Crime and the Law Causes of Crime

Today we will… Identify various different causes of crime Describe biological reasons for crime Explain sociological reasons for crime

Success Criteria Match up causes of crime Create a “biological” criminal profile Explain sociological reasons for crime

What do you think causes crime? What causes crime? There is no one agreed cause of crime. In Modern Studies because it cannot be proven that something is a cause of crime we will explore a range of possible causes which “may” lead to crime. Depending on your ideology (your political belief system) you may think some causes are more likely than others. What do you think causes crime? Sociological reasons – your education, peer pressure Economic reasons – unemployment, poverty Biological reasons – how you look, the genes you have

Ideology There are two main theories that underpin why people commit crime. One is called individualist and the other collectivist. Listen carefully over the next two slides, you will have to remember what is on these slides and take notes, using only a diagram to help you. See how much you can remember.

Individualists Individualists tend to focus on personal weakness as the reason a crime is committed. If someone chooses to offend, that is their responsibility and if caught, they should suffer the consequences. Individualists believe that if punishments were stronger and the police and courts had more powers, there would be less crime.

Collectivists Collectivists feel that society is unequal and some people are at greater risk of being influenced by criminal behaviour, often through the actions of parents or friends. In order to tackle crime, collectivists feel that the social conditions which create the incentive for crime need to be addressed. This could be through better housing, improved employment opportunities and a more equal society to make crime less of an attraction. If people are in work and are content with life they will be less motivated to break the law.

See how much you can remember See how much you can remember. Using the headings Individualist and Collectivist, and the image on screen, see how detailed your notes can be.

Biological reasons for crime This is the idea that a person is biologically programmed to commit a crime – it is in their genes, they cannot help but commit crime. They assume that some people are "born criminals" — they're biologically different from non-criminals.

Biological reasons for crime Warning: These are radical theories! Lombrosso’s Theory Lombroso was an Italian Criminologist. Bizarrely, he observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers. He concluded that the criminals were physically different. He believed if men had up to 5 and women 3 of these characteristics then they were more likely to commit a crime: A proportioned face to head ratio large monkey-like ears large lips, jaw or chin a twisted nose excessive cheekbones long arms excessive wrinkles on the skin. Had tattoos

Biological reasons for crime Download Photofit App on your phones, its FREE! Create your own versions of Lombroso's must be criminal lookalike. Make them as ridiculous as possible!

Biological reasons for crime Warning: These are radical theories! The Y Chromosome Theory This theory believes that criminals have an extra Y chromosome that gives them an XYY chromosomal makeup rather than an XY makeup. XY is ‘more normal’. This theory is slightly less laughable, as something similar, was proven in Finland. Prisoners in Finland are at least 5-10% more likely to commit violent crime because of their gene make-up. However, unsurprisingly, many of these theories have been rubbished, and in fact are not very relevant in todays understandings of why people commit crime. A Killer's Genes

Sociological Reasons for Crime Poverty Geography Labelling What factors would lead to crime? Boredom Alcohol and drugs Lack of Education Social Exclusion Peer Pressure

Causes of crime inter-link and over-lap, there is no easy explanation.

Poverty – economic/social reason Jealousy – people from poorer backgrounds may envy the quality of life and material possessions of people from a more wealthy background. Example - A study in 2013 found that 29% of Scots lack three or more of the necessities for basic living. Poverty leads people to stealing because people try and meet their basic needs for food and shelter, or to finance addictions to drugs or alcohol.

Social Exclusion ‘Underclass’ - people who may be unemployed, have few qualifications, live in poor housing and rely on benefits to get by. Feel excluded from society due to not being able to function in normal society, due to lack of funds. EG/ not having a mobile phone. To solve their problems they turn to crime to pay for a lifestyle they believe can never be achieved by legal means.

Peer Pressure Pressure to act/behave a certain way when amongst your peers. If a person doesn't conform to the values of their peer group then they can face ridicule, threats or exclusion from the group. Boredom and peer group pressure can prove to be a powerful combination.

Lack of Education The better standard of your education, the less likely you are to be involved in crime. Better education = a higher income Those with a poor standard of education have limited options in terms of employment and then may turn to crime to get the things they want.

Poor Role Models In some deprived communities the role models are not hard-working people earning a good income but criminals and gang members. In areas with high crime rates there may be so much crime that it is seen as normal to break the law. If they get involved in gangs then the gang leaders become their role models and they get even more caught up in criminal activity.

Alcohol and Drugs Crimes such as assault, violence, petty crime and breach of the peace are frequently fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs can impair judgement and encourage people to make decisions they wouldn’t usually. 62 % 26 % 30 %

Clip – Glasgow Gangs Watch the clip and answer the following questions: What problems exist in some areas of Glasgow? Is there any one reason why these boys are members of gangs? What kinds of crime are/could these boys be accused of? Is there one single cause of crime in this case?

Activity In your jotter copy and complete the following sentences using all of the information you have learned from the previous exercises. Poverty can lead to crime because… Unemployment can lead to crime because… Drink and drug abuse can lead to crime because… Peer group pressure can lead to crime because…

Remember! Not everyone who lives in poverty is a criminal. Not everyone who receives a poor education goes on to be a criminal. Not everyone who has an alcohol or drug problem is a criminal. Not everyone who had poor role models is a criminal. Not everyone who is greedy is a criminal. Not everyone who suffers from peer pressure becomes a criminal.

Explain, in detail, 3 reasons why some people commit crime. (8) SQA TASK Describe, in detail, two ideologies on the causes of crime which are commonly held in the UK . (6) Explain, in detail, 3 reasons why some people commit crime. (8)

Activity

Exit Pass I can identify…. I can describe…. I can explain…. #Yourlearning Choose one of the sentences starters above and identify/describe/explain something which you learned during the past two lessons about the causes of crime!