If Crime is Normal why is so much Effort Devoted to its Control - Essay Example

 If Crime is Normal why is so much Effort devoted to its Control? Introduction For century’s crime and the effort to control it has always been an extremely central part of the social world in which human beings live. There has never been an instance in time, in the beginning of humanity whatsoever where there have not been cases of crime occurring. There are ultimately those who conform to the correct and acceptable ways of society life and those who break those conformities and therefore are considered to be breaking the law. This is perhaps why it is considered a normal occurrence in communities everywhere in the world. For instance, every human being has free will and free choice, they have the mentality to know right from wrong and they choose what path to take. This, from a sociological and psychological perspective is considered to be normal behavior in society. Thereby criminal intentions and actions are norms in the world even though they go against the very morals that societies have established. This is perhaps why law enforcement attempts to control and minimize these adversities even though they are everyday forms of existence as well. Again, even though crime is an existential part of existence, it is considered by many to be similar to a plague that has not been able to be washed away from society completely and therefore has remained for decades. Because of this many theorizations about crime have developed to analyze why it exists, why it has become something that is looked upon as normal, and what the causes of it actually are as well. Dolan, a criminological researcher and writer (1994), claims that crime has become something so familiar in society, basically due to the classical socioeconomic causes of it. This can be traced as far back as the 15th century in England, when crime was at times rampant and extremely violent, more so than it even is today. Crime in the 1500’s took on the form of petty treason among servants and sometimes even the owners of these servants as well. From this it developed into more severe atrocities in society, sometimes becoming murder where the deceitful wife killed her husband as he slept, and even on to more dramatic forms of crime that took England by storm such as the crimes of “Jack the Ripper” (Valier 2003, pg. 34). The issues of crime in society are at times spell-binding and even terrifying as they take many forms and have the capability of taking place anywhere at anytime, again placing them as a severe adversity in society, but quite normal activity among human beings all over the world. The Influence of the Media on Crime and it’s Normalcy in Society The concept of crime being normal could possibly have a lot to do with how it is portrayed in the media and in literary works as well. Though Jack the Ripper’s violent crimes in England where horrible and appalling there were many fictionalized stories written about him, almost making him appear glamorous and inviting to many women in English society (Saltzman 1999, pg. 246). Literary writers and even news reporters bring violence into the home and into the communities, making it appear to be something that is unwittingly accepted as a natural human action. In fact it almost appears to be something that human beings anticipate and they never consider that crime might cease to exist from their lives. These writers push their talents into areas that draw upon spectacular violence such as “Jack the Ripper”, which has always projected into society. Even movies draw upon real life violent crimes, making them appear to be an everyday part of existence in society as well, almost as if the people themselves crave violence and find it enjoyable in an atmosphere where it appears to be totally fictionalized and purely for entertainment purposes only. This makes it seemingly a negative part of life that has become theatrical and entertaining at one point but in real life it is a negativity that society has simply adapted to with little choice. If the truth be told, there are those legal bodies who theorize that the media and literary elements are some of the main causes for drawing a picture of crime as being a normal idiom in the world (Taylor 1999). The fact is, despite how hard law enforcement tries to quell it and dispel the violent tendencies of criminals from society it still exists and again the perception is this is due to cinema, writers, reporters, and others in the entertainment industry who beef crime up simply to discuss it and make money off of it. These are the people who want it to have normalcy in society despite what they say otherwise. The Nature of Crime through the Centuries Before a human being can even attempt to search out solutions for this anomaly in society, they must come to understand what crime is and the very nature of crime itself. Researchers such as Savage & Kanazawa (2002) theorize that the acts of crime are simply normal human behaviors and crime itself is depicted or defined as an offence that is extremely harmful to those who respect the law and conform to it in societal communities (Savage & Kanazawa 2002, pg. 188). The main nature of crime, however, deals with the motives and the causes of its occurrence, which this idea in itself has not clear and concise explanation. Nevertheless, there are a myriad of theories that debate the causes of crime such as those associated with heredity, gender, and mental defects. However, none of these theories have proven to be substantial enough to decipher why crime takes place nor have they been able to provide a clear and irrefutable explanation of why it exists and why there exists a concept of it being a normal part of life either (Cohen & Machalek 1994, pg. 286). There are those researchers such as Cohen & Machalek (1994) who do place theorizations that crime can be explained through understanding contemporary sociological interactions in society. At the same time there are those who view crime as a totally abnormal behavior yet simultaneously accept Durkheim’s theory as viewing crime as something that is a normal part of life. This is totally contradictory yet it is the concept that exists among many criminologists and sociologists as well. Crime ultimately stems from the processes of social interactions, as the Durkheimian approach suggests, and it develops a link between social every day activities and the reasoning’s that some people develop about crime and engaging in it (Beirne 1987, pg. 785). For years criminologists have debated on whether or not the possibility exists that crime is looked upon as normal because society itself is the root cause of it? This is a feasible concept as every action that takes place in society has an affect on every individual involved or even involved by a secondary position that they have with someone else. Durkheim argued that as levels of social solidarity increased and as an individual was squeezed out of the normal environment in society so the increase of crime took place (Miller 1996, pg. 3). Because of these various associations of crime and social interactions, Durkheim continuously stressed how crime was a natural and inevitable part of human society because it actually was born from it. He also stated that despite how normal crime might be in society, law enforcement had to devise ways to control it to keep this type of adverse behavior down to a minimal amount. Durkeheim views the way in which crime is seemingly controlled and minimized as a means of retribution for those in society who have been wronged or hurt by crime. Controlling crime is therefore also a natural interaction of people in societal environments and it always has been as well (Wild 1990, pg. 420). Actions that are criminal stem from individuals who commit them but they learn this type of activity from somewhere. Society is the definite cause of crime because research has proven many children who are developing in life and who are neglected or mistreated by people in society are nine times out of ten the very ones who commit crime as adults. In this regard it is easily seen how crime has become such a normal part of existence because ultimately it is born within each new generation of young people. During the early stages of childhood, the most important part of development takes place. If there is a significant lack of attention and interaction during this time, the child may end up being drawn away from society and isolated. Just as Durkeheim’s theory suggests social isolation and solidarity increases the risk of individuals engaging in criminal activities due to these various societal issues in their lives (Whyte 2004, pg. 395). Sometimes it is the parents' fault for not being able to raise socially competent children and other times it is institutions such as public schools. Certain children need that extra help or support that may not be provided at school. These children then end up turning to crime such as theft or drug dealing in order to compensate. Their life lesson is in the streets not in the homes or schools. Also, this idea of social norms put such an emphasis on acceptance that children who do not fit in become alienated. A healthy life needs some acceptance from friends and family, but if a child experiences a lack of it, the results could be tragic. Consequently, a childhood that includes economical, social and traumatic events is the foundations of a criminal. If it continues to go unaddressed, the community itself is just adding to the problem. Unfortunately society has come to accept the inadequacies that exist in raising competent young men and women and they realize there exists sociological problems that do give rise to criminal actions. Hence the idea that crime is a normal part of society has been proven yet again. Why Control Crime if it is so Normal in Society? Despite how normal crime is in society the police have an obligation to those in the communities to attempt to maintain order and a sense of control to keep it at a minimal level at all times (Emsley 2001). It may be surprising for some of us to learn that the duties of the police do not just involve fighting crime, apprehending criminals, chasing thieves and other 'crime busting' duties, but include traffic control, dealing with community and social nuisance problems, attending sports/social events, crime prevention advice and many other less pressing tasks, in other words, 'order maintenance'. The police force as we know it today has changed radically from the first policemen that patrolled the streets in the 19th century and criminologists have recently played a large part in influencing police strategies. Recently, a return back to the early days of maintaining order has seemed to have emerged with the appearance of the 'broken windows' theory, an approach to policing that emphasizes creating and maintaining orderly public spaces. suggesting that continuing urban decay of a community will lead to higher levels of crime and disorder (Harcourt 2001, pg. 81). Bernard Harcourt, (2001) in his book 'Illusion of Order - the false promise of broken windows policing', suggests that no studies establish a link between neighborhood disorder and serious crime. Nevertheless there needs to be community policing and initiatives by the police to monitor behavior patterns in the communities so that they can attempt to keep crime and intentions of crime down to a safe level. The main reason that there is policing or a need to control crime therefore is due to the need to protect the citizens in the communities, more so than for anything else. It is an obligation of law enforcement and one that they recognize fully. New laws have now been introduced in England which are giving police extended powers of arrest and thus patrolling officers are and have been being encouraged to show a 'zero tolerance' to citizens committing minor incivilities (Klockars 1988, pg. 18). Drunks on the streets are incarcerated, and street hookers; litter droppers and graffiti artists are being fined and cautioned while rowdy teenagers are being told to 'keep quiet'. The perception is that by concentrating police resources on maintaining order, real results can be produced to minimize adverse behaviors despite how normal they are or have been in the past. Criminal actions are simply not acceptable and have to be controlled in order to maintain control. Conclusion The highly visible sign of a broken window (or graffiti, litter etc) signifies to a potential criminal a lack of control where disorderly conduct has been allowed to flourish and suggests to them a community vulnerable and open to criminal activity. This is why, regardless of how researchers debate the normalcy of crime levels in society, police still have to enforce law and order to protect the people. Without police regulation in the communities there would be no deterrents against crime and thus there would form an inability by local residents to not enforce social order and control in their own neighborhoods. Moreover, residents would withdraw from enforcing neighborhood social controls, and thus allow for further incivilities to take place. The criminal would then, upon observing the signs of urban decay, conclude that this lack of order maintenance is his 'green light' to carry out criminal activities. Therefore, the so called 'broken window' in effect would be acting as his 'open door' to crime. Maintaining order may seem trivial and not as important as tackling some of the more serious crimes that beleaguer our streets. At first glance, violent crimes may appear to produce a more plausible sense of fear in the community. There is, however, a real sense of vulnerability felt by citizens having to deal with disorderly conduct on a daily basis, in fact, confrontations of this kind can seem as frightening as dealing with an intruder. It is this vulnerability that criminals prey on, as a strong community with a zero tolerance of disorder would prove to be a greater deterrent to a potential criminal. Notes 1. Bierne, Piers, “Between Classicism and Positivism: Crime and Penalty in the Writings of Gabriel Tarde,” Criminology 25 (1987): 785. 2. Cohen, Lawrence & Machalek, Richard, “The Normalcy of Crime,” Rationality and Society 6 (1994): 286-308. 3. Emsley, C, The Origins and Development of Police in Controlling Crime (Oxford: Sage Publications, 2001). 4. Dolan, Francis, Dangerous Familiars: Representations of Domestic Crime in England in 1550-1700 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994): 258. 5. Harcourt, B, Illusion of Order: The False Promise of the Broken Windows Policing (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2001): 81. 6. Klockars, C, Key Issues in Police Work in Controlling Crime (London: Sage Publications, 1988): 18. 7. Miller, Watts, Durkehim, Morals, and Modernity (London, ULC Press Publication, 1996): 3-288. 8. Saltzman, Arthur, “Avid Monsters: The Look of Agony in Contemporary Literature,” Journal of Twentieth Century Literature 45 (1999): 246. 9. Savage, Joanne & Kanazawa, Satoshi, “Social Capital, Crime, and Human Nature,” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 18 (2002): 188-211. 10. Taylor, Ian, “Crime and Social Criticism,” Social Justice 26 (1999). 11. Valier, Claire, Crime and Punishment in Contemporary Culture (London: Rutledge Press, 2003): 34-177. 12. Whyte, Bill, “Responding to Youth Crime in Scotland,” British Journal of Social Work 34 (2004): 395-411. 13. Wild, Jonathan, “A Most Enduring Problem: Police Complaints Reform in England and Wales,” Journal of the Sociology of Law 26 (1990): 419-435. Read More