Deviant Behavior: Crime

Deviant behavior is one that goes against social norms. It is the type of behavior that is socially unacceptable and can be punished by law in instances where it negatively affects other people. Deviant behavior manifests itself in various ways, one of which is crime.

In this case, the question is, “what are the roots causes of violent crime?” The chief underlying cause of crime in the United States lies in a violent childhood. Most people engage in crime out of necessity and when times change, they do it out of habit. (Fagan, 1995). According to Fagan’s (1995) research, children who hail from unstable homes and neighborhoods are more prone to crime than those from regular families. Evidence points out that children who lack parental guidance, especially from their fathers, are more predisposed to crime. It also documents that children from broken homes tend to be more violent than other kids (Fagan, 1995). When they grow up, they become criminals who find it hard to reform, and some die in illegal activities while others get locked up in jail for extended periods of time.

Another research by Little (2014) studies what crime is and how criminals can be controlled. Little studied Canadian case where certain policies were implemented to deal with the rising rates of crime. The method was effective because it brought crime down. Moreover, there were reports of racial discrimination where the police officer monitored black people more than the whites. Eventually, the number of blacks being taken to prison increased significantly hence giving a false indication that black people are more criminal than the whites. The method used to collect data in Canada showed the victimization of the aboriginals and African-American citizens. The statistics gathered mostly from sampling in prisons showed the rising number of aboriginals and African-Americans in prisons. Further observation indicated that the two groups of people were discriminated against white people, which is connected to the high number percentages of these two groups in prison cells.

Evan Defilippis and Devin Hughes looked at crime from the perspective of gun ownership in the society. The research question in this instance was whether gun ownership’s reduced or increased violent crime rates in the society. They argue that the more guns that people had, the more violent crimes were reported (Defilippis and Hudges). According to the population in the American society, many thought that the more guns people could own the less the crimes said would be. With violent crimes, the people use the weapons mostly guns to scare their victims into submission and then go ahead and attack them. The violent crimes are an advanced form of deviant behaviour by the people who commit the crimes. The exhibition of violence in people is the fact the guns that people have been not protected like it is the case with the guns that the police officers have and use. Few people are trained properly on how to handle guns and even when to use them. The violent criminals use their weapons carelessly and even unnecessarily.

The three authors have researched violent crime as a form of deviant behaviour. The methods used when conducting the research on violent crimes in the society includes; questionnaires and interviews as well as observations. The numbers realized were used to show the level of violent crime in the society. The same numbers apply to the study of deviant behaviour in the society. At the end of the day the criminal conduct that people execute is a clear indication of the effect deviant behaviour has in the society. It is also evident that the people in the society who engage in violent crime are those who have previously had challenges growing up, and the behaviour is a result of past experiences. The three researchers have also provided statistics to support their findings. The possession of guns by civilians was also part of the reason crime was not being dealt with properly. Many people want to have the weapons at home and shoot at anything that scares them. This increases the cases of violent crimes in homes because the criminals will always go armed even when the victims are unarmed.

To conclude, the rates of crime in the community are a mirror of the parenting children receive as they grow. The findings of studies conducted by professionals about the origin of crime give a useful insight into the role of family in the society. The rates of crime in most cases are a result of the stability of families and their social standing. The crime rate in the United States shows the effect of deviant behavior going undetected and untamed for an extended period. Engaging in crime is defying the rule of law which falls into the category of deviant behavior.

References.

Defilippis, Evan, and Devin Hudges.  ‘Study Links Higher Gun Ownership To Higher Violent Crime’. The Trace. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Sept. 2015.

Fagan, P. F. (1995). The real root causes of violent crime: the breakdown of marriage, family, and community. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1995/03/bg1026nbsp-the-real-root-causes-of-violent-crime

Little, W. (2014). Deviance, crime, and social control. In S. Vyain, G. Scaramuzzo, S. Cody-Rydzewski, H. Griffiths, E. Strayer, N. Keirns, R. McGivern (Eds.), Introduction to Sociology. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from http://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter7-deviance-crime-and-social-control/