Crime is the most essential issue in modern society and is being caused for various reasons. The major reasons are increase of poverty and insufficient education, and aggravation of punishments and implementation of therapeutic approaches at schools can prevent the growth of crimes.
As poverty can prevent people’s access to basic needs such as food and healthcare, they tend to commit crimes like shoplifting, residential burglary and identity theft. Poverty-stricken people are not able to afford accommodation and overcrowded housing conditions can lead to aggression. For instance, the crime rate is high in South Africa as they do not have enough water, sanitation or food, since they live in overcrowded places. In addition, the anxiety and stress that poverty causes can also lead to mental health problems which can lead to crimes. The second biggest issue that generates crimes in society is the lack of education. Bullying is the major problem among children and teenagers and yet most of the schools still seem to normalize it. As adolescents see their aggressive behaviors get no reaction from adults, they continue to do illegal actions as they grow up. Besides, the main reason behind juvenile delinquencies is that minors have barely any idea about the consequences of crimes. For example, 14–17-year-old teenagers in the USA used to get caught by police as they did not know that graffiti was considered a crime in their country.
The most effective solution to prevent people from committing a crime is for the government to take measures. Enhancing penalties for domestic violence such as sexual assaults, rapes and stalking can decrease the number of crimes as the victims of this kind of harassment are usually getting silenced. The other way to solve the problem is to improve education and spread awareness about illegality. Public awareness campaigns or events can be launched to inform people and encourage them to report and ask for help from the government. Schools and universities must prepare special programs and meetings for students to show them the results of illegal acts. For instance, Azerbaijan started the campaign named “Say no to drugs” which helped to decrease the number of students using drugs.
In conclusion, the rise in crime rate because of poverty and insufficient education is a concern on a global scale and it might be decreased by changes in law and creating awareness in educational institutions.