Socialization And Crime Essay

Children, throughout history, have been considered a symbol of youthful innocence. They live stress-free lives and are forgiven for any mistakes they commit because they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. A criminal is a person who knowingly, or unknowingly, breaks a law that is put in place to hold society together, and to keep it functioning at its highest capacity. Criminals, to some, are the scum of society, acting on instinct and having no remorse for their actions. This being said, how can a child, bearing an innocence that can allow immunity from any consequence, become a cold-hearted, ruthless criminal? Since children and criminals are members both members of society, regardless of how they are viewed, society shapes them …show more content…
Socialization is defined by University of Delaware students as “the way a child is ‘taught’ how to act and refers to the period of childhood development when children learn the rules and values of their society”(Adam, French, Himebauch, Kuhls, and Thornton). These graduate students, majoring in chemistry, argue that if the children do not learn to differentiate right from wrong, they will likely make wrong decisions throughout life. This socialization can occur at home, but more commonly in a schooling environment. Similar to the study done by the Ministry of Justice, both sources agree that proper socialization and education is necessary to avoid criminal activity. The Ministry of Justice found that a whopping “59% of the criminals regularly played truant or skipped school” (Booth, Kim, Papadopoulou, and Williams). Using this data, the importance of both socialization and education is stressed significantly. When children do not interact with their peers, they miss out on key ideas and are unaware of how to treat others. Moreover, prisoners who reported having played truant at school, being expelled or permanently excluded, were more likely to be reconvicted on release from custody compared with those who did not report these issues (Booth, Kim, Papadopoulou, and Williams). Michael Shader, a Social Science Program Specialist in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention …show more content…
While it may often be overlooked, it is the hardest to control and has devastating effects on the lifestyle of an individual. Economic status is determined by class level, wealth, poverty, and employment. Through extensive research, the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice found that there is “a link between disparity and violent crime” (Social Risk Factors for Involvement in Crime). The larger the economic gap between the child 's family and other families, the greater the risk is for future criminal activity. Less financially stable citizens are more likely to commit crimes in attempt close the gap between where they are, and where they want to be. The Ministry also adds that “unemployment is a predictor of involvement related to crime, but in particular property crime and not violent crime” (Social Risk Factors for Involvement in Crime). Generally unemployed people have serious issues paying their taxes and mortgages, some resort to violence after a solution isn 't found to their financial struggles. On the other hand, economic status can lead to bullying in younger children. This teasing will cause the children to feel left out and in turn lead to anger. This anger and pent up aggression is the root of criminal activity and the reason of several prevention