Chapter 8 Crime and Violence in the United State

Crime and Violence in the United State

Chapter 8 Crime and Violence in the United States

According to a Gallup poll in 2001, Americans, for the first time in twelve years, believed that there was less violent crime that year than the year before. To be sure, many said that there were areas near their homes where they were still afraid to walk at night. And a number of people worried about having their car stolen or their home burglarized. So far, we are only talking about people's perceptions about crime—what they believe to be the case. How closely do people's perceptions match reality? Well, let's look at some statistics. When we compare crime statistics between 1994 and 2001, we see that violent crime decreased in the United States. Between 1994 and 2001, violent crime—homicide, rape, arson, and aggravated assault—fell 52 percent. In 1994, there were 51 victims of violent crime per 1,000 people over the age of twelve. In 2001, that number dropped by over half, to 24 per 1,000. Some experts attribute this drop in crime to demographics: the U.S. population is getting older, and older people commit fewer crimes than younger people. At the same time, in recent years there has been stricter law enforcement in cities like New York and Boston, and very

Crime and Violence in the United State

stringent penalties have been imposed on repeat offenders in general. But, I don't want to get off the topic here. The fact remains that crime is still an issue in people's lives. And the encouraging statistics about violent crime may not hold true for white-collar crime, crimes that include embezzlement, bribery, political corruption, and corporate policies that endanger workers and the public. Statistics on white-collar crime are hard to come by, and it doesn't put fear in people's hearts the way violent crime does. But it certainly needs to be included in a discussion of crime in the United States.

Crime is such a difficult issue to discuss because it can be looked at in so many different ways. Today I'd like to take a philosophical, sociological look at society and crime. There are two theories of crime that are based on one's feelings about the nature of human beings. The first theory says that people are good by nature. If a person turns to crime, the cause lies outside the person, not inside. In other words, crime and violence come from the environment, or society. The second theory says that people are basically aggressive by nature, and therefore, predisposed to violence. The theory doesn't say that we are violent; rather,

Crime and Violence in the United State

it says that we are aggressive and can be violent. Before we go on, I want you to decide in your own minds which of the two theories, if either, you agree with. One, are people basically good by nature? Or, two, are people aggressive and predisposed to violence by nature? Or do you think the nature of people lies somewhere in between the two theories? Have you made up your minds yet? Well, let's go on and take a closer look at both theories. We'll finish with a discussion of possible solutions to the high level of crime in the United States.

To start off with, liberals—in politics, sociology, and other fields—typically embrace the first theory: that people are good by nature. It follows, then, that if someone commits a crime or behaves violently, it is because that person's environment has put violence or evil into his or her heart. If a person commits a crime, society is to blame because society's shortcomings are the cause of the criminal behavior. In the United States, we don't have to look very far to find shortcomings that are seen by many as causes of crime. There are root causes like racism, poverty, and injustice. And there are more obvious causes like the breakdown of the nuclear family, violence on TV, inferior

Crime and Violence in the United State

education for some children, unemployment, child abuse, and a proliferation of drugs. In this liberal theory, criminals are alienated from society be?cause they have been deprived of the benefits that most Americans have. Their alienation leads them to strike out at the society that has, in a sense, forgotten them.

The existence of an underclass in U.S. society lends support to this liberal theory of crime. The underclass is that small part of the popu?lation that typically fits the following profile: poor, unemployed, badly educated, disproportionately black, inner-city youth. Both gangs and drugs are prevalent in the underclass. Liberals are quick to point out that the shortcomings of life in the underclass help explain how 70 percent of all U.S. crimes are committed by just 6 percent of crimi?nals. Like any theory, this one has critics who disagree with it. The critics point out that most people who grow up as part of the under?class—that is, those in poor, inner-city settings—do not become crimi?nals. Moreover, there are people from rich families, with all the bene?fits of society, who do become violent criminals. So we need to look a little further into the causes of crime; let's look at the second theory.

Crime and Violence in the United State

The second theory, often embraced by conservatives, sees people as innately aggressive and predisposed to violence. According to this theory, society curbs this aggressiveness and potential violence in two ways: by socializing us and, if that fails, by punishing us. Society socializes us by giving us values. Values against killing and stealing, values against inequality and injustice, for example. And society gives us positive values for honesty, compassion, and kindness. Now, this is important: it is largely the family that socializes us, acting for society. And the result of socialization is a conscience, a sense of right and wrong. Our conscience functions as a curb on violence and criminal behavior because …… 此处隐藏：6555字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……