Essay on the Sociology Theory of Crime !
An analysis of the foregoing socio-cultural and economic explanation of crime suggests that no single theory can offer a satisfactory explanation for crime causation. The reason being that these theories are more or less of a general type and cannot explain particular situation of delinquency. It, therefore, follows that delinquent behaviour is an outcome of the combination of a variety of factors which create situation conducive to crime.
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With the widening of social interaction due to the impact of industrialisation, urbanisation, modernisation and democratisation, there is greater need for community control because law alone cannot repress the rising trend in criminality in modern times.
It must, however, be emphasised that crime is an index of social pathology. Crime and violence reoccur when society is disorganised, floundering and beset with social and economic problems. Social disorganisation is reflected by the conflict in social values which interrupts harmony of the society.
Therefore, crime must be understood on the basis of human behaviour and the social and emotional needs of the person. The problem of prevention of crime should be dealt with in a broader socio-economic perspective so as to meet the emotional needs of the individual as a member of the community.
Since crime is a social fact and human act, the process of dealing with a criminal does not come to an end after the offence has been legally defined and penalty imposed on the offender in accordance with law. It is also essential to understand crime as a social and individual phenomenon and the need to prevent its recurrence or repetition by adopting an attitude conducive to the resocialisation and reformation of the offender.
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India being a land of diversity, people of different castes, creeds and communities live together. The divergence in norms, customs, taboos, traditions, values and moral standards of the people belonging to different groups often leads to frequent clashes which provide fertile ground for the incidence of crime.
It may further be added that with the growing complexities of modern life, many anti-social acts which were hitherto considered to be immoral and offensive and received public condemnation have now almost become a part or parcel of everyday life. For example, bribery and corruption have lost their credence as an offence and are being frequently resorted to for getting any work done quickly.
In result, the difference between criminals and non-criminals has drastically narrowed down. That is to say, both criminals and non-criminals indulge in similar activities, the only difference between them being that the former are caught in legal net because of their lack of skill and vigil while the latter go scot free being shrewd enough to manipulate their non-detection and escape. Thus, it is evident that the attitude of the society towards criminality has changed with the changing patterns of Indian society.
Commenting on the magnitude of corruption in India Bertrand de Speville, the International Anti-corruption expert and consultant to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, once observed that it is either need or greed which is responsible for making an individual a corrupt person and therefore, it is not correct to think that rich people are less corrupt and poor people are more. Generally, the greed for money is the motivation for corruption. He was, therefore, not surprised to find that there was corruption even in judiciary and police department in Andhra Pradesh.
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India today is faced with Manifold problems of socio-economic and political dimensions. There has been unprecedented increase in crime and incidents of violence, rape, dacoities, financial scams etc. which have made the life and property of the people insecure. Gangsters are extorting money from people at gun-point and do not even hesitate to kill them if they do not yield to their illegal demand.
Young women, girls and even children are being raped or sexually abused mercilessly. Corruption is rampant in almost all walks of life and there has been criminalisation of politics to such an extent that people have begun to shun politicians. The political leaders and the so called people’s representatives are guided by one single philosophy, “means do not matter, go and get what you want and use all available means to get it”.
Thus, Indian polity is witnessing a switchover from “spiritualisation to criminalisation”. In short, India is heading fast towards degeneration if the current wave of materialism, opportunism and vandalism is not timely checked. In order to overcome this deterioration in Indian society, there is need to restore the cherished values of honesty, sincerity and integrity which have lost their credence in the present Indian context where ‘expediency’ predominates all virtues of human life. Those found indulging in corruption, vandalism and similar other criminal activities should be sternly dealt with and rigorously punished.