Violent Crime - Assignment Example

Violent Crime due: Introduction Violent crime refers to a delinquency whereby an offender employs or threatens force upon the victim. The heightened incidence of criminal and violent activities in the rennet years has become a major concern globally. Violent crimes have been known to be caused by social, biological, and environmental factors. Moreover, the media plays a vital role in enforcing violent crime; this is by video games, violent movies and magazines. This paper will attempt to analyse the causes of violent crime in detail, focussing on the offender and victim. Models will be made, and evidence from scholarly journals and books will be employed so as to give a detailed research. Background Research from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) reveals that there have been more that 19 million violent crimes in the last two decades. These crimes constitute of forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, or assault. For an individual to engage a violent crime, he or she may be forced by circumstances or has a record of criminal activities. Factors that may affect an individual’s action to commit a violent crime is dependent on cultural aspects i.e. religion and colonial heritage, age, gender, peers, and the poverty rate. Violence and crime threaten social foundation and are becoming chief obstacles to development. A critical analysis of this topic reveals that the dependent variable is the crime rate, and the explanatory variables include economic and social characteristics. Although violent crime has been discussed with a keen focus on the offender, the victim must also be regarded. From various researches, victims of violent crimes are left with emotional as well as physical scars, which lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, social withdrawal, relationship strains, and in severe cases death (Ruback & Thompson, 2001). Lack of a conclusive data of victims is a major challenge in the analysis of violent crime. This is because most victims faced by the vile act of violent crime face shame and discrimination. For instance, rape victims will opt not to report a violent act committed on their bodies due to shame and fear of discrimination (Kullgren & Nordstrom, 2003). Research questions Questions in regard to this study include the following: 1. What causes violent crime? 2. Why do individuals engage in violent crime? What triggers the act? 3. What are the challenges of eradicating violent crime? 4. Is the community affected? Methodology of the research Methods used to research this topic include data from primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include anonymous questionnaires filled in by the victims of violent crimes. Secondary sources include data from police stations and hospitals, as well as books and journals. Observational studies will also be employed in this study based on locating the areas prone to violent crimes. Model of criminal behaviour This model created will aid in the organization of ideas and motivation of the explanatory variables of crime rates. First, criminal behaviour will be modelled from the viewpoint of the offender, and this will aid in the development of crime rates. The hypothesis under this perspective is that probable criminals act rationally. This means that they think about the decision to commit a crime; they analyse the costs and benefits associated with the act; they therefore know what they are engaging in, and the implications. Moreover, the victims are considered to be at risk neutral (Fajnzylber et al., 2002). Second, income inequality will be analysed as a determinant of criminal acts in regard to the GDP rates. Income inequality refers to the level of poverty. This may be triggered by lack of employment, leading to harsh economic constraints. Third, drugs and substance abuse will be modelled from the intake of an offender. As shown, drugs may trigger violent acts via the effects they have on the offenders behaviour (Chilvers & Weatherburn, 2004). Most of the incarcerated offenders convicted of violent crime were often under the influence of drugs and or alcohol when they did their offenses. These offenders often commit offenses to support their drug habits. The likelihood of violent crime as evidenced is triggered by gender, level of education, and race. Evidently from research, convicts specifically 37.1% of young black men are without a high school diploma. Moreover, age range is inclusive in this study. The incidence of violent crime has been shown to be more in the young, 15- 24 years. Challenges The main challenges with this study are that crime data only represents what people are willing to report either formally or informally. Moreover, not all victims are willing to participate in the study by telling their stories; this brings the inconsistency with the primary sources of violent crime data. This therefore makes it very hard to determine if there has been an increase in some forms of violent crimes. Recommendations Violent crime had and still is a lingering problem globally. Victims of this type of crime basically do not choose to be in such harsh situations. As proven, most offenders are juveniles. Violent crime cannot be stopped suddenly but with small steps, this act can be eradicated and people protected. Sexual assault has been noted to be on the rise, with the victims 0-14 years both on males and females. This issue can be halted with better public comprehension of child protection issues. This will aid in the reporting of such cases, and the offenders brought to justice. Thus, the community must be made aware of violent crime. Additionally, the community has to embrace the legal requirements and must be in touch with the law. This will bring about knowledge and legal support, protecting the community in large. Conclusion To sum this research up, it has been established that there is a bond between the decision to commit a crime and the consequences of the behaviour. Generally, the male gender has been found to be more violent prone as compared to females. Both income inequality and economic growth are major determinants of violent crime rates. As shown, drugs and alcohol abuse affect the psychology of the offender and may trigger violent acts on innocent people. Thus, drugs and violent crimes are inter-related. References Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). (n.d.). Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Retrieved July 31, 2014, from http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=245 Chilvers M & Weatherburn D 2004. The impact of heroin dependence on long-term robbery trends. Contemporary issues in crime and justice no. 79. Sydney: Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research Fajnzylber,P., Lederman, D., & Loayza, N. (2002). What causes violent crime? European Economic Review, 46(7), 1323-1357 Kullgren, G & Nordstrom, A. (2003). Victim Relations and Victim Gender in Violent Crimes Commited by Offenders with Schizophrenia. Social Psychiatry Epidemiology. Vol. 38 Ruback, B. & Thompson, M. (2001). Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization. SAGE publishers, Inc Read More