Social Reason People Commit Crime

Question 1

Social exclusion

Answer 1

Explain - This means that they feel that society has no place for them, and that they might aswell give up on it. It can lead to crime because socially excluded people might join gangs to find a sense of family or respect. They might also commit vandalism to try and strike back against society or turn to drug abuse to try and escape

Example - One example of social exclusion causing crime i in the documentary Mario and Nini, where two young boys who are always being told off in school and made to feel unwanted end up joining a gang and going on ‘eats’, where they steal people’s money. They say that making people fear them makes them feel good and that being in a gang makes them feel part of a family

Question 2

Lack of role models

Answer 2

This means that people might feel that they have no one to look up to in their community apart from people committing crimes. If they have no good role models to look up to, they do not learn what is right and wrong. They might see these people as role models as they have money and status. If they want to be like them, they might start acting like them.

Example - One example of this is that Karyn McCluskey, head of the Violence Reduction Unit has said that young people need role models before the age of ten, and that it is particularly important for boys to encounter positive male role models.