Essay Sample on Social Structure Increases Crime Rates in Our Societies

A social system is the interrelationship of individuals sharing cultural standards and their interpretation. The social system plays a very significant role in our life in society. According to Kriegler (2016), the social system helps us in adapting to different settings, assist us in attaining our objectives, and in integration. However, the social system can also negatively influence an individual's behavior, health outcomes, and sometimes an individual's exposure to criminal behavior. Social structure increases crime rates in our societies. Human behavior is greatly influenced by their population density, social networks and social capital, residential segregation, and international migration (Jacoby, 2017).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

How population density increases crime rates in our societies

Crimes of diverse size and quality tend to increase in developing co societies. Different socio-economic groups of individuals commit different crimes in different frequencies. Increased urbanizations have been seen to escalate crime rates and the inception of social standards and laws. Cities with human capital, foreign-born residents and other potential resources that are likely to spur growth and development, usually experience a high population increase (Jacoby, 2017). Additionally, Cities having strong and constant growth rate are likely to attract a rural-urban type of migration where people migrate from rural to urban in such of employment in urban areas resulting to an increase in population density. Consequently, shifting poverty from rural to urban areas in due course contributes to the emergence of criminal activities in those new areas (Kriegler, 2016).

Most people migrating from rural to urban are made up of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workforce in such of employment, however, not all these groups secure job opportunities. As a result, there is segregation of tradition, culture change, and diverse classes of individuals are likely to crop in. Lack of employment and change in culture and traditions in most growing cities makes the unemployed residents engage in criminal activities in order to survive and have a new way of life (Sharma & Goswami, 2015). In addition, population increase within our societies results in depletion of available resources, this leaves people in poverty when there are no other alternatives to enrich their livelihood. As a result, there is always a high probability that most people will engage in criminal undertakings within such societies as the only mode of sustenance. This has led to an increase in crime rates in rich countries and even nasty in most developing cities (Miraglia, 2017).

How social networks and social capital increases crime rates in our societies

Sharma & Goswami argued that social network has been an existing and fundamental part of many individuals living in our current society (2015). It has become a very component in our society as it enables connection between one community to another. However, it has been seen as one of society's major disappointment due to the negative connection it has regarding our culture. How people are connected with their neighborhood determines how crime rates are likely to grow within our societies. A social network has become the only channel for crime to be documented. So many local crimes have been seen skyrocketing to national headlines. It has been made possible by thousands of individuals sharing and retweeting such happenings across diverse platforms, increasing our involvement in criminal activities than never before (Kriegler, 2016).

It is even worse that most people take to social networks to swank about criminal activities they have engaged in, leading to arrest of so many individuals within our societies. On some serious occurrence, some individuals go ahead to post nasty stories and videos that can tarnish an individual's reputation in different social network platforms leading to emotional distress and financial problems. As a result, it has led to the arrest of such offenders (Jacoby, 2017). Sharing and retweeting stories and very sensitive information in different social network platforms often can work against the defendant since people will always reach to the final judgment before formal legal proceedings take place. Creating a more skeptical and darker world for all, even the blameless (Kriegler, 2016).

On the other hand, Social capital is the number of potential resources put together to possession of a long-lasting network of less or more institutionalized associations of correlative recognition. Its acquisition majorly lies on the availability of careful investment of both cultural and economic having a major influence in economic growth. The difference in social capital in our societies is likely to contribute to criminal activities within our communities (Miraglia, 2017). Criminal conduct is not only contingent on stimulus facing an individual or group of people but also the conduct of peers or other individuals surrounding the person. If the surrounding individuals are well mannered, having good social relations and function effectively, the individuals are likely not to engage in criminal activities since the community which he belongs may discipline his or her aberrant behavior. If an individual resolve to carry out crimes, there are high chances that other people will also engage in criminal activities (Sharma & Goswami, 2015).

How urban sociology contributes to the increased crime rates in our societies

Urban sociology plays a very significant role in our society as it gets to the analyses our societal structure making up metropolitan cities. According to Miraglia (2017), this enables us to come up with legislation that enables us to solve challenges experienced within the urban areas. However, our society today currently put much attention on urbanization which is in contrast with the rural locations creating diverse social challenges. Majority of residents in urban areas focuses on, how independent and individualistic they can be, resulting in a lack of caring and discrimination of others. As a result, modern urban sociology has over-relied on structural obligations of institutions, but not how culture has got a negative impact on the ordinary aspects of inner-city life such as poverty. When this happens, crime rates are likely to increase due to those disparities (Sharma & Goswami, 2015).

Effects of residential segregation on crime rates in our societies

According to Jacoby (2017), residential segregation is always a norm in most of our urban cities and it causes so many disparities within our societies. It is the separation of social groups or individual within the designated geographic locations such as county, municipality and or metropolitan zones. High crime rates have been witnessed in geographic locations where residential segregation has taken place. Individuals who are segregated are always likely to become highly resistant to change and engage in criminal activities since they do not enjoy some of the crucial advantages enjoyed by those perceived to be superior (Kriegler, 2016).

Residential segregation results in the concentration of poverty in confined one geographical location therefore, increased crime rates within those areas. Additionally, the concentration of poverty implies that ghetto inhabitants have not much role model they can (Sharma & Goswami, 2015). Therefore, they cannot conceptualize how and ways in which they can succeed. Residence living within inner cities is likely to experience increase criminal cases and therefore, because of the peril the communities may face, security officers and other authorities are much more likely to execute innocent civilians. Since residential segregation is likely to contribute to high levels of poverty within an area, community- police alliance is likely to decline due to high crime rates, and high-poverty experienced in those neighborhoods (Jacoby, 2017).

References

Jacoby, A. (2017). Social Service Organizations, Discretionary Funding, and Neighborhood Crime Rates. Crime & Delinquency, 64(9), 1193-1214. doi: 10.1177/0011128716688884

Kriegler, A. (2016). Comfortably cosmopolitan? How patterns of 'social cohesion' vary with crime and fear. SA Crime Quarterly, (55), 61-71. doi: 10.17159/2413-3108/2016/v0n55a46

Miraglia, D. (2017). The Impact of Social Media Have on Our Behavior. Psyccritiques, 62(19). doi: 10.1037/a0040836

Sharma, D., & Goswami, D. (2015). "Influence and Impact of Social Media on Our Society". IMS Manthan (The Journal Of Innovations), 10(1). doi: 10.18701/imsmanthan.v10i1.5662