Crime
by
Muhammad Akram Mehar
M.Sc Sociology
The crime and criminals are as old as the human civilization. And with the surge in crime, the laws were formed and enacted by various rulers of the land.
There are different definitions of crime;
o “Crime is that act that violates legal codes in which another person is victimizes”.
o “Crime is an intentional act or omission of an act that violates case law and for which the state provides punishment”.
o “Crime is the behavior which breaks the law of the land”.
o “Crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law committing without defense or justification and sanctioned by the state as felony/misdemeanor”. (Legal Definition)
o According to Positivists and Classicalists; “crime violates the basic values and beliefs of society”.
Therefore, definitions and explanations of criminal acts are subject to variations from place to place, in accordance to the cultural norms and mores, but may be broadly classified as blue-collar crime, corporate crime, organized crime, political crime, public order crime, state crime, state-corporate crime, and white-collar crime.
Marxist View about Crime is that the Capitalism is itself the cause of crime. Crime free society can only establish by the rejection of capitalism.
Types of Crime
Crimes are divided into two broad classes;
o Felony: - “A serious type of offense, such as murder, armed robbery, or rape, punishable for a year or longer in prison or a more serious penalty, such as capital punishment”.
o Misdemeanor: - “An offense less serious than a felony, such as disorderly conduct, prostitution, or public drunkenness, and generally having a penalty of short-term”. Simply, misdemeanors have a maximum possible sentence of less than one year incarceration.
Theories of Crime
There are many theories, including:
Strain Theory
Based on the work of American sociologist Robert Merton, this theory suggests that mainstream culture, especially in the United States, is saturated with dreams of opportunity, freedom and prosperity; therefore, if the social structure of opportunities is unequal and prevents the majority from realizing the dream, some of them will turn to illegitimate means (crime) in order to realize it.
Symbolic Interactionism
Drawing on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and George Herbert Mead, sub cultural theory and conflict theory, this school of thought focused on the relationship between the powerful state, media and conservative ruling elite on the one hand, and the less powerful groups on the other. These youngsters would often take on board the label. Indulge in crime more readily and become actors in the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ of the powerful groups.
Control Theory
Another approach is made by the so called “control theories”. Instead of looking for factors that make people become criminal, those theories try to explain why people do not become criminal. According to that theory a person is more likely to become criminal, if he or she has low self control (a simple example: someone wants to have a big yacht, but does not have the means to buy one – if the person cannot control themselves – he or she might try to get the yacht (or the means for it) in an illegal way.
