Crime Essay: Is Crime Getting Worse?

There have been times including most recently where we have all heard one person or another make the claim that crime is getting worse. Typically, a cliché saying such as “things are not as they used to be” will often follow or will be brought up in the same conversation. Of course, the saying “things are not as they used to be” could also be open to interpretation. However, both phrases are often in relation to the belief that crime is ever getting worse, and at one point in time there was little if any real crime. However, the belief that crime is only becoming worse is not entirely true. Instead, it is far more of a true claim that crime has been around since we have records of human existence more so than that it is suddenly increasing …show more content…
For some, the saying “they were not raised right” may have truth behind it. When we look at low-income communities, we will also often see a community with a high crime rate. It is no secret that a causation between low income and crime exists. Even document crimes or white collar crimes also occur by those of low income, even though they are often believed to occur by those with a high income. It seems like an easy explanation, if you cannot support yourself or family on your income, then you will do what you need to do in order to survive. The idea of a person committing crimes in order to support themselves appears to align with the classical school of criminology and Bentham’s view that a criminal is someone who can calculate the cost and benefit of committing or not committing a crime …show more content…
If the person believes that they can commit a crime with a high likelihood of a positive outcome (money) and low risk of being caught, then they may be more likely to commit a crime. However, any one of us could likely think about a crime we could conceivably commit and get away with, but most of us will not do so. As such there must be another factor, a factor that would lead a person to a position where they end up weighing the costs and benefits. I believe that factor alone is where the question why can be pinpointed down to, after all, something must lead a person to weigh the pros and cons of committing a crime. The need for money alone cannot be that factor as all of us could always use an extra income, and yet most do not resort to crime. So what could that factor be? I believe that factor is the true mystery that criminology looks to figure out and