While there is little consensus over the factors driving people to commit an illegal act, crime is often perceived by many people as a result of interconnection between socio-economic and inborn factors. Even though social and financial positions of people play a vital role, I believe, people’s tendency to commit a crime stems from their innate behavioral traits as not everyone in impoverished conditions engages in criminal activity.
Many factors including economic inequality and social problems have been causing people to break the law. As there are some contradictory financial factors like higher communal fees and lower salaries, people living below the poverty line are more inclined to be criminal. When people encounter financial adversity and struggle to afford basic needs – food, shelter, healthcare-, they tend to robbery as a means of their survival or to improve their circumstances. A survey conducted in a particular prison in USA reported that 85 percent of those who committed a crime was sentenced for theft.
Also, societal issues such as poor family environment seem to be a driving force behind criminal behavior. A lack of supervision, and neglect in family, associated with family divorces, can foster aggressive behaviors among teenagers. Due to parental absence in the family, children are likely to suicide or related crimes as result of emotional stress.
However, it is hard to judge everyone living in poverty as a criminal. Who guarantees that affluents will not commit a crime? Having immersed in the comfort of their luxurious lifestyle, affluents are eager to possess more property. Furthermore, for there is always aggressive competition among wealthy people, many rich individuals are driven to elevate their own social statues through materialistic possessions. As their plans of income generation do not always work, they try to find other illegal ways. Due to their greed, they may become involved in illegal finance theft activities to accumulate more wealth.
In conclusion, although there are several socio-economic issues creating criminal behavior, in my opinion, inborn characteristics of people make them criminal, and it would be wrong to consider those in socio-economic distress as someone prone to crime.