Society's Influence On Crime

Society’s influence on crime can be examined from a number of perspectives. For one, the tendency of individuals to leave themselves open to crime (such as by leaving keys in a car, or windows open with a purse visibly inside) opens the possibility of crime to offenders who may not otherwise go out of their way to commit such crimes. The opportunity presented to them sparks interest, and thus the crime that could have easily been prevented is committed. Second, the societal pressures to meet standards or the need to meet costs for food or rent are highly influential in crime. Rising housing costs around the nation, especially in areas of high population mean that crime is more prevalent. There has got to be a correlation between major cities and higher crime rates, which I believe can be attributed to the rising costs due to the popularity of the …show more content…
As discussed earlier in this course, different societal expectations can provide for different standards of what is criminal behavior. The desire to meet the same goals in different circumstances can lead to discrepancies in behavior, just as different groups having different goals can have a similar impact. Similarly, misunderstandings about what is acceptable behavior can mean that one is committing a crime without entirely intending to. While stealing a crime or murder/attempted murder is quiet obviously a crime across the board, other crimes such as drug use may not be understood to be illegal. This is assuming that a foreign national or someone new to the United States commits a crime that at home would have not been a crime at all, rather than someone who disregards law as a whole. There are multiple ways to interpret cultural influences on crime, whether it is based in misunderstandings or different understandings of what is right, or even knowing what is right and wrong but different cultural expectations mean a shift from the norm (being non-criminal