Understanding the Root Causes of Crime: Social, Economic, and Family Conditions, Study notes of Criminal Justice

Download Understanding the Root Causes of Crime: Social, Economic, and Family Conditions and more Study notes Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! The Root Causes of Crime 1 THE ROOT CAUSES OF CRIME CS&CPC Statement on the Root Causes of Crime approved in 1996 The Root Causes of Crime 2 Overview Individuals need to be responsible for their own actions. An understanding of root causes cannot and should not be seen as a way to absolve us from personal accountability. However, while individuals have an obligation to act responsibly and with respect for their fellow citizens, communities have a responsibility to address those conditions, which hinder healthy development and can become the breeding ground for rime. The root causes of crime are well documented and researched. Crime is primarily the outcome of multiple adverse social, economic, cultural and family conditions. To prevent crime it is important to have an understanding of its roots. These are complex and interrelated, but can be summarized in three main categories: • Economic Factors/Poverty • Social Environment • Family Structures Economic Factors/Poverty In addition to lack of financial resources, poverty manifests itself in a lack of educational opportunities, lack of meaningful employment options, poor housing, lack of hope and the prejudice against persons living in poverty. Social Environment Our social structure mirrors to citizens and communities what we value and how we set priorities. Social root causes of crime are: inequality, not sharing power, lack of support to families and neighborhoods, real or perceived inaccessibility to services, lack of leadership in communities, low value placed on children and individual well-being, the overexposure to television as a means of recreation. Family Structures The CSCPC believes that families are uniquely placed in contributing to raising healthy responsible members of society. But the task of putting children first goes well beyond the family to include communities and society. Dysfunctional family conditions contribute to future delinquency. The Root Causes of Crime 5 • Maximize the likelihood of positive outcomes and produce cost-savings when compared to treatment Risk Factors When several risk factors are combined, there is a higher probability that crime occurs. "Root Cause" is not the most accurate term when talking about risk factors. In fact a cause-effect mind- set makes it too easy to assume that the existence of a risk factor inevitably leads to criminality. For example, the research literature overwhelmingly points to poverty as a factor in criminal behaviour. However, many poor people do not engage in crime. A great deal of research and study has taken place in the field of criminology over the past 50 years. The data is supported by life-cycle studies in other disciplines including health, education and social science. Research from studies in Europe, Canada and the U.S. examined personal characteristics of convicted offenders, relationships with family and peers, self reporting data, neighborhood characteristics and other data to come to four major conclusions: Occasional and Persistent Delinquents We need to distinguish between occasional and persistent offenders. For example, 81% of adolescents commit a criminal offence at some time during their adolescence (e.g. mischief, experimentation with drugs, shoplifting, etc.); 9% of adolescent offenders commit serious offenses. In economically disadvantaged areas, 7% of men are responsible for over 50% of all offenses. Persistent offenders engage in criminal behavior earlier and continue longer. High Crime Areas Crime rates differ markedly within cities as well as different areas across Canada. For example, northern communities in Canada have substantially higher violent and property crimes than the national average. Police forces everywhere can point to neighbourhoods and urban areas which experience higher crime rates. The Criminal Justice System There are many regional and area differences: dismissal of charges, reporting criteria for crime, media attention to certain crimes are not consistent across Canada. It can also be difficult to obtain an accurate picture of crime because many criminal offenses are not reported. Conversely, policies of zero tolerance in schools can significantly "increase" reported crime statistics, and public perception of the problem. The Root Causes of Crime 6 Multiple Factors Risk factors combine to make the probability of criminal behavior more likely. No one variable should be considered in isolation. Following are the major risk factors supported in research. Many persistent offenders begin their involvement in anti-social activities before and during adolescence. Age alone is not a risk factor. It must be looked at in context of poverty, racism, family violence, parental and community neglect and problems at school. Research into persistent offending has emphasized the need to focus prevention efforts on early childhood years. Birth to age 5 is the most critical time for healthy social and emotional development. Gender While crime rates for females have increased in recent years, males are much more likely to be involved in crime. The research points out that crime usually involves aggression, risk taking an predatory behavior. Social and Economic Disadvantage In Canada, aboriginals represent a disproportionate number of those incarcerated. This situation, in reality, is the consequence of people being kept at a social and economic disadvantage. These factors combined, greatly increase the risk of turning to crime. Low family income and poor housing often amplify poor parental supervision, marital disharmony, inconsistent care, poor nutrition, chronic health care problems, poor school performance and psychological disorders. Unsatisfactory living conditions are particularly stressful during pregnancy. Fetal development is negatively affected by maternal stress. Such stress has shown to be closely related to ill-health, neurological problems, slow development and behaviour disturbances in children. While there is not direct cause and effect relationship between poverty and crime, the conditions arising out of poverty combine to create "high" risk populations who are over-represented in the criminal justice system. Persistent Unemployment Many studies find that a high number of youth and adults admitted to correctional facilities are unemployed. Persistent unemployment often creates a sense of despair, particularly amongst youth and can provoke angry expression including theft, substance and alcohol abuse, as well as child and family violence. Similarly, unemployed men released after terms of incarceration are more likely to re-offend. Failure in school and an unstable job situation can combine to continue an individual's involvement in crime. The Root Causes of Crime 7 For more information, please see the National Council of Welfare report "Justice and the Poor" (Spring 2000) written by Louise Delude. Another related website is Opportunities 2000 Home Environment There is a direct link between the abuse of women and child abuse and future delinquent behavior. This link is well researched and documented and shows that over 50% of violent young offenders witnessed wife abuse in the home. Physically abused children are five times more likely to be violent adults. Sexually abused children are eight times more likely to be sexually violent as adults. It has been estimated that up to 80% of incarcerated males have experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse as a child. Lack of parental supervision, parental rejection and lack of parent-child involvement are consistent indicators of delinquent behavior. Parenting that features inconsistent, incoherent, overly punitive or too permissive methods of discipline also increase the risk of delinquency. Studies show that unwanted pregnancy and teen pregnancy create higher risk factors towards criminality. Ineffective parenting encourages youth to associate with peers who are involved in criminal activities. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex problem, research suggests that there is a direct link between dysfunctional parenting and the tendency for the youth to associate with delinquent peers. As children, offenders are less successful in school, have lower attendance rates and are more likely to leave school early than their peers. Early school leavers experience many difficulties, the most obvious being unemployment or under-employment. Canadian studies show that 40% of federal inmates have a learning disability which remained undetected throughout their childhood. Substance Abuse Alcohol and substance abuse are often associated with criminal behavior. Many offenders are under the influence of drugs or alcohol when offenses are committed. Regular alcohol use during adolescence can lead to higher conviction rates in adulthood. To a lesser extent, research speaks of the influence of television and other multi-media on the behavior of children. There is also some evidence that there are links between diet and violent behavior.