The root cause of criminality has been a matter of intense debate among academics and the general public alike. Whereas a school of thought holds that criminals are born out of poverty and social issues, another believes that personality traits are more likely to contribute to the inception of a criminal. From a personal perspective, I opine that both internal and external factors can constitute a criminal, and the rationale behind this will be outlined in the following paragraphs.
On one hand, criminality might stem from innate characteristics. There are some cases where some people are simply born with undesirable traits, such as aggression or violence. These inherent qualities can shape their personality and behaviors from an early age, leading to a tendency to physically assault and abuse other people as they grow up to satisfy their thirst for violence. Over time, such acts of violence might escalate into different forms of crime and eventually turn them into cold-blooded criminals. One of the classic examples of notorious, inherently cruel criminals is Jeffrey Dhamer. He is an infamous criminal who murdered over 16 young men out of impulse and personal desire starting from his 20s and onwards. Surprisingly, throughout his childhood, Dahmer was said to be a funny, sociable child who showed no signs of psychological abnormalities. It happened to be that his aggressive nature had always been waiting to be revealed until he matured. Thus, this case shows that criminality may originate from one’s inherent personality traits.
On the other hand, I also believe that social problems, specifically poverty, might contribute to the formation of a criminal. This is because when people struggle financially on a daily basis, many of them might venture into theft or robbery as a last-resort means of survival. Once they have turned to such illegal activities, it might be hard for them to escape out of the villainous cycle because they might feel like they have no other viable options. Should they repeat the offense over and over again, in the long term, they may be caught and, ultimately, turned into criminals. A case in point is the infamous criminal couple of the US who engaged in several bank robberies and burglaries, Bonnie and Clyde. They grew up in the slums of New Dallas, where they were constantly exposed to impoverished conditions and abject poverty during their childhood, all of which highly likely contributed to their quest for wealth and assets.
In conclusion, criminality might stem from a person’s sinister nature because some are born with such traits. However, I also contend that social issues, particularly poverty, might also create a criminal because some people might see criminal offenses as their only way out of misery.