Every year FBI records thousands of violent
crimes and property crimes in the United States. Crimes in all forms are an
unfortunate part of the society. However, most of the people are not criminals,
so it becomes vital to understand what drives certain people to commit criminal
acts. As per Judge Charles Burns, this question has
plagued humanity since the beginnings of civilization, and today the study of
criminology has taken a scientific approach to finding answers. Even though
each person who commits a crime would have their distinctive life situation and
reasons, there are certain factors that may contribute to criminal behavior.
Judge Charles Burns lists certain factors
that may contribute to criminal behavior
People have tried to explain what causes
abnormal social behavior throughout history, including crime. Efforts for
controlling "bad" behavior go back to ancient Babylon's Code of
Hammurabi, around 3,700 years ago. By the 21st century, criminologists had
explored a variety of factors to understand why people commit crimes. These
factors include:
- Biological risk
factors: Much like people can choose their eye color, they cannot select
the chemical makeup of their brains. This may predispose people to a range
of complications, starting from epilepsy to clinical depression. Certain
criminologists think that biology can even predispose people to
criminality. This does not imply that criminals are born that way; rather,
biological factors have been shown to increase the odds of a person
committing a crime. These factors may include variances in autonomic
arousal, neurobiology, and neuro-endocrine functioning.
- Adverse
childhood experiences: How people are raised majorly impacts their
personality and life choices. Some people may experience an idyllic and
pleasant childhood, while others might be less fortunate. Kids who grow up
in a bad situation and environment tend to be at a greater risk for
criminal behavior in both their juvenile and adult years.
- Negative social
environment: People surrounding an individual does influence who they are.
Simply being in a high crime neighborhood for too long can increases the
chances of a person becoming a criminal themselves. However, just being in
the presence of criminals is not the only way the surrounding environment
of a person can affect their behavior. As per research, just living in
poverty increases the likelihood of a person being incarcerated. In case a
person is facing trouble making ends meet, they would be under intense
stress and have greater odds of resorting to crime.
- Substance abuse:
A high percentage of the American prison population has abused drugs or
alcohol. Moreover, a large number of people who get arrested test positive
for illegal drugs at the time of their arrest. Intoxicants like alcohol
lower inhibitions, while drugs like cocaine overexcite the nervous system
of a person. The physiological and psychological changes caused by
intoxicants impact the decision making and self control capabilities of a
person to a good extent. In fact, an altered state can lead directly to
committing a criminal act. A lot of addicts even turn to crime to pay for
drugs.
In the opinion of, Judge Charles Burns, criminal behavior is
quite a multifaceted issue, and is largely influenced by a combination of
individual, social, economic, and psychological element.
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