CRIME

In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other

authority. The term "crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple
and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been
provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category
created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the
relevant and applicable law. One proposed definition is that a crime or offence
(or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual or
individuals but also to a community, society or the state ("a public wrong").
Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.

Etymology of crime

The word crime is derived from the Latin root cernō, meaning "I decide, I give
judgment". Originally the Latin word crīmen meant "charge" or "cry of
distress." The Ancient Greek word krima (κρίμα), from which the Latin cognate
derives, typically referred to an intellectual mistake or an offense against the
community, rather than a private or moral wrong.
In 13th century English crime meant "sinfulness", according to etymonline.com.
It was probably brought to England as Old French crimne (12th century form of
Modern French crime), from Latin crimen (in the genitive case: criminis). In
Latin, crimen could have signified any one of the following: "charge,

Crime as social problem

Crime is a violation of criminal law for which formal penalties are applied by some
governmental authority. It represents some type of deviation from formal social norms
administered by the state. Crimes are divided by law into various categories, depending
on the severity of the offence, the age of the offender, the potential punishment that can
be levied, and the court that holds jurisdiction over the case. There is no society in any
part of the world, which is without crimes.
One of the serious problems of today’s crimes is that in many cases the criminals
are socially, politically and economically so powerful that they decide the course of
punishment for others while they themselves manage to get escaped completely.
 Causes of Crime

There are many causes of the crime. Few of the many causes may be discussed as under:

1. Poverty
2. Education System
3. Unemployment
4. Political Setup
5. Change in Values

1. Poverty

Poverty is one of the most importance causes of crime. In fact it can be said that it is the
root cause of many crimes. Though poverty is a relative term, yet in every form it result
in corruption and adopting illegal and underhand means. Poverty results in committing
suicide and prostitution as well as bribery and so on. Directly or indirectly poverty is
responsible for all sorts of crimes.

2. Educational System

Unfortunately present day educational system is very defective. The system of education
does not lay stress on morality and character, which are effective forces for checking
crimes. Similarly we find the education is mostly not vocational biased and does not
help the young people to get timely employment. Delay in getting proper employment
encourages tendency towards crime.

3. Unemployment

In the economic field unemployment plays an important role in committing of crimes.

Thus an unemployed young person can become robber or a thief. He can become violent
and take law into his own hands. In this way unemployment results in many crimes. That
is the reason that we find that in countries, which have undeveloped economy, and in
which chances of unemployment are marginal, rate of crimes is high.

4. Political Set up

Our political set up also encourages crimes in our modern times government machineries
are slow and inefficient with the result that this becomes premium on the illegal activities
of the criminals. Similarly our legal system too is very complex and complicated and the
criminals are confident that they can escape free and involve some innocent persons in it
They know that by their illegally earned wealth they can purchase as well as mould the
course of law. Not only this, but we find that some of our politicians encourage criminals
for one reason or the other.

5. Change in Values

As we know that due to industrialization and advancement of science and advancement

of science and technology social values have very greatly changed. Today we are more
materialists and rational as well as individualists. Collectivism and blind faith is being
replaced by new ideas. Due to these changes, social values have also together changed
and restrictions considerably reduced. This has resulted in committing many crimes.

Concept of Deviances
Deviance is any behavior that violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient
severity to warrant disapproval from the majority of society. Deviance can be
criminal or non‐criminal. The sociological discipline that deals with crime
(behavior that violates laws) is criminology (also known as criminal justice).

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SIN, CRIME & VICE

For the sake of scientific study, the sin, the vice, the immorality etc, have been dealt with
differently in criminology. A crime is an act against society or law or both for which it is
penalised. Keeping this definition of crime in view, it will be beneficial to differentiate all
these
concepts from crime.

Crime and Sin

All the acts against religion are considered sins. Thus, sin can be defined as the
transgression
of divine laws. Its very base is religion, while the crime is based upon laws. The concept
of sin
is traditional, based on orthodoxy and rigidity. The final decision in sin is taken on the
basis of
religious books while in the matter of crime; it is taken by law court. Darrow has defined
sin
in a most suitable manner. In his words, “Sin……is an offence against God, a
transgression
against the divine law and any thought, desire, word, an act or omission against that law”.

Crime and Vice

Vices are often included in the category of crimes, but many of them, sometimes are not
regarded as crimes. There is a lot of difference in their aims. The crimes cause harm to
others
while the vicious or the wicked causes harm to him only. For example, the vices like
gambling,
drinking prostitution or deriving pleasure out of illicit sexual intercourse; cause harm to
the
individual only. As the harm to the individual indirectly effects, the latter therefore
prohibits
the vices and generally gives punishment for them.

What is the criminal behavior?

Criminal behavior is often a difficult topic to discuss, as there are many different
variables
that must be taken into account in order to truly define and obtain a thorough
understanding
of the concept. What is criminal behavior? “A criminal act occurs when there is a motive,
a
means, and an opportunity.

What is Criminality?

While the term criminality is used often in criminology to refer to actual criminal
characteristics of a person (i.e., propensity evidence such as past criminal record, etc.),
we
use the term criminality to refer to the extent to which a person's appearance triggers
stereotypes about criminals.
 The occasional Social criminals

The occasional criminal only performs the act if the opportunity occurs in his/her routine
of
daily life. For example someone is walking by a car & it happens to be unlocked & the
person notices they might take their car stereo, etc.
Those whose criminal acts were due to external circumstances and who were driven to
commit crimes because of a special passion.
 § Most crime committed by amateurs whose acts are unskilled, and unplanned
 § Occasional crime occurs when there is a situational inducement
 § Frequency of occasional crime varies according to age, cl**** race, and gender
 § Occasional criminals have little group support for the crimes

There is a class of occasional criminals, who do not exhibit, or who exhibit in slighter
degrees, the anatomical, physiological, and psychological characteristics which constitute
the
type described by Lombroso as “the criminal man.”

There are occasional criminals who commit the offences characteristic of habitual
criminality, such as homicides, robberies, rapes, etc., so there are born criminals who
sometimes commit crimes out of their ordinary course.
Occasional criminals, who without any inborn and active tendency to crime lapse into
crime at an early age through the temptation of their personal condition, and of their
physical and social environment, and who do not lapse into it, or do not relapse, if these
temptations disappear.
Thus they commit those crimes and offences which do not indicate natural criminality, or
else crimes and offences against person or property, but under personal and social
conditions altogether different from those in which they are committed by born and
habitual criminals. There is no doubt that, even with the occasional criminal, some of the
causes which lead him into crime belong to the anthropological class; for external causes
would not suffice without individual predispositions. For instance, during a scarcity or a
hard winter, not all of those who experience privation have recourse to theft, but some
prefer to endure want, however undeserved, without ceasing to be honest, whilst others
are at the utmost driven to beg their food; and amongst those who yield to the suggestion
of crime, some stop short at simple theft, whilst others go as far as robbery with violence.
Of millions of property and theft related crimes are done by occasional criminals.
The broadest and most inclusive category of occasional criminals include
four types.

The Pseudocriminal

Individuals who become criminals by mere accident e.g. killing in self-defense. These
criminals are also called Judicial Criminals.

Criminaloid

These are epileptoids who suffer from a milder form of the disease so that without
adequate
cause criminality is not manifested. These are individuals with weak natures who can be
swayed by circumstances to commit crime. Often showing hesitation before committing
crime.

Habitual Criminals

Individuals who regard the systematic violation of the law in the light of an ordinary
trade.
Include those convicted of theft, fraud, arson, forgery and blackmail.

Epileptoid Criminal

Individual suffering from epilepsy.

In short, for occasional criminals who commit slight offences, in circumstances which
show
that they are not of a dangerous type, I say, as I have said already, that reparation of the
damage inflicted would suffice as a defensive measure, without a conditional sentence of
imprisonment.

“ Poverty is the mother of crime.”…Marcus Aurelius

Theories of criminal behavior
In order to find the best ways to handle and prevent crime, examining why do people
commit crime is very important. Many theories have appeared and are appearing since
beginning of this study seeking to find the best solutions for this problem. Those theories
are continuing and will always influence forensic/criminal psychologist’s work. I will
write a brief review of basic and other more or less popular theories of criminal behavior.
Though these theories are eventually modified, I will try to be as accurate as possible.
Three broad models of criminal behaviors are the following: psychological, sociological
and biological models. Actually, it is difficult to completely separate them and it is
generally
accepted, that all of them play a role in the interpretation of behavior. Though
psychological principles can be applied across all the three models, they all have some
specific ones, which would help in implementing across different crime control policies.

1 Phsycological Approach

2 Socialogical Approaches

In this approach scientists are examining criminal behavior from a sociological point of
view.

The majority of sociological theories believe, that the criminal behavior mainly is
influenced by combination of social surrounding, political and economic factors.
Offenders are not necessarily viewed as bad people, these theories trend to look at social
context of a person’s situation, examining his race, neighborhood, intelligence, education,
family, political and media influence, income level, job and career, childhood history to
determine why did he/she become criminal.
There are many different theories seeking to
explain criminal behavior such as: Social Structure Theory (which itself consists of
Social disorganization, Strain and Cultural deviance theories) differential association,
theory of anomie, neutralization theory, Social Control Theory and many others.
The key idea of Differential association theory, created by Edwin H. Sutherland is, that
criminal behavior is learned through communication with other people. Though that
interaction Values, techniques and attitude to things is learned, that motivates future
behavior and in the following case it is criminal act. Indeed, the more a person sees
delinquent acts, which are not criticized by the surrounding community, the higher is the
chance of him/her committing such act.

According to social control theory, if social bounds of a person is weak, he/she will more
likely conduct a criminal act, because people care what others thinks of them and try to
conform with social expectations because of their attachment to others.
 Major Social Crimes in Pakistan

1) Gambling

Gambling is an act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It also involves a
significant risk as the material good(money) wagered in the game may be lost if player
does not win. Common forms of gambeling includes cook fighting (which usually comes
to an end in the death of one or both roosters
Casionos (which has become a profitable game
Slot machines easy for those who want to play individually
Races of vehicles.. among all Pakistan it is very common
Billiard game…very common in Pakistan
Bookmaking

Pakistani gambling setup has undergone a massive growth, resulting in numerous social
problems such as crime, political corruption, and, most importantly, pathological
gambling. When it comes to theorizing gambling inPakistan, pathological gambling has
been the centre of the attention for two related reasons: (1) the increasing concern with
individual and social harms resulting from it; and (2) priority given by grant-giving
institutions to ‘useful’ scholarly efforts related to it. A major drawback, however, has
been that these explanations often overlook the impact of broader social conditions on
gambling behaviour and, instead, provide politically and ideologically conservative,
microlevel analyses that point to the individual gamblers as the source of the problem.
These theories, therefore, present partial accounts of an enduring and growing, socially
produced problem. The argument of this paper is that Pakistan’ gambling behaviour, and
its consequences, must be understood primarily as a social problem success – and
capitalist processes of profit-making and commodification. Only then can we have a
better understanding of a persistent and growing problem.

2) Beggary

Beggary has always been considered to be a social evil and a curse for
society. Street beggars are a common sight in all our towns and cities,
outside mosques and religious gatherings and any and every place of rush.
One obvious reason for this evil is illiteracy, poverty and unemployment.
Due to the pervasiveness of this social ill, many evil practices have come
into existence which are destroying not only our social norms but also
affecting the law and order situation.

Kids are kidnapped and sold to be trained and used for begging. The
kidnappers, the sellers and the criminals who run such mafias should be
given exemplary punishments. It is our moral duty to help the weak, the
hungry and the suffering people. But by dispensing alms as charity to these
beggars, we do not help them. We should help to educate and rehabilitate
them. Some beggars are so hale and hearty, so young and healthy that they
do not deserve charity at all.

The number of beggars in our country is rising. It is really a curse that even
able-bodied citizens resort to begging. Begging should be banned and there
is a dire need for a legislation to end this profession. However, deserving
cases should be helped and others should be given profitable employment.

2) Corruption

social corruption is misuse of public power by elected politician and economic activities
of people in government and non-governmental organization .corruption is a social
problem because it requires a socially powerful position if you are corrupt in your house
only your home will be affected.Corruption of a government will cause problems for
everyone.Therefore corruption always affects a group which makes it a social problem.

They call it a social problem because it infects almost every aspect of society. From
pedophile priests and police officers, corrupt judges, accountants that steal, employees
that steal, companies and people that deliberately and routinely break they law its
becoming more and more common, visible, and mainstream than ever before, and the
police themselves are the problem as they turn a blind eye to it most of the time.

When people are put into power, serve the public, enforce laws, and rule or judge others
they should all be held to a much higher degree of accountability and expectations.
Otherwise a presiding judge could rule in favor of one party over the other because they
know them, or got paid/extorted by them, and refused to preclude themselves as a conflict
of interest,
Corruption impacts upon individuals, groups, and organizations in numerous ways. ‘Why
corruption is a problem’ considers the negative effects of corruption in terms of social,
environmental, economic, politico-legal, security-related, and international implications,
using examples from around the world. The impact of particular acts of corruption is
often on several areas simultaneously. Some well-regarded analysts have argued that
corruption can sometimes be beneficial, but there is widespread agreement that even if
corruption may, in some specific situations, be beneficial, this is only ever short term;
eventually, the costs of corruption invariably outweigh the benefits.

4) Drugs

To conclude, we must understand that narcotic addiction is a complex multi-faceted

problem which has not responded to traditional rehabilitation approaches. There appears
to be a need, consequently, for establishment of a variety of research programs geared to
answer the outstanding questions, and for the coordinated efforts of community agencies
to sustain the addict in the community by offering him a spectrum of services on a
number of levels—to my mind—along the lines of the comprehensive community mental
health center described earlier. We need to undertake socio-cultural studies to understand
the addict in his own “tribal culture,” his outlook and private goals, resistances to
abstinence and the “square” culture. An epidemiological, public health, and community
psychiatry approach also appears indicated in order to study the etiology, manner of
spread, prevention and control of narcotic addiction and the optimal points of
intervention.

We are finally realizing that the problem of narcotic addiction has been
oversensationalized rather than subjected to objective study and research. We are only
now beginning to see it in better perspective as part of the far more pervasive and serious
problem of drug abuse, which probably affects a much larger part of our population,
including the middle class, than does the addiction to opiates and their derivatives. The
concept of drug abuse implies that the use of a drug is dangerous or harmful to the user or
to society, and that formal mechanisms of social control are justified. Although research
and social evidence show that barbiturate and amphetamine use are harmful, we have
been far more tolerant of them and quite irrational on the subject of narcotic use. The
historic development of our national stereotypes and attitudes would in itself constitute a
most worthwhile subject for study and undoubtedly shed light on the workings of our
larger society

A common misconception surrounding drug addiction is that it solely affects the life of
the user. However, the idea that they aren’t hurting anyone except for themselves is an
excuse that many individuals who abuse drugs use in order to justify their addiction.
Drug addiction is not a one-person phenomenon, and it creates a domino effect on the
lives of those around them. It is a social problem that normalizes drug use and affects
individuals and their families.
Effects of Drug Addiction
At first glance, a drug addiction may appear to only affect the person who is using.
However, because addiction is a destructive issue that can have an adverse effect on the
community, family, and individual, it’s very rare that other people aren’t affected. An
individual neglecting their responsibilities as a result of drugs can negatively affect their
career, children’s education, or family’s financial security. Their impact can also extend
outside of the immediate family. Friends or community members who rely on their
presence or companionship can suffer from their absence.

There are a variety of short-term and long-term health effects associated with addiction.
Although the specific effects vary between drugs, prolonged abuse of any substance can
lead to chronic disease or alter an individual’s productivity. The most permanent effect of
drug addiction is death, which becomes more likely through addiction because of
increased tolerance leading to overdose.
The Connection Between Addiction and Crime
There is a definitive link between crime and drug addictions that is mainly contributed to
the illegal status of commonly abused drugs. Not only is it illegal to carry many of these
drugs but an individual’s lowered inhibitions when under the influence can encourage
them to commit other crimes. The types of crime that an individual may commit when on
drugs is extensive and dependent on a variety of sub-factors, but regardless, drug users
are more likely than nonusers to commit crime. Petty theft in order to obtain drugs and
satiate their cravings when desperate is another way in which drugs influence individuals
to commit crimes.
How Drug Rehabilitation Can Better Society
There are two types of people: those who believe that drug addiction treatment should be
given to everyone, and those who think that drug addiction shouldn’t be treated as a
criminal issue. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who suffers from addiction, criminal or not.
With the proper help and treatment, you will be able to overcome your addiction and fit
into society once again. Due to the process of drug rehabilitation, there is almost a
countless number of people who took the necessary steps to beat their crippling addiction
and even become pillars of various communities. Some individuals have managed to
procure fantastic jobs and live healthy, drug-free jobs.
Unfortunately, drug addiction is still in society. Once an addiction starts, it can become
very difficult for you to come back from it. With that said, you don’t have to fight it
alone. Don’t be ashamed to tell people of your addiction. Many people are going through
or have gone through the same thing. You will need the support of your family, friends
and even the professionals treating you. If you or someone you know is suffering from an
addiction, asking for help is the first step to regaining control of your life.
5) Child Labour

Child labor refers to the employment of children in any kind of work that deprives .
Children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and
that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful

Pakistan's biggest problem is child labor. While "child labor" refers to the employment
of children in any kind of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with
their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally
dangerous and harmful. Child labor involves children being enslaved, separated from
their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves
on the streets of large cities – often at a very early age.

It was estimated that one quarter of the country’s workforce was made up
of child laborers. In Pakistan’s city Hyderabad, children enter the workforce at the age of
8 or 10 years and they make bangles and bracelets in different factories. The main reason
behind child labor poverty. This is mainly because limited resources are available for the
person to get a job or even if they find one their salaries are much lower compared to
inflation in Pakistan. Poverty levels in Pakistan appear to necessitate that children work
in order to allow families to reach their target take‐home income, which they need to buy
their butter and bread. On the side of the firms, the low cost of child labor gives
manufacturers a significant advantage in the marketplace, where they work on
improbable amounts.
How can the government overcome this at community and household level? One way
could be: the child can work with his/her family in family based trades/occupations, for
the purpose of learning a new trade/craftsmanship or vocation. By providing alternative
opportunities for vocational training and education to children, providing viable
alternative economic opportunities to poor families was an important aspect of the
program to create a substitute to the income brought in by children’s work and thereby
enable the children to go to school. Raising awareness among employers of children and
their parents by the importance of education and the hazards children face in the
workplaces and the consequences of these, is also extremely important.
The government took initiative to reduce child labor in the country and to support poor
families in terms of financial assistance employment, and by passing an order for such
children's families to enroll their children in schools.
6) Gender Descriminition
Discrimination represents a significant social problem in Pakistan as well as throughout
the world. Girls face discrimination everywhere in the world. They often receive less
food than boys do, have less entrée to schooling and work long hours. Why can’t we see
the helpless agony of the girl child in our society? Their ignorance will certainly beget to
forget our cause, which is still fractured in the regions.
In societies where a male child is regarded as more valuable to the family, girls often are
denied the right of life, denied the right to name and nationality. And by being married off
early or forced to stay at home and help in domestic chores, girls are often denied the
right to education and all the advantages that go with it, the right to associate freely and
the rights accompanying unjustified deprivation of liberty. These all are basic humiliation
from family to girls when boys are regarded as the pillars of tomorrow.
The convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989 and by now ratified
by most countries of the world, provide an agenda for action in identifying enduring
forms of inequality and discrimination against girls, abolishing practices and traditions
detrimental to the fulfilment of their rights and defining an effective strategy to promote
and protect those rights. But implementation is necessary to ensure positive changes.
Other than the CRC, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) is the most extensive and widely ratified international
agreement promoting the rights of girls and women.
When we talk about the education system, it reflects the inequality found outside the
classroom. Girls the world over are less likely than their brothers to be attending primary
school. In some cases, where a decision has to be made about which children to send to
school, it is commonly seen that parents decide to invest in their sons’ education rather
than their daughters’. This may reflect the fact that upon marriage, daughters may no
longer contribute to family income and are therefore not seen as worth investing in.
There are several gender discrimination related consequences of child labour as well.
Most obvious are the problems faced by girls who have been sexually exploited. Also
girls working as child domestic workers are often denied medical treatment when
required since they are domestic help and do not share the same status as the other
children in the household. Children who suffer an accident at work may also feel that this
is their own fault for being clumsy or bad at their job, and the adults and medical
personnel who they encounter may have the same attitude.
Education is the tool that can help break the pattern of gender discrimination and bring
lasting changes for women in developing countries like ours. Pakistan has for decades
grossly underinvested in education, and in particular, girls’ education. Girls’ education
also means comprehensive change for a society. Educated women are essential to ending
gender bias, starting by reducing the poverty that makes discrimination even worse in the
developing world.

7) juvenile deliquecny
Juvenile delinquency, also known "juvenile offending", is the act of participating in
unlawful behavior as minors (juveniles, i.e. individuals younger than the statutory age of
majority).[1] Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles,
such as juvenile detention centers and courts, with it being common that juvenile systems
are treated as civil cases instead of criminal, or a hybrid thereof to avoid certain
requirements required for criminal cases (typically the rights to a public trial or to a jury
trial). A juvenile delinquent in the United States is a person who is typically below 18
(17 in Georgia, New York, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire,Texas,
and Wisconsin) years of age and commits an act that otherwise would have been charged
as a crime if they were an adult. Depending on the type and severity of the offense
committed, it is possible for people under 18 to be charged and treated as adults.
In recent years[vague] a higher proportion of youth have experienced arrests by their early
20s than in the past. Some scholars have concluded that this may reflect more aggressive
criminal justice and zero-tolerance policies rather than changes in youth behavior.
[2]
Juvenile crimes can range from status offenses (such as underage smoking/ drinking),
to property crimes and violent crimes. Youth violence rates in the United States have
dropped to approximately 12% of peak rates in 1993 according to official US government
statistics, suggesting that most juvenile offending is non-violent.[3]

References : 1 Criminology book by Mohsin Raza

2 https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/03/14/the-problem-of-beggary/
3 https://www.veryshortintroductions.com/view/10.1093/actrade/978019968969
9.001.0001/actrade-9780199689699-chapter-2
4 https://studymoose.com/is-gambling-a-social-problem-essay
5 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676260903173470
6 https://nation.com.pk/12-Jun-2015/child-labor-pakistan-s-biggest-problem
7 Criminology Notes
8 Javed Iqbal
9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenile_delinquency