Role of the Society in Culturing a Criminal - Essay Example

To what extent is criminality the fault of society rather than the offender? Introduction A crime is an unlawful actthat puts one in a position punishable by the laws of a sate. Criminal psychology on the other hand explores the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of individuals who do criminal activities or are involved in unlawful acts. This is approached from a view of criminal behavior and the factors that motivate an individual to do the unlawful acts. According to Schmideberg (1947), criminals can be divided into five types according to the forces that drives one to commit the unlawful acts (p. 458). The first type is the normal person who is driven to crime by overwhelming external forces, the second type is a normal person who is carried away by an irresistible impulse, the third type is the neurotic one who unconsciously does an unlawful act, the fourth is the genuine criminal who prides himself in the activities he does, and the last includes those whose behavior is as a result of mental deficiency (p. 458). In this work, the role of the individual and that of the society shall be established in the development of a deterrent individual. To address this topic effectively we shall explore a number of criminological theories that have been put forward to explain the inception of criminal behavior. These include the rational choice theory which proposes that people act to satisfy their interests and so their actions are a product of their choices. The Social disorganization theory explains that the person’s physical and social environments are critical in determining the actions they will adopt and the individual they will adopt to be in the future. This theory will be used in this essay to develop an important side of the discussion on the role of the society. This theory will be explained alongside the social control theory which proposes that people commit crime if the society is lenient on the same. Another theory that will very important in this essay is the strain theory which proposes that people have similar dreams and aspirations that drive them. Failure to achieve those dreams or aspirations puts one under pressure and hence vulnerable to commit crime. Role of the Society in Culturing a Criminal The first thing to note is that the society can influence the individual’s behavior but the ultimate decision to commit a crime lies solely with themselves. So as much as the society is to blame for the criminal activities and the deterrent individuals we have, the individuals are also responsible for their actions. According to Marks (1974), Emile Durkheim defines society as something you cannot reach out or touch, but something which is so powerful like gravity, so powerful that if you try to go against it will hurt you. Therefore, the society and the norms that are promoted there will play a significant role in determining the kind of person that they create (p. 329). Initially many individuals conservatively held that crime is the fault of the individual without looking at the role played by other factors in developing that criminal (Murphy, 2002). Durkheim in his work introduces the concept of collective conscience. According to Mohamadi, Babaee and Khaledian (2014), a given society sets its own set of beliefs and feelings that are inducted into every individual (p. 99). These are the ones that are used to govern the society. Any member of that group will therefore be aware of the powers that govern it and will work towards aligning to them. In his (Durkehim) approach he brings the concept of how to generate a crime. In this way he says that condemning an act makes it a crime, rather than thinking that a crime is condemned in the first place. So, the constant act of condemning certain acts makes them a crime and the members of that society will be aware that they should not do it. The society therefore fails if they do not condemn certain acts that later become adopted by the individual and become criminals. Williams (1982), uses the theory of Robert Merton which closely aligns to Durkheim’s in explaining the role of the society in developing a criminal. In his approach, deviance incepts from the structure of the society in question. The society one lives in as indicated earlier will play a critical role in defining his actions and behaviors. Another important section that should be discussed is the society. What is a society? The most primary society an individual is introduced to is the nuclear family. After birth, an individual will be part of a very small society that has norms and codes that govern their living. If those norms are flawed, the individual will adopt bad morals and it will be very hard to avert that in future. The family therefore sets the baseline to the modelling of good characters in the society. It is at the family level that an individual will be introduced to concepts such as religion which play various significant roles in dealing with crime. After that, when one attains the age to join school, he is introduced to another society, much bigger and with rules that have been set to govern their living. If there are no rules, or the rules are not followed, these individuals may adopt deviant behaviors. Therefore, the society can fail at this level to adopt good morals and therefore promote criminality. After school, one lives in the large society, maybe a nation which has a constitution governing it. On top of a constitution, there are other basic elements of normality that one follows. If any of these fails, then the whole society acts in promoting crime. The Strain theories and the Individual in Crime According to Agnew (2008), strain theories also called stressors increase the likelihood of a crime to happen (p. 332). There are various types of strains that have been discussed and associated with criminal activities. These include failure to achieve one’s monetary ambitions, goals or any other aspiration one may be having. On top of that he proposes that when an individual loses positive stimuli, e.g. after losing a close person to death, that individual will be disoriented and there is a higher possibility that he/she may be indulged in deviant actions. Therefore, in this approach, crime is explained as a way used by individuals to escape from these form of strains. On top of the susceptibility that such a strain exposes one to, the individual may decide to revenge to the source of the stress. Take an example where one is sacked from the job he has been doing, this means that he/she will suffer monetary stress as he won’t be able to raise the money for various obligations and responsibilities. He may therefore decide to revenge to the individual who sacked him or the people who facilitated the sacking. The committing of the crime can be secondary at times. Take an example when the individual is under intense strain then decides to use drugs as a solace. This can happen maybe after a marital breakup. After using the drugs, one may end up being involved in actions they cannot really comprehend. However, even in such a case, the society still holds the major blame for the actions of the individual to be involved in such actions. No matter how vulnerable the individual has been made by the strain, if the society has a strong foundation of morals, the individual may not likely get involved in actions that may later be termed as crime. However, in a large society such as a nation, a constitution is put in place as a means of governing the actions if the citizens. Adhering to the laws of the land which are mere accepted norms means that crime will be curbed at a better level. Conclusion From the approach used, it is evident that to a great extent criminality is the fault of society rather than the offender. The offender is a product of the society so if the society fails in molding a morally upright person, then there is a higher possibility that he/she will end up indulging in deviant behaviors. According to Bursik (1988), from the social disorganization theory, we find that the society which may start with the basic set up i.e. the family plays a major role in setting the environment that the individual will be brought up in (p. 519). Therefore, this society which must have the codes which run it must be strict to ensure that deviance is not allowed. The individual factors that may make the individual susceptible to criminal activities are explained by the strains theory which explains that when an individual is under any form of strain he will tend to be more susceptible to commit criminal acts. However, even using this approach, the society still plays a major role in making laws that the individuals follow. If the laws are strict and followed strictly, it’s likely that individuals will not get involved in crime even when they are so vulnerable. The examples of strains given include financial strains after losing a job or when one’s goals have not been achieved. Psychological problems are also attributed to the individual’s personality that can lead to his indulgence in crime. According to a report by the Strategic Policy Brief on theories causing crime, supporting positive parenting practices can be used a major way of curbing crime at a primary stage (p. 2). In such a case the individual becomes frustrated or may decide to launch a revenge on the individuals facilitating or causing the strain. Therefore, to a great extent the society is the one to blame compared to the individual. According to Mantle, Fox and Dhami (2005), restorative justice should be used to rehabilitate the individuals who are deviant (p. 2). References Agnew, R. S. (2008). Strain Theories. Encyclopedia of Social Problems, 332-338. Bursik, R. J. (1988). Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency: problems and Prospects, Criminology, 26(4). Mantle, G., Fox, D. & Dhami, K. M. (2005). Restorative Justice and Three Individual Theories of Crime, Internet Journal of Criminology, 1-36. Marks, R. S. (Durkeim’s Theory of Anomie, American Journal of Sociology, 80(2), 329-363. Mohamadi, M. S., Babaee, H. & Khaledian, M. (2012). From the individuals fault to the construct of power (Development and changes of crime theories), International Letter of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 16(1), 96-107. Murphy, J. (January 6, 2002). Letwin says society creates criminals, The Telegraph, Available at. Schmideberg, M. (1947). Psychological Factors Underlying Criminal Behavior, Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, (7), 458-476. Strategic Policy Brief. (March 2009). Theories of the Causes of Crime, 1-4. Read More