Myths And Reality Of Crime

Myths and Reality of Crime

Student’s Name

Institution

Introduction

The concept of criminal has several descriptions. The description depends on how one understands the act committed. It is likely that the description of 100 people would focus on the criminals on the streets. In many societies, street criminals are what are regarded as criminals because it highly highlighted and therefore, many people believe street criminals are the only criminals. Most believe would focus on burglary, robbery with violence, sex assaults, pick pocketing and other petty offenses which normally occur on the streets as act of criminal CITATION Bla12 \l 1033 (Black, 2012). Most people are likely to states that a criminal is a person who has committed burglary and prosecuted and found guilty. Most people do not understand the crime of powerful such as corporate crimes and others and therefore, the majority will provide description which focus on street crime. Crime of powerful is rarely highlighted by the media and therefore, attention is not also drawn towards them and therefore, it is likely that many people are not aware of such criminals. However, a criminal is a person who has committed any wrongdoing against the public at large.

In most society, a crime is defined based on moral behavior and the rate of crimes in the society. According to Rosenfeld (2015), certain behavior might be considered a crime in some society and therefore, the definition of a crime is based on the morals, ethical standards and values entrenched in a society. The definition of crime depends on whether such as an act is regarded as crime in the society or not. It is reached based on the traditional or trends which have been set in the society. It is a condition which one view as consequences and badness. There are elements of crimes which are different based on a society.

Several conducts describe by the thropologists as conflict management, law in tribal, social control and other traditional aspects CITATION Bla12 \l 1033 (Black, 2012). These are elements which defines crime and criminal in most societies. The definition of crime can also be reflected or reinforced under the political settlement and the balance of the social forces. According to Jerome Michael and Mortimer Adller the criminal law is the cause of crime in the society CITATION Ric154 \l 1033 (Rosenfeld, 2015). Michael and Adler argued that the law produces certain behavior which is prohibited and because the law gives certain act quality of criminality such behavior become illegal and a crime in the society. It is therefore, evident that a crime is derived by the law and therefore, in some societies, the aspect of crime is defined based on what the law states. As stated by Rosenfeld (2015), without criminal code no society would be having any crime, the aspect of crime is set by criminal code, which defines what is considered to be a crime and what is not considered.

This is what makes crime differ in society and some actions or activities are considered a crime in one society and the other society viewed it as a normal action and not punishable by the law. For instance, in the United States, polygamy is considered illegal in all fifty states CITATION Ric154 \l 1033 (Rosenfeld, 2015). However, in countries such as the Middle East and Sub Sahara Africa polygamy is legal and openly practiced in the society. This clearly defines crime and an extent which a society view certain actions. Bribery is a capital offense in Japan, South Korean and other countries, while in some countries bribing is normal and it is called facilitation and rarely punished by the law. It is therefore, evident that crime is defined based on morals, ethical standard and criminal code set by the society. There is no standard definition of crime what substitutes a criminal action.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Black, D. (2012). Crime as Social Control. American Sociological Review , 21 (3), 2-35.

Rosenfeld, R. (2015). The Social Construction of Crime. Diploma in Legal Studies – Criminal Law , 2-35.