Topic: Criminal Minds

Limited Topic: Motives of Crime

Thesis Statement:
The various motives of crime include; drug addiction, anger and frustration, power and control,
thrill and excitement, basic needs and revenge.

Combined outline.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.

Introduction
Drug addiction.
Anger and frustration.
Power and control.
Thrill and excitement
Basic needs
Revenge.
Conclusion

I.

Kocsis (2002) Over the last 30 years the Australian population has grown by 50 per cent,
while recorded arsons have increased by almost 2,000 per cent.(p. 236). If the current arson rate
continues to grow as it has, the numbers of cases reported to police nationwide will
approximately double every 10 years. Motive is the why, the reason in the darkest chapter in the
darkest book in the darkest library. Motive plays an important role in criminal law. It is necessary
to prove liability for some offenses; it is a key component of several defenses; and it has been a
traditional consideration at sentencing. Motive is usually used in connection with Criminal Law
to explain why a person acted or refused to act in a certain way for example, to support the
prosecution's assertion that the accused committed the crime. Most criminals are influence to the
way of crime by some kind of ambition or purpose. Pressure, motives or weakness are examples
of ambitions that might turn an ethical person into a criminal. According to Shakespeare (1871),
Macbeth formerly a good man falls to the trap of evil as a result of being negatively ambition. He
was persuaded by pressure, motives, and weakness to completely change around his heroic and
humane way of life for an evil way of life. Most criminals are influence to the way of crime by
some kind of ambition or purpose. Pressure, motives or weakness are examples of ambitions that
might turn an ethical person into a criminal. (p.236)
There are many types of drugs; they can be classified into legal and illegal. The legal
drugs are basically medicinal while the latter is illegal and of one is found consuming or even in
possession of them will certainly face charges. Some of the illegal drugs are heroin, cocaine,
marijuana (illegal in some countries), and many more. The consumption of these drugs causes a
chemical effect that directly leads the consumer to perform actions that they wouldnt have
performed otherwise. For example consumption of alcohol would lead to violent behavior and on
the other hand consumption of marijuana would cause a person to hallucinate, be scared or even
feel overly courageous. According to Nurco et al (as cited in Blackburn 1998, p. 230) found that
many narcotic addicts engage in high rates of crime, of which only less than 1% result in arrest.
Most of these are theft and dealing to support the addiction. Nathan an 18 year old boy was
introduced to cocaine when he was 15 by a friend. Nathan loved the effect that sniffing cocaine
made in him. It made him come back for more all the time and eventually he became an addict
who could not function without a sniff. Nathan could not afford buying cocaine as it is so
expensive and therefore he turned to stealing so as to afford the cocaine. Cocaine is an expensive

and highly illegal drug. The highly priced cocaine leads addicts to steal or even go to the extent
of murdering someone to get access to cocaine.
Anger is a positive and negative emotion that can serve a protective function or cause
great destruction. Anger can vary in intensity from mild to extreme and each person has a
different level of control over this emotion. Anger is one of the root causes of crime for example
in a serial murder, anger can arise in the individual form the frustration and anxiety caused by a
lack of control in their lives. This anger seems to begin in childhood and continues into
adulthood. Serial murderers attempt to cope with their anger.
Power- Every human being, at a point in their life, strives to be in or to hold power over
something, a person or a group of people. Such individuals may be politicians, law-makers or
mother in a remote village located in any country. According to Larry J. Siegel (2011), power is
the ability of persons or groups to control the behavior of others, to shape public opinion and to
define deviance. The question is, how does power result to breaking of societal rules? Keeping
in mind that for there to be crime, there has to be rules! There is a thin line that separates what is
a social wrong and a right for what is a wrong in one society may not necessarily be a right in
another. Unlike the chicken and egg debate on what came first, I believe that if there were no
rules, crime wouldnt exist but this is just but a fantasy. Siegel further claims that during the
1960s and 1970s; periods characterized by unrest and social changes, it is stated that the root of
crime was as a result of unequal distribution of power and wealth and this is the same case with
todays society. Sadly, my country bares these scars. I remember seeing various communities
taking up pangas and arrows and went on a rampage against their fellow countrymen. And what
was the reason? Power is something that these countrymen couldnt hold or weigh! Power goes
hand in hand with what scholars in the culture call ethnocentrism; the idea and belief that your
culture is superior, powerful and special and this is the main reason for most hate crimes in the
21st century. They say, too much of everything is poisonous, in this case, power, a source of order
when over used or put in the wrong hands is indeed a vicious weapon.
A common saying states that curiosity killed the cat and this is a true fact. I believe
that each and every one of us has done a particular deed in which they had been instructed not to
but we still went ahead and did it only to suffer the consequences later. So what is the reason for
this breach of principal? Is it the criminal that exists in out personalities fighting to get out? Is it

just us being experimental? Recently I read a book and I realized that this otherwise rebellious
nature that exists in us is the reason for some of the petty crimes that take place in our every
days societies. Njoroge, the son of one of the most reputable judicial officers and a well learned
young man was caught by security guards a few weeks back after he had stolen a pair of batteries
from one of the leading chain stores in Kenya. This act not only left the guards shocked but also
inspector Hassan, the officer in duty on that day, as according to his experience, crime and petty
theft were as a result of necessity especially in that part of the country. After several sessions
with a psychologist, Njoroge reviled that he was engaging himself in this activities simply
because of the thrill that they gave in return. Was this true? Did this revelation apply? This then
left me curious and sent me back to do some more research and I stumbled onto a more
interesting reason for crime. This was fantasy. According to Brittain (1970), in his classic profile
of sadistic murderers, he noted that:
He is typically a day-dreamer with a very rich, active fantasy life. He imagines sadistic
scenes and this he acts out in his killings. [His] fantasy life is, in many ways, more
important to him than his ordinary life, and in a sense, more real. (p. 200).
Does this mean fantasies are wrong? Normally most fantasies are innocent and I believe
everyone has them but how we relate to them is what matters meaning this noble innocent act
can indeed be a social thorn!
Need to fulfill basic amenities in every individuals life is their prime goal. If these basic
are left unfulfilled a person may turn to crime to fulfill them. Most crimes are usually caused by
the really desperate individuals who need to pay money in terms of rent, medicinal expenses etc.
As Walsh and Hemmens (2008) reviewed poverty play(s) a vital role in the production of
aggression and/or violence (p. 304). James, who is married and a father of 4 children lives in
the slum area of Nairobi. He is a laborer and his wife works as a house help. Providing food and
paying their childrens school fees and any other minor expenses is their main goal. A person
with unfulfilled basic necessities often steals to provide for themselves this stealing could be
from shops, pick pocketing, stealing from workplace etc. This desperation and fear of possible
starvation is the major force behind such petty thieves, however these are the same people that
could later possibly be major criminals.

Another motive of criminals is revenge. By definition, revenge is the action of inflicting

hurt or harm on someone for a wrong suffered at their hands. Criminals with revenge motives
normally have faced some suffering from the person they want to avenge. Criminals driven by
revenge are obsessed and determined, with a single-minded goal, which is they must settle the
score at all costs. The revenge might be on a small issue such as humiliation in front of key
people, or a serious case where the criminal faced real pain from their target, for example, their
target killed a close relative/friend. Revenge minded criminals are a plenty in the gang world.
Where gang members kill members of opposite gangs because they killed of their own, and the
death cycle continues.

Conclusion
There may be very many and vast motives or reasons why people in general commit
crime, these motives give the prosecutors a case to present. Motive however does not determine
the decision made by the panel of jury, at the end of the case the accused is either found guilty or
innocent then the case is closed. There should be no excuse for crime though many are times
when crime is committed for all the right reasons crime is just crime. Is it a crime to fight for
what is mine? Tupac Shakur once asked. I would answer this with a quote from the books of
law crime doesnt pay.

Bibliography
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