Addressing Street Crime Social Sciences Assignment (Essay Sample)

Addressing Street Crime
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Addressing Street Crime
Introduction
Since the beginning of the millennium, street crime has attracted increased attention of multidisciplinary researchers including criminologists, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and education experts (Leverso, Bielby & Hoelter, 2015). It assumes various forms such as bullying, gambling, taxing, vandalism, prostitution, robbery, substance abuse, and the use of weapons among others, which involve young people. The rate at which the crime exacerbates poses a huge threat to the offenders, victims, and the society (Hipp, 2015). As such, recent research has sought to identify the multifaceted motivations of street criminals. The causes of the increasing trend can be explained broadly from economic, social, and family structural perspectives. This paper analyses the factors that underpin the growing rate of street crime in the society.
From the economic point of view, street crime is attributable to the challenges created by the increasing rate of urbanisation, industrialisation, and the different forms of migration (Hipp, 2015). The burgeoning city population strains economic resources. As such, a state of inequality exists in those areas. The underprivileged communities experience frustrations and alienation as only those with high economic strengths access resources. According to Bergen et al. (2014), inequality is one of the leading causes of street crime. The young people from impoverished families use illegal means such as street robbery and prostitution to obtain resources. Additional economic factors that increase street crime include youth unemployment, inflation, and political uncertainty.
Researchers blame dysfunctional social institutions for the growing street crime in the society (Leverso, Bielby & Hoelter, 2015). These institutions include the family, religion, economy, education, and politics. The changes that occur in these systems result in the improper socialisation of children. Secularisation, political uncertainty, the growth of single parent families and high rates of divorce are important social factors that increase child delinquency (Hipp, 2015).Also, community leadership and family values have declined in most urban settings. Sociologists and criminologists view antisocial and criminal behaviours as effects of failed community values (Bergen et al., 2014).
School dropout is a major factor leading to the increasing rate of street crime in the society. For instance, in the United States, the rate of high-school dropouts is alarming and posing a significant threat to the public safety (Christeson et al., 2008). Many dropouts comprise youths from the minority groups such as the African-Americans and Latinos (Groff, Weisburd & Yang, 2010). The children who fail to graduate from school become unemployed. As a consequence, Christeson et al. (2008) note that they indulge in criminal and antisocial behaviours including robbery, selling drugs and prostitution as means of sustaining their lives in the urban environment.
Conclusion
Street crime is rooted in economic, social, and educational factors. Since the turn of the new millennium, the breeds of street offenders have grown as the number and nature of motivations of criminal beha...