Crime and Offending Behaviour Criminology Viewpoint - Essay Example

? Crime and Offending Behaviour – Criminology Viewpoint May 2, Crime and Offending Behaviour – Criminology Viewpoint Introduction Criminology concepts can resolve crime and offending behavior. The research delves on the criminology concepts of crime and offending behaviour. The research delves on the United Kingdom’s crime prevention options. Criminology concepts of crime and criminal rehabilitation significantly enhance the United Kingdom’s crime prevention priorities. Wiki Question The wiki question is How can the United Kingdom reduce crime statistics? The question focuses on the reasons why some individuals engage in criminal acts. The question also centers on the reasons why some individuals fall easy prey to criminal elements. The same question ventures into the United Kingdom’s crime prevention priorities. The question includes the nation’s focus on the rehabilitation of the convicted felons. Three Issues The state can reduce the crime statistics by focusing on three issues. The first issue is the determination of the causes of crimes. The second issue scrutinizes the nation’s crime rates. The third issue is the state’s responsibility to rehabilitate the incarcerated criminals. The three issues will significantly lessen the crime statistics. First Issue For the first issue, criminology offers its own concepts on the causes and other areas of crime and offending behavior. One of the criminology concepts of crime states that economic reasons can trigger the next crime incident. British Criminologists Paul Walton and Jock Young reiterated that society is the major factor that triggers the onset of crimes (as cited in Donnermeyer, 2008). People who do not have money are forced to rob stores, banks, individuals. With the criminals’ illegal acquisition of stolen money, the felons can buy food, cars, homes, and other objects. Money often forces people to kill, maim, or kidnap hapless victims. Money gives the criminals a sense of self-sufficiency (Engdahl, 2008). Further, Gloria Lavcok (2009) emphasized that three elements must crop up for a crime to prosper. One element is the willing or defenseless victim. A strong person can easily overpower a weak offender, preventing the crime from occurring. The second element is the motivated criminal. Without the criminal, the crime will not crop up. The third element is the opportunity or absence of security measures. Without the opportunity, a criminal act will not occur. One security measure that will discourage the motivated offenders from raping the teenager is the girl’s guardian nearby, who will protect the targeted child. Furthermore, another criminology concept of crime states that opportunity increases crime occurrences. With the advent of the internet, cybercrimes rates started to increase. Cybercrimes include the hacking of the online victims’ credit card information and other personal information. Crimes often crop up when security is lax or absent. Leaving the victims’ keys inside an open car to buy a cigar across the street entices criminals to car nap the motor vehicle. Leaving the customers’ wallet on the restaurant table will persuade the thieves to snatch the unwatched wallet. Rapes are reduced when a lady is accompanied by several male relatives (Farrell, 2010). Second Issue For the second issue, the state must punish convicted felons. The state can impose minor fines on convicted criminals. For second or additional repeated offenses, the state can impose stiffer fines. For persistent violators, the state can incarcerate the offenders (Farrell, 2010). For major crimes, the state can impose significant fines. For certain major crimes, the state can incarcerate the offenders for a few years. For capital crimes, the state can impose lifetime imprisonment. Different types of crime call for different rehabilitation types (Stummvoll, 2009). Of similar importance, the state must educate the public on how to avoid being victimized. The state can inform the citizens to avoid certain streets, communities, or districts where crime statistics are high. The crime statistics will show which crimes are prevalent in one street or location. For example, the United Kingdom state officers can use David McDowall’s research indicating that the United States’ crime statistics is similar to the average crime statistics of most of the member states in enhancing the United Kingdom’ crime prevention strategies (McDowall, 2009). Further, United Kingdom crime statistics shows that the robberies, violent crime and drugs are common criminal acts (Crime Statistics, 2013) Additionally, the state can institute crime prevention activities. The crime prevention activities include reducing number of intoxicated alcoholics roaming the streets of London. The crime prevention strategies include stopping the drug trade in the cities. The state can warn the public to reduce staying out of the safety of their homes, communities or other comfort zones (Lee, 2012). Moreover, the state can reduce the availability of guns. In communities where guns are not abundant, gun-related crimes are less prevalent compared to communities where guns can easily be acquired. With more guns available, more individuals are enticed to use guns to rob grocery stores. With more guns, rape incidences and assaults on persons and properties are higher (Altheimer, 2008). Further, the United Kingdom government can persuade the citizens to reduce the opportunities that may prompt criminals to perform their illegal acts. In crimes of trust, safeguards must be in place to prevent or discourage the trusted person from thinking pursuing his or her illegal plans. In some grocery stores, the grocery salespersons’ uniforms do not have pockets. Removing the pockets prevents the grocery employees from shoplifting. Inspecting the bags and frisking the employees while exiting the workplace reduce employees’ theft of company property. Inspecting the all persons entering the building premises reduce the possibility of bringing into the building premises deadly weapons, bombs, and other objects that may trigger criminal acts (Menard, 2012). Further, the state can pursue crime pattern research to reduce crime prevention. The state peace officers’ familiarity with the crime statistics under their jurisdiction will help prevent future crimes. When a bank is robbed, the police officers increase the number of officers to deter a repeat heist. Placing lights on a dark alley will reveal criminal elements waiting for rape victims. The robbery of a London-based Morrison grocery chain branch will persuade the police officers to install CCTV cameras on the Morrison grocery store street corner. The CCTV cameras will discourage the robbers from implementing a repeat of their robbery activities within the block where the Morrison branch was robbed (Lavcock, 2009). Further, Gerry Ratcliffe theorises that police officers can focus on intelligence-based policing to reduce or prevent crime prevention within their jurisdiction. Intelligence-based policing includes gathering updated relevant data pertaining to the prior, present, and forecasted future crimes within the police unit’s territory. Intelligence-based policing also includes gathering valid information that may help pinpoint and lessen crime activities. Using criminology in technological terms, gathered data becomes police information. Police information metamorphoses into crime prevention and crime statistics knowledge (Stummvoll, 2009). Third Issue For the third issue, state can focus on rehabilitating the mind of the convicted felons. Rehabilitation means the restoration of the law-violating individual to the law-abiding person. Rehabilitation entails returning to the person’s former normal self of obeying the law. Successful rehabilitation encourages the convicted felon to refocus one’s priorities on complying with society’s laws, standards, and other related norms. In terms of a diagram, the convicted person had weak interpersonal relationships. First, a convicted person is trained to establish and maintain positive relationships with fellow jail inmates and jail rehabilitation officers. Second, the jail rehabilitation system trains offenders new work skills and interpersonal skills. Third, the convicts adjust to a life of avoiding criminal acts. Fourth, the convicted person creates stronger interpersonal relationships and new connections with fellow inmates, jail officers, and society as a whole. Fifth, the convicted criminal assimilates much-needed work, social capital, and life-survival skills. Last, the convicted person is released back into society’s fold with an unwavering attitude of being a new person, a law-abiding contributor to society’s peace-laden priorities (Swanson, 2009). Additionally, the incarcerated prisoners attend seminars that persuade them to become future contributors to society’s struggle to make the world, especially the United Kingdom world, a more peaceful place to live in. The incarcerated prisoners are taught new job skills. The new job skills prepare the incarcerated prisoners to find legitimate jobs. With the new skills, the repentant convicted criminals will surely mend their ways (Politics, 2013). Further, the state can allocate budgets for the rehabilitation of the drug dependent criminals. Without drugs, criminals would not be bold enough to carry out the same crimes. By curing the root cause of the criminal’s illegal acts, drugs, the state will stand to benefit from recuperated drug-dependent persons. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is tasked with implementing strategies to control the nation’s drug rehabilitation of confirmed drug addicts or dependents. The United Kingdom’ Ministry of Justice offers additional funds for the rehabilitation of confirmed drug dependents. The Ministry of Justice aims to cure the drug problem in order to reduce the drug-induced crimes. During 2007 and 2008, the state allocated ?22,000,000 to the Department health for the rehabilitation of drug dependents (U.K. National Audit Office, 2008). Furthermore, the state shall ensure the increased successful rehabilitation of the convicted offenders’. The state supports convicted felons (U.K Govt, 2013). One of the statutes, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act was approved and set into motion during 1974. The act covers the rehabilitation of all offenders within the United Kingdom territory. The same United Kingdom status act is aimed at helping the United Kingdom convicted criminals. The act states that any convicted person with a sentence of 2.5 years or lower shall be permitted to benefit from the act. The act identifies the rehabilitation period so as to include the time starting from the date of the felons’ conviction of the crime. When the convicted person does not commit the same offense within the rehabilitation period, the convicted person is classified as a rehabilitated person. Consequently, the convicted person’s conviction is reclassified as spent (Robinson, 2009). Likewise, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974 was instituted to wipe out the stigma of rehabilitated felons. Being discriminated by society, the felons often feel like poor members of society. When normally applying for a job, the rehabilitated person’s resume does not include statements indicating the person had been previously convicted of a crime. The 1974 act gives the rehabilitated person similar equal opportunities as non-convicted persons to apply for a vacant United Kingdom job (Robinson, 2009). When the cured or rehabilitated person is released into the healthy arms of the United Kingdom society, the rehabilitated person does not have to reveal or admit any spent conviction issues. For light offense convicts, tailored rehabilitation is required (U.K. Govt, 2013). However, the act requires that the rehabilitated person must indicate the spent conviction issues when applying for jobs in two situations. The first situation occurs when the rehabilitated person is applying for a job where children are involved. The second situation is when the rehabilitated person is applying for a job where elderly persons are included (Soothill, 2009). Additionally, the police officers must consider the charged individual as innocent until proven guilty. The arrested individual is entitled to his rights as a human being. On some occasions, circumstantial or even planted evidence lead to the erroneous guilty verdict on the innocent individual. In many occasions, an individual’s honest mistake is pegged as a criminal offense. In one case, the nurse unintentionally committed three errors. The nurse was suspended from work. Further, the same nurse was charged in court for violating the company policy that reduces the criminal charge with the criminal offense to neglect of duty (Dekker, 2009). Conclusion Based on the above research discussion, the three issues are perfect responses to resolving the wiki question. The three response types will positively improve the United Kingdom’s present drive to lessen or prevent future United Kingdom crimes. Criminology’s concepts show that crime and offending behavior can be eliminated by focusing on the criminology concepts. The concepts indicate that the criminology concepts of criminal behavior prioritise rehabilitation. The rehabilitation process includes the spent conviction advantage. The research proves that the state’s options to prevent future crimes include rehabilitation, fines, and other penalties. Evidently, the United Kingdom criminology concepts of crime and criminal rehabilitation significantly help United Kingdom’s crime prevention priorities. References List Altheimer, I., 2008, Do Guns Matter? Western Criminology Review, 9(2), p. 9-32. Crime statistics, 2013, U.K. Crime Statistics, [online] Available at: < http://www.crime-statistics.co.uk/> [Accessed 2 May 2013] Dekker, S., 2009, Prosecuting Professional Mistake: Secondary Victimisation and Research Agenda for Crimininology. International Journal of Criminal Justice Science, 4(1), p. 60-78. Donnermeyer, J., 2008, Toward Rural Critical Criminology. Southern Rural Sociology, 23(2), p. 4-28. Engdahl, O., 2008, The Role of Money in Economic Crime. The British Journal of Criminology, 48(2), p. 154-170. Farrell, G., 2010, Explaining and Sustaining the Crime Drop: Clarifying the Role of Opportunity- related Theories. Crime Prevention and Crommunity Safety, 12(1), p. 24-41. Lavcock, G., 2009, Science in the Context of International Crime Control. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 33(1), p. 1-15. Lee, D., 2012, The Role of Lifestyle and Pesonal Characteristics on Fear of Victimisation Among University Students. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(4), p. 647-668. McDowall, D., 2009, Do U.S. City Crime Rates Follow a National Trend? The Influence of Nationwide Conditions on Local Crime Patterns. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 25(3), p. 307-324. Menard, S., 2012, Integrated Theory and Crimes of Trust. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 28(2), p. 365-387. Policy Exchange, 2013, Delivering the Rehabilitation Revolution, [online] Available at < http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/modevents/item/delivering-the-rehabilitation-revolution > [Accessed 2 May 2013] Politics, 2013, Prison Rehabilitation, [online] Available at < http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/prison-rehabilitation > [Accessed 2 May 2013] Robinson, G., 2009, Offender Rehabilitation, Sage, London. Soothill, K., 2009, Understanding Criminal Careers, Routledge, London. Stummvoll, G., 2009, Crime Prevention and Community Safety. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 11(2), p. 144-146. Swanson, C., 2009,. Restorative Justice in Prison Community, Lexington Press, London. U.K. National Audit Office, G., 2008, The Supervision of Community Orders in England and Wales, The Stationery Office, London. United Kingdom, 2013, Government policies on Crime, [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 May 2013] Read More