Crime, as defined in the textbook Social Problems by John J. Macionis, is the violation of a criminal law enacted by federal, state, or local government. There are two types of crimes: misdemeanors and felonies. Each has different consequences and consist of different crimes. Misdemeanors are mostly petty crimes—vandalism, trespassing, and petty theft; they are punishable by less than a year in prison. Felonies are serious crimes that are guaranteed to land someone in prison for over a year—rape, murder, and assault are examples of felonies. Each of the felonies listed are also considered violent crimes, also known as crimes against persons. Crime and violence do not always coincide, but there is a stigma on any criminals that makes everyone
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Macionis gives some insight into contributors to violence in our society; he argues that the media, poverty, drugs, gangs, and guns all contributor to the normalization of violence and the sheer amount of it in society today. Countless TV shows, movies, and even cartoons contain violent scenes and imagery, enough that it may affect people and cause them to act more violently as a result—especially children. Poverty is another factor; those who can’t afford to pay bills, have bad diets, and have no luck finding ways to pull themselves out of their unfortunate situation are very stressed, and some become violent. Continuing on with low-income families, some of the younger members may form or join a gang to have a place to belong; the gang may or may not partake in committing crimes, but enough do that they are considered a problem. Drugs are often a part of gang-life, and they can lead a person to be violent. Alcohol and other drugs can blur the lines between right and wrong and cloud judgement; the need for more of their drug may cause someone to lash out at others in search for more, …show more content…
There are so many things that can go wrong when a gun is easily accessible—accidents of all kinds, disturbed individuals that mean to cause harm getting their hands on assault rifles or other guns. There are over 10,000 killings a year involving guns; more gun control laws wouldn’t hurt anything—they’re not taking guns away from Americans, just making it more difficult for them to be used and abused by the wrong people (Macionis, 2015, p. 177). Those who oppose gun control laws argue that more guns are the solution; if one can shoot down a shooter they could minimize the damage before it happens. No matter what side one is on, it’s obvious that there is a problem
Macionis gives some insight into contributors to violence in our society; he argues that the media, poverty, drugs, gangs, and guns all contributor to the normalization of violence and the sheer amount of it in society today. Countless TV shows, movies, and even cartoons contain violent scenes and imagery, enough that it may affect people and cause them to act more violently as a result—especially children. Poverty is another factor; those who can’t afford to pay bills, have bad diets, and have no luck finding ways to pull themselves out of their unfortunate situation are very stressed, and some become violent. Continuing on with low-income families, some of the younger members may form or join a gang to have a place to belong; the gang may or may not partake in committing crimes, but enough do that they are considered a problem. Drugs are often a part of gang-life, and they can lead a person to be violent. Alcohol and other drugs can blur the lines between right and wrong and cloud judgement; the need for more of their drug may cause someone to lash out at others in search for more, …show more content…
There are so many things that can go wrong when a gun is easily accessible—accidents of all kinds, disturbed individuals that mean to cause harm getting their hands on assault rifles or other guns. There are over 10,000 killings a year involving guns; more gun control laws wouldn’t hurt anything—they’re not taking guns away from Americans, just making it more difficult for them to be used and abused by the wrong people (Macionis, 2015, p. 177). Those who oppose gun control laws argue that more guns are the solution; if one can shoot down a shooter they could minimize the damage before it happens. No matter what side one is on, it’s obvious that there is a problem