Why Do People Commit Crime?

[Discombobbled]

I've spent alot of time studying this matter and after several years, and discussions with many experts in the field, I still don't have a complete answer.There are many theories, most have to do with free will, biology, and social environment. Others have to do with broken windows (dilapidation creates and encourages more) and issues of social control or social roles that serve to perpetuate the existence of social class. After all of the effort I have put into this, I have come to one conclusion. DESPAIR. People engage in criminal behaviour because they have an overwhelming amount of despair that they can't, or don't know how to, overcome.

Let's face it, when you have nothing, and have no skills to elevate your status, you do what you have to to survive. This in turn leads to serious addictions that simply perpetuate the despair. Then in turn, one does what they must to feed their addiction to continue to escape their despair. It's a theory, I don't have all the answers to the very confused human condition, but what do you think? Please keep in mind that my theory is not relevant to psychopaths or others who commit serious violence in order to get off. That is a completely different matter.

 

[rollerboy]

Pretty weak theory, DC. One size fits all explanation of crime.

You should ask yourself, "Why do people obey the law?" If I'm hungry, I see piles of food set out on stands, natural instinct would be to simply eat some of that food. Adherence to the law is complex learned behavior, and requires significant psychological and physical resources.

If your claim were correct, we would expect to see high rates of criminal behavior among those suffering from depression, and I know of no such correlation. The most significant generic factor correlated to crime appears to be demographics, the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by young men from 17 to 26.

Your proposition smacks of what Alan Dershowitz calls "The Abuse Excuse." Billions of people endure poverty, suffering, lack of opportunity, and even horrific abuses, and do not turn into criminals.

 

[Discombobbled]

Pretty weak theory, DC. One size fits all explanation of crime.

You should ask yourself, "Why do people obey the law?" If I'm hungry, I see piles of food set out on stands, natural instinct would be to simply eat some of that food. Adherence to the law is complex learned behavior, and requires significant psychological and physical resources.

If your claim were correct, we would expect to see high rates of criminal behavior among those suffering from depression, and I know of no such correlation. The most significant generic factor correlated to crime appears to be demographics, the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by young men from 17 to 26.

Your proposition smacks of what Alan Dershowitz calls "The Abuse Excuse." Billions of people endure poverty, suffering, lack of opportunity, and even horrific abuses, and do not turn into criminals.

I hear what you're saying but you're looking at things at the surface. The concept of looking at things at the surface doesn't explain anything. Look to what I am saying at a deeper level, then analyze, the answers lie in the deepest darkest carverns that exist within the mind.

 

[Ilovethemall]

interesting thread

Interesting idea, I don't think there is any one answer. I have known people (and been one) that have been totally broke, no heat, no lights etc. But at some point you dig down deep and work your way out of it. However, when you are at that low point, you still need a bit of luck, something that goes your way, whether it is getting a lead on a job or just help from a friend - then if you have it in you, you see a way out.

On the other hand, there are some very smart criminals that could certainly do well in the legit world - in that case, do they steal because it is easier? The quick way to make a buck and if it is at someone else's expense, they don't care? Are they just lazy? Do they just not give a crap about anyone but themselves?

I suggest that there are a myriad of reasons why there is crime - some of which can be addressed and some of which need to result in the habitual criminal never seeing the light of day.

I really doubt there is one all encompassing reason.

 

[pleasure-hunter]

despair?

Maybe Conrad Black, and the other guys from Enron, WorldCom, etc. were in despair?

 

[Ilovethemall]

Hmmmmm

I think they fall into the "criminals that should never see the light day" category.

 

[LonelyGhost]

This is why I could never go back to U ... this liberal crap has been around for decades and rather than helping to alleviate poverty and crime, it has created generations of whiners and criminals who all believe they are entitled to their actions without recourse because they are poor or ethnic or ADD or whatever the disease of the week is right now.

I believe that society facilitates opportunities, but it is your individual responsibility, no matter what your circumstances, to make the best of it.

If the best you can make of it is to be a criminal, then take responsibility for it.

Caveat: I strongly support the decriminalization and legalization of ALL drugs and prostitution and do not consider them 'crimes' or 'criminals'.

 

[vancouverman]

Caveat: I strongly support the decriminalization and legalization of ALL drugs and prostitution and do not consider them 'crimes' or 'criminals'.

right ... and when they create places to shoot free drugs up your arm .... please do not forget about creating some free places for pooning too

 

[Discombobbled]

This is why I could never go back to U ... this liberal crap has been around for decades and rather than helping to alleviate poverty and crime, it has created generations of whiners and criminals who all believe they are entitled to their actions without recourse because they are poor or ethnic or ADD or whatever the disease of the week is right now.

I believe that society facilitates opportunities, but it is your individual responsibility, no matter what your circumstances, to make the best of it.

If the best you can make of it is to be a criminal, then take responsibility for it.

Caveat: I strongly support the decriminalization and legalization of ALL drugs and prostitution and do not consider them 'crimes' or 'criminals'.

Ghost I hear what you're saying, but you are analyzing at one level up. It's not about justification (everyone has that) it's about why? Why does someone chose (rich or poor) to engage in crime when there are other options? Or, are there other options?

For instance, read the book 'A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey, it's not about deferring responsibility, it's about taking responsibility. The question is why?

 

[Ilovethemall]

all drugs?

Crystal meth, ecstasy, crack.....not sure I can take that leap amigo.

Weed, sure, it is just the "prohibition" of the moment.

Ponder this - tobacco companies are getting their asses sued for liability. If the gov't legalizes all this stuff, would they not be liable for all the resultant health problems etc.? In other words, johhny taxpayer would be paying for it??

 

[Discombobbled]

Crystal meth, ecstasy, crack.....not sure I can take that leap amigo.

Weed, sure, it is just the "prohibition" of the moment.

Ponder this - tobacco companies are getting their asses sued for liability. If the gov't legalizes all this stuff, would they not be liable for all the resultant health problems etc.? In other words, johhny taxpayer would be paying for it??

I'm not sure what your point is Mall? The thread isn't about legal ramifications or judgments, it's about why people chose the worst? Why do people chose crack or meth, knowing full well the ultimate results?

 

[Miss Jones]

After all of the effort I have put into this, I have come to one conclusion. DESPAIR. People engage in criminal behaviour because they have an overwhelming amount of despair that they can't, or don't know how to, overcome.

Let's face it, when you have nothing, and have no skills to elevate your status, you do what you have to to survive.

I don't think that theory will hold up well. You may see crime more often in lower social classes, but that certainly doesn't mean that upper social classes aren't every bit as criminally inclined. There are many reasons why an individual would indulge in criminal behavior. Poverty and desperation are just the obvious reasons and the ones that lead to actual convictions, which is probably how you came up with your theory.

Skill and a higher tax bracket doesn't make a person any less inclined to commit a crime. It only makes one more able to avoid arrest or hire a better lawyer to avoid a conviction which throws any stats you might be working with way off.

 

[Chantal]

I Like these topics

Reason being the topics are somewhat deep at times...I love the pics,and the humor as well,but in MHO I believe it has a lot to do with the children parents...to some degree..I hear a little boy say and he says,"guess what"?when a kid does not feel loved ...the gangs will love them..lack of caring parents,lack of love in the world..and many lost souls out there???Guess???....Dysfunction...Ignorance......A need for more balance in one's life..as to focus to reality..Drugs is a form of destruction crystal meth..guess you don't want to be here.....(that's a killer)..I'm out of here anyway..have a good day every one...

 

[Ais]

I think that greed is a powerful factor contributing to crime. We always want more money, a nicer car, a nicer place to live, nicer or more clothes, more pooning etc etc.

 

[Discombobbled]

I don't think that theory will hold up well. You may see crime more often in lower social classes, but that certainly doesn't mean that upper social classes aren't every bit as criminally inclined. There are many reasons why an individual would indulge in criminal behavior. Poverty and desperation are just the obvious reasons and the ones that lead to actual convictions, which is probably how you came up with your theory.

Skill and a higher tax bracket doesn't make a person any less inclined to commit a crime. It only makes one more able to avoid arrest or hire a better lawyer to avoid a conviction which throws any stats you might be working with way off.

Again, this is not about class or money, or social position. All social positions commit crime. The thread is about why? What is in the human mind or condition that determines whether one choses to commit such crimes? All things being equal, some choose crime, some don't. Why?

 

[LonelyGhost]

The question is why?

unfortunately, coming from a background in methodology that is the one question that cannot be answered!

and don't forget that most 'crimes' are simply social constructs with moral undertones: someone in business who acts a certain way is seen as a daring entrepreneur while someone doing the same thing on the street is a criminal!

You should be asking who decides what is crime? How do these definitions develop, who implements them and how are they maintained?

You cannot measure a 'motivation' and therefore 'why' is not a valid question.

 

[LonelyGhost]

Crystal meth, ecstasy, crack.....not sure I can take that leap amigo.

Weed, sure, it is just the "prohibition" of the moment.

Ponder this - tobacco companies are getting their asses sued for liability. If the gov't legalizes all this stuff, would they not be liable for all the resultant health problems etc.? In other words, johhny taxpayer would be paying for it??

Tobacco companies actually used to advertise the health benefits of smoking! They had actors dressed up as 'doctors' promulgating 'advice' about how smoking their cigarettes would make you a healthier and happier person!

They also suppressed and denied any research that suggested a link between smoking and any adverse health effects.

No one in their right mind would advertise drugs as making your life better, and they could be treated like many of the prescribed drugs now on the market.

By the way, if you take a moment to go through the Drug Compendium, you will find that there are significant detrimental effects on your health from taking most of the 'prescribed' medications. However, the drug industry lobbies for those to be considered 'incidental' but some court cases have over-ridden that nonsense and held the companies liable for their actions.

Legitimizing drugs is not a a panacea, it does, however, transfer resources from violent police interventions to a 'health model' that won't cure the problem, but might save a few lives (the police etc) instead.

 

[Miss Jones]

Again, this is not about class or money, or social position. All social positions commit crime. The thread is about why? What is in the human mind or condition that determines whether one choses to commit such crimes? All things being equal, some choose crime, some don't. Why?

Too many variables for you to ever have it pinned down to one cause. Some that immediately come to mind that would involve more of a gleeful outlook when committing crime than one of despair:

Intelligence: One could argue that highly intelligent individuals are too smart to commit crime, but a mensa qualifying IQ can also lead to the sort of boredom that drives a person to color outside the lines.

Egomaniacal personality: Laws were created for everyone but them.

Simple rebellion: Possibly a strict upbringing. More than happy to sieze the opportunity to do what they want rather than what someone else says they should.

Slightly more complicated rebellion: "The system" should be bucked. Screw em all. Stick it to "the man".

Over privileged upbringing: Didn't even realize it was criminal. If it's self gratifying, they'll do it. Consequence comes as a surprise. Genuine ignorance really does exist on some levels.

It could ultimately only result in a migraine trying to figure out the "why" behind crime. The only real "why" I personally can offer to this quest of yours is because, at least in my experience with them, humans have consistently proven to be an odd bunch. Whether suffering any sort of despair or happy as clams, raised right or raised wrong, rich or poor, smart or stupid, skilled or simple,they just keep doing the damnedest things. I honestly think that if you were to view each and every crime as an isolated incident, the reasons behind it would seldom be the same.

 

[threepeat]

Path of least resistance

There is a much better income-to-work ratio in crime, unless you get caught or get involved in a turf war, so someone who sell drugs can achieve the same lifestyle as someone who went to university and worked their way up the employment ladder. The only thing they have to do is be careful to not get caught and to get over their morals. I think once they do it the first time, it starts them on a slippery slope because they can only keep a small circle of friends that they trust, all of whom share the same morals and lifestyle as them, so it becomes a self-perpetuating thing. Once they do it long enough, it becomes both a habit and the only thing they know how to do. Kind of sad really.

 

[Discombobbled]

Too many variables for you to ever have it pinned down to one cause. Some that immediately come to mind that would involve more of a gleeful outlook when committing crime than one of dispair:

Intelligence: One could argue that highly intelligent individuals are too smart to commit crime, but a mensa qualifying IQ can also lead to the sort of boredom that drives a person to color outside the lines.

Egomaniacal personality: Laws where created for everyone but them.

Simple rebellion: Possibly a strict upbringing. More than happy to sieze the opportunity to do what they want rather than what someone else says they should.

Slightly more complicated rebellion: "The system" should be bucked. Screw em all. Stick it to "the man".

Over priveledged upbringing: Didn't even realize it was crimial. If it's self gratifying, they'll do it. Consequence comes as a surprise. Genuine ignorance really does exist on some levels.

It could ultimately only result in a migraine trying to figure out the "why" behind crime. The only real "why" I personally can offer to this quest of yours is because, at least in my experience with them, humans have consistently proven to be an odd bunch. Whether suffering any sort of despair or happy as clams, raised right or raised wrong, rich or poor, smart or stupid, skilled or simple,they just keep doing the damnedest things. I honestly think that if you were to view each and every crime as an isolated incident, the reasons behind it would seldom be the same.

Decent analysis, although I would like to point out some ineffectual theory if you don't mind?

First, highly intelligent individuals are too smart to commit crime. I have 3 post secondary degrees, numerous publications, and am probably considered above normal intelligence. When I was a teen ager, I went completely wild and broke many laws, some I went to court for. I remember i was in constant despair.

Second, Simple rebellion: Possibly a strict upbringing. More than happy to sieze the opportunity to do what they want rather than what someone else says they should. SEE ABOVE.

Third, Slightly more complicated rebellion: "The system" should be bucked. Screw em all. Stick it to "the man". Why stick it to the man without a reason? People act against something if they don't like it. There's a reason for it.

Fouth, Over priveledged upbringing: Didn't even realize it was crimial. If it's self gratifying, they'll do it. Consequence comes as a surprise. Genuine ignorance really does exist on some levels. So why do identical twins, in the same circumstances, make different choices?

Frankly, your last determination makes the most sense to me. Humans are whacked and that's the way it is. My point is, considering our oversized brains and supposed progress, need it be that way?