the other hand, it can also be argued that criminal traits are learned and not inherited. As such, the more activity in the cocaine market was a result of younger people or frustrated peers learning and adopting the behaviors of their superior others owing to their low social statuses. With a lot of drug consumption and misuse, the level of homicide fluctuated as the years progressed in the 80s and 90s.