Why Crimes Are Committed - 969 Words

The focus of Samuel Walker s Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs is crime reduction strategies. Some that work, and others that, as the title implies, are nonsense. The fifth edition of the Criminology textbook discusses a wide variety of criminal justice aspects, including; who commits crime and why; the history of studying crime and various attempts at reducing and dealing with crime. Criminology is, in essence, the study of why people omit crimes. In some instances, the two books agree, in others, they do not. Throughout the United States and internationally, many different efforts have been made to understand and combat crime. Some of these attempts are basic and seem commonsense, some are more drastic. An example is†¦show more content†¦Another myth presented in Walker s book is that many habitual drunk drivers beat the system. This assumes that the criminal justice system does not adequately deal with the violators and that a few individuals represent all o f society s drunk drivers (Criminology 119). These statements fail to address the totality of the facts. In reality, almost 60% of those killed in alcohol related accidents are the drunk drivers themselves, and another 20% are their passengers Criminology 119). It has been determined by Walkers point of view to be nearly impossible to determine who will be the drunk drivers based on their records, since most do not have previous records. Some deterrents for drinking and driving that are mentioned in the Criminology text are giving the proceeds from a drunk drivers car forfeiture to victims of his crime, branding drunk drivers with bright orange license plates, reducing the time that bars can serve alcohol and their happy hours, as well as making bartenders liable for any damages caused due to over serving customers (Criminology 369). As for the system being too lenient on drunk drivers, that is not substantiated. There are heavy mandatory minimum fines, automatic license suspe nsion and possible jail time as consequences. Sense and Nonsense mentions deterrents involving short term stings and crackdowns where officers are allowed to administer a breathalyzer to any vehicle they choose.Show MoreRelatedWhy Crimes Are Committed By African Americans1744 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American criminologists presenting different research studies in regards to many different reasons and possible conclusions as to why crimes are committed by African Americans. For the most part, the criminologists all take an approach on how racism plays a huge role in the criminal activity of African Americans. However, they all have different perspectives on why and how criminal acts come about, but mainly are having the same conclusions from their evaluations at the end of their research andRead MoreEssay on Why so Much Crime is Committed in Urban Areas606 Words   |  3 PagesWhy so Much Crime is Committed in Urban Areas Crime in urban areas has been on the increase since the 1950s, why? What has happened to cause crime to become almost an accepted part of inner city life? There are plenty of crime figures available for every city in the world, but reading numbers from a list does not explain why more crimes are being committed, to try to understand we have to look at what has changed in urban communities and how these changes have affectedRead MoreThe City Of Wortropolis Faced An Economic Recession996 Words   |  4 Pagesinequality, and crime. Between 1980-2000 the crime rates significantly rose. The violent crime rate went from 5 per 100,000 to 50 per 100,000. 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Merton1088 Words   |  5 Pagesoften would mistake his odd behaviors as a simple childhood or teenage stage. Before the school shooting, Lanza had killed his mother by lethal force at her Newton house. Lanza had shot 6 children and 20 adults fatally. After all was done, Lanza had committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The theory that could most likely explain what happened beyond this act would be the strain theory. The strain theory was formulated by Robert K. Merton. Merton argued that â€Å"society may be set up in a wayRead Morecriminology paper1699 Words   |  7 Pagesto Crime Strain causes people to act against the law, breaking laws to attain their means. Merton’s theory on strain and anomie provides us with reasons for why the offender committed the crime break and enter. Merton’s strain theory shows us that the offender understood the norms of society but could not attain the means of it, he needed money go back to his girlfriend who was out west. 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