Introduction
Crime is an unlawful activity that a person commits against the interests of the public or society. The person who commits the crime is liable to punishment by law according to the nature of the crime committed.
Hence, crime is an unlawful act that is harmful to society and also to its inhabitants.
Cross-Reference
Sections 11, 44, 189, 190, and 385 of the PPC 1860 deal with crime.
Literal Meaning
Crime means all the activities that involve the breaking of the law.
Definition
Crime is generally defined as:
“An action or omission which constitutes/represents an offence and is punishable by law.”
According to Wikipedia:
“A crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority.”
What is a Social Problem?
A social problem is a condition that has negative consequences for many people and is generally recognized as a matter that needs to be addressed.
A social problem disturbs the standard social patterns of society by creating a problem for its inhabitants. Crime and social issues are interrelated.
For example, Poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy
The Perspective on Social Problem
The particular perspective of the social problem shows that the social values of Poverty, unemployment, and a defective educational system contribute a lot to promoting crime in society.
It is noted that people are unable to access quality education. Domestic violation and improper means of positive socialization are the core causes of crime.
How to Deal with Social Problems
According to experts, social programs must be conducted to rehabilitate people. This may help improve the quality of life and prevent the development of a criminal attitude.
How Crime is a Social Problem?
Crime becomes a social problem due to specific reasons. The following causes of crime help us understand that crime is a social problem.
1. Poverty
Poverty is the state where one lacks a socially acceptable amount of money. Poverty exists when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.
Poverty is one of the leading causes of crime. It would not be wrong to say that it is the root cause of many crimes directly or indirectly.
Poverty results in prostitution, adopting illegal means, corruption, and also committing suicide.
2. Unemployment
Unemployment is the second major factor in promoting crime in a society. It plays a vital role in committing crimes. Due to unemployment, a well-educated young man cannot get jobs in governmental offices. This situation irritates him, and he turns into a thief or robber. He may grow a violent attitude due to this reason.
Employment opportunities are low in undeveloped countries, whereas crime rates are high.
In this way, unemployment also becomes a social problem and indirectly becomes the cause of crime.
3. Illiteracy
illiteracy and Poverty are the significant factors that instigate an individual to commit a crime.
The literacy rate in developing countries is meagre. Unluckily, the educational system that provides the base for the development of any country is not fulfilling its duties.
The current educational system cannot impart good values to the students, such as having good character and morality, which is a core force to maintain a continuous check on crime.
The young students cannot get jobs on time, so they are attracted to crime.
4. Alteration in Values
Due to advancements in science and technology, social values have been changed to a considerable extent. Today, collectivism and blind faith are being replaced by new ideas. Due to this reason, social values have also been altered.
The restrictions have also been reduced, and this reduction in the limits has resulted in committing various crimes.
5. Division of Wealth
The unequal division of wealth also promotes a sperm of crime in the masses. When the rich do not promote the flow of wealth toward the poor, the poor develop a spirit of hatred for the rich.
Sometimes, in the essence of their hatred, they commit crimes to harm the rich, who, in their view, are responsible for society’s Poverty.
Poverty is the state where one lacks a socially acceptable amount of money. Poverty exists when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.
6. Religious Differences
During the last two decades, people have committed crimes using the name of their Religion.
People believing in one Religion cannot bear/digest the people thinking in another. So, it is also a cause for promoting crime in society.
Conclusion
It is concluded that all types of crimes have their origin in society. The reason why it is called a social problem is that it affects the whole community entirely.
Crime also gets deep roots due to the company of bad friends and the difference in opinion.
