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Natalie Rahrovi

Professor Coleman

Sociology 250

30 March 2024

​ ​ ​ ​ Criminology Final Project

Crime is a prevalent issue all around the world, which has continued to have an

everlasting impact on society. Recent data has shown how crime has significantly increased over

the last years. In California alone, the golden state’s violent crime has risen by 6.1% in 2022.

Communities can be severely affected by crimes. It’s crucial to consider that numerous factors

can influence criminal behavior. These factors can include social and economic factors such as

poverty, limited resources to education, racism and discrimination, and more. Many individuals

have lost loved ones over senseless crimes and are unable to seek justice and closure. It’s no

secret that the presence of crime exists and is a concerning issue each and every day.

Theories of Crime

Society views crime as an act of deviance and those who participate in criminal behavior

are deviant and are a major threat to society. Deviance is referred to as the act of violating social

norms and expectations. There are biological and psychological theories behind deviant

behavior. Firstly, the biological theory of crime and deviance proposes that a person deviates

from social norms mostly because of their biological makeup. This means that using biological

reasoning could help explain criminality, as it pertains to formal deviance. Formal deviance can

be traced back to the Italian School of Criminology where a medical criminologist named Cesare

Lombroso proposed that criminality was a biological trait found in some individuals. He used the

term atavism to describe the appearance of organisms resembling ancestral forms of life. He also
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believed that atavism could be identified by physical stigmata. This includes a protruding jaw,

sloping shoulders, dropping eyes, large ears, and a coccyx that resembled “the stump of a tail.”

However, the concept of atavism can now be seen as harmful and considered as scientific racism.

As mentioned, there are psychological theories behind deviance. These theories use psychology

to explain an individual’s motivation or compulsion to engage in criminal behavior. Deviance

can be influenced by psychological trauma of one’s past. This can be referred to as

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. PTSD is a psychological condition where a

traumatic event in one’s past causes them to have abnormal reactions to stimuli. The main

difference between both theories behind deviance is that psychological theories use the biology

of the brain, while biological theories use biological traits from the body to explain deviant

behavior.

Acts of Violent Crime

One of the most significant crimes that has taken a toll on society is violent crime. These

violent crimes consist of manslaughter, rape, and assault. These violent acts of crime further

influence fear in individuals, who are afraid of being a victim. The rise in fear allows individuals

to feel the need to protect themselves and their property. One of the most common acts of violent

crime is homicide. Homicide is the unlawful and intentional killing of a human being. The

suspect is responsible for the cause of another person’s death or serious injury. Homicides

include first and second degree murder. First degree murder consists of the offender forming the

intent to harm others, with malice aforethought. Second degree murder only requires malice

aforethought. On the other hand, voluntary manslaughter is the unlawful killing of someone

without having the intention of harming them. This can include someone committing a crime in

the heat of the moment, without having malice intent. Involuntary manslaughter is an unlawful
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death resulting from the careless or reckless acts of the suspect. This can include texting while

driving and crashing into someone. Rape of sexual assault is another form of violent crime. This

is where the offender sexually forces themselves on another human, without having consent. This

act can be carried out when the victim is unconscious or incapable of giving verbal consent, as

well as under the legal age of consent. Forms of rape include same sex rape, gang rape, spousal

rape, and date rape. Assault is a form of violent behavior in which a person physically harms

another human being. This doesn’t just mean physical contact, but by creating fear by

threatening to injure or harm someone. Assault is mostly common in family or partner settings,

also known as domestic violence. According to the United Nations, domestic violence is a

“pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over

an intimate partner.” It’s the intent of one partner to show dominance and maintain power and

control through forms of physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological abuse. The detrimental

impact of violent crime has upset many individuals in society.

The Criminal Justice System

​ The criminal justice system was formed in order to hold offenders accountable for their

crimes. This is done by prosecuting, defending, and sentencing individuals who are responsible

for committing a crime. Moreover, the criminal justice system has been exposed for being unfair

and unjust. In many instances, the justice system has convicted innocent people of murder and

had them face sentencing and punishment, even though they had no involvement in the crime.

This further shows the biggest flaws and problems that the criminal justice system still possesses.

One of the biggest flaws is individuals who are wrongfully convicted of murder to their skin

color. More often than not, Black Americans are targeted by law enforcement, as they’re

immediately seen as suspects of a crime. Furthermore, Black Americans are more likely to face
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imprisonment than their white peers. According to the article One in Five: Racial Disparity in

Imprisonment, the author Nazgol Ghandnoosh reveals, “brought more charges and secured more

convictions per case for people of color than whites, contributing to their acquiring a “habitual

offender” status and facing harsher future treatment in the courts. State prosecutors have been

more likely to charge Black than similarly situated white defendants under habitual offender

law.” The criminal justice system further shows how society cares more about punishment than

rehabilitation. Offenders, especially people of color, are more likely to face harsh punishment

like the death penalty. Furthermore, depending on the crime and its severity, the criminal justice

system should focus on ensuring that juvenile offenders should receive necessary resources,

instead of facing harsh sentencing. The juvenile offender could’ve possibly endured trauma from

their abusive and neglected households, which led them to act out and react. Introducing

intervention and prevention programs, especially education would be a great alternative.

Educational programs can provide children with useful skills and knowledge on different

approaches to take, instead of resorting to violence. They can also be provided with support

systems to address their trauma, so that this behavior is prevented in the future. This shows the

severe treatment and racial biases under the criminal justice system.

The Demographic Variables of Crime

The main demographic variables of criminality are gender, race, ethnicity, and age. These

variables are predominantly linked to crime. Firstly, social backgrounds of female offenders tend

to be similar to male offenders. Male and female offenders typically come from low economic

status, not well-educated, and disproportionately from minority groups. The main difference is

the greater presence of children among female offenders. Case studies have shown that females

are less likely to engage in criminal behavior than males. They are also far less likely to repeat
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their violent offenses and are more likely to desist from further violence. Additionally, gender

differences can be explained using the general strain theory. This theory suggests how

individuals respond to the strain they endure and how men and women cope differently with it.

For instance, men are more likely to face harsh punishments and no support system around them.

This causes them to engage in aggressive or violent behavior than women. Men are likely to be

more reactionary to stress by acting aggressively. However, women are less likely to engage in

violent behavior due to limited opportunities presented to them. They have higher parental

supervision and they’re more dedicated to focusing on their family and friends. They tend to

have more of a support system around them and can reach out for help when needed. Race and

ethnicity can also be linked to crime, especially through incarceration. In drug offenses alone, 2/3

of all people incarcerated were people of color. In 2002, 32.5% of drug arrestees were African

American, when only 15% of the country’s drug users were black, compared to 72% of users

who were white. In 2015, for black males, 1 in every 10 is in prison with the majority being

incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses. It’s important to mention that age can be an important

variable in criminality. Young people are more likely to engage in crime than adults, with 15-20

year old men being the most common offenders. This is because younger people tend to fall

under pressure from their peers to come off as tough and careless. They also have the desire to

break the rules without considering the consequences for their actions and not caring about

authorities. Overall, these demographic variables have been the main predictors of crime.

Shaw and Mckay’s Social Disorganization Theory

Clifford Shaw and Henry Mckay were able to explain why race and ethnicity didn’t have

an immense impact on criminality. The traditional wisdom or casual racism was based on how

bad people, certain ethnic groups, recent immigrants, and socially ‘sick’ groups brought with
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them criminal modes of existence. However, Shaw and Mckay demonstrated that crime was

influenced by the neighborhood, rather than the inherent qualities of the people that lived there.

Their research further highlighted that crime rates remained stagnant, even when new

immigrants or other ethnicities would move through neighborhoods. When more immigrants

started to face upward mobility and achieve "the American Dream” , they started moving into

wealthier and newer neighborhoods with lower crime rates. They did not take their criminogenic

ways with them because it was the characteristics of the neighborhood rather than their race and

ethnicity that increased crime rates. Shaw and Mckay used concentric zones to display five,

distinct, ecological areas from one another with different characteristics or properties that

influence criminal behavior. Factors such as; the age of the neighborhood, high investment and

low investment, and residential and commercial were all considered to distinguish each zone

from one another. The transitional zone faced higher crime rates and criminal activity due to

experiencing population turnover. This means people don’t establish social bonds or reach out

to the community and experience higher levels of anomie. Shaw and Mckay’s theory

demonstrated how ecological factors should be considered in the causes of criminal activity.

In conclusion, society’s views on crime are influenced by a wide variety of factors,

especially by the criminal justice system. It serves as a reflection of our direct values and

opinions. The criminal justice system is deeply flawed and we must address the root cause of its

impact. Crime has always and will continue to be a social problem. It has now been integrated as

a normal part of society. “Society prepares the crime, the criminal commits it.”

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References

Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph. D. (2023, December 7). One in five: Racial disparity in imprisonment -

causes and remedies. The Sentencing Project.

https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/one-in-five-racial-disparity-in-imprisonment-cau

ses-and-remedies/

United Nations. (n.d.). What is domestic abuse?. United Nations.

https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abuse