The Relationship between Crime and Society

CRIME A SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPT

Crime is an offence against law of our country. It is an offence omitted for which punishment is imposed after conviction. Crime violates the law is something against our society, moral and belief system.

It is seen that society and its existing laws define crime. Sometimes crime in one society may not seem as crime in another society. Sometimes crime refers to socio-culture and religious belief. Crime may differ from country to country. It may be seem as crime in one country an not in others for example homosexuality is a crime in Bangladesh and can convicted if they are seen committing the offence but in western country they are given right and if any discrimination against them can be challenged in court.
Bigamy is seen as crime in western country while this is not the case in is Islamic country
During soviet era any one tried to defect to west were treated as criminal and any one possessing American dollar without any official notice were convicted. Cannabis were allowed as painkiller in Victorian times but now it is illegal in Uk.
Crime differ from society to society but crime like rape, murder, theft etc. are common everywhere. Crime defined by various scholar Aristotle postulate that poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. The English Philosopher and the Statesman Sir Francis Bacon said that that “Opportunity makes a thief. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that Man is naturally good and crime is created by social injustice. The great writer Leo Tolstoy believed that roots of crime closely connected with private ownership of property. Vladimir Lenin was on the view that crime is a product of social excess. The Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud highlighted the innate instincts of criminality hidden in the human psyche. The French sociologist Emile Durkheim defined crime as a legal construct resulting from the social obloquy directed at certain forms of behavior.
Crime is created by the government by choosing to outlaw something. Consumption of drug is only crime if the government has made it illegal. It also constructs crime for its own benefit. Money tracking laws and tax evasion are in this category. In America drugs for rich is either legal or not enforced while it is illegal for poor because they cannot pay commission. Crime is criterion of citizens and law makers those who try to limit freedom by their own moral standard.
Economic condition can also lead to crimes. When people are unemployed they look other alternative of earning. With globalization traditional skill and crafts have no work now. So these people have been unemployed and have not been able to find long-term job. Thus it does not mean that only poor people are in crime even employed people can also be criminal.
Society creates crime and crime affects society. In conclusion crime is what society chooses it to be.

CITATION’S-
1-http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2011/02/01/sociological-aspects-of-crime/
2-http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/editing-writing-topics/133021-social-construction-crime-urgent.html