Crime is the basis of a dysfunctional society, it is defined as, 'an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law'. Laws, as everyone know, stands as a reinforcement to prevent said crime, to encourage individuals to not act out of accordance, an accordance which could land them in a dire situation. There have been many occurrences of horrific crime, but crime can always be justified through a trial. But what happens if we look at it more in depth? There must be something which triggered it. Something more complex and worrisome which news articles rarely go into. That is, the perception of what triggers crime; the idea that an individual must have gone through a certain mind-set before acting the way they did, and there have been many times where explanation is given. Such as, mental illnesses, peer pressure, alcohol/ drug abuse and low self-esteem. Although these categories are generalised and don’t conceptually regard the complexity in which an individual commits a crime, there are many emotionally attached reasons where a person can act out, sometimes it can be against their will or they might be struggling to contain themselves due to a mental illness. According to a data crime study taken out in London, only ten out of thirty-three boroughs make it to the top ten list of the being the safest boroughs in the city. The reasons behind this matter can be numerous and to closely analyse the data will need excessive procedures and a crucial time period where all the anomalies can be identified.
The psychological aspect of an individual committing a crime comes from their childhood experiences. If a child felt inferior during their childhood, then they would try to gain a reputation and feel superior as an adult. But if this superiority cannot be achieved through academic or financial success, then the individual will resort to other measures, such as becoming an intimidating or dangerous person, in other words, becoming a criminal. There are many other psychological factors involved, but it doesn’t all fall under one category. The abuse of drug/ alcohol could encourage an individual to perform demeaning actions which they would not have committed had they not have been under the influence. Low self-esteem also plays a part in this matter, for a person to be known in a particular way, they may wish to gain some type of reputation in order to possess respect. This respect would thus be born out of their criminal habits which would therefore lead to them gaining some sort of confidence boost which would encourage them to continue acting out of accordance in order to maintain that feeling. Peer pressure also plays a major role and a person can commit a crime by being forced or threatened by their peers if they fail to do as they were told.
Redbridge although has held many campaigns and youth help groups to encourage individuals to stay in education and prevent them from committing crimes or doing something which would direly affect their future. There are community groups which are being run and are currently taking place to help bring together people of all backgrounds, to encourage tolerance and maintain a standardised society.
Hamna Kashif - Ursuline Academy Ilford
