Definition of Crime Crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. Crime is an action or activity considered to be evil, shameful, or wrong. Crime is an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited.

Synonyms: offence,  unlawful act,  illegal act,  breach/violation/infraction of the law,   misdemeanor   felony

Causes of Crime 1- The nature argument: Some criminologists believe one of the main reasons people commit crime is because it is in their 'nature', ie some people are more psychologically predisposed to committing criminal acts.

2- The nurture argument The nurture argument suggests that factors in society, ie the environment people grow up in, such as : Poverty, Family relationships Violent media Alcohol/drugs

Criminological theories which look to the environmental situation as the cause of crime include: -Social Disorganisation: Disorganised communities cause crime due to there being few social controls and, as a result, a criminal culture emerges. -Subculturalism: Crime is learned through association with criminals especially where some forms of criminal activity are seen as acceptable.

Other causes There are a number of other theories that have been put forward that do not necessarily arise from the nature or nurture debate. These include: Labelling – People become further involved in criminal activity when they are labelled as criminals, eg once they have a criminal record or after serving a prison sentence. Sexism – The expectations that society has of men and women are different. This means that men, for example, may be expected to ‘stand up for themselves’ in a way that women are not. Some criminologists argue that the influence of ‘gender roles’ is an important cause of criminality.