What Causes Crime?

• NCJ Number: 190154
• Author(s): Don Weatherburn
• Date Published: February 2001
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
• Sale Source: New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Crime and Justice Bulletin, Number 54, February 2001

Annotation

This paper provides an overview of current knowledge about the causes of crime.

Abstract

The three main sections of the paper examine the factors that make some individuals more likely to become involved in crime than others, the factors that make some places more crime-prone than others, and the factors that make crime rates rise and fall over time. The paper concludes that the risk and depth of involvement in crime was strongly influenced by the quality of parenting to which children were subjected. Poor parent-child attachment, poor parental supervision, and inconsistent discipline increased the risk of involvement in crime. So too did parents who modeled deviant attitudes and values. The impact of family break-up and family conflict, although significant, apparently was less important than the aforementioned factors. Also, poor school performance, association with delinquent peers, and alcohol consumption increased the risk of involvement in crime. Illicit drug consumption significantly increased the amount of crime committed by those who did become criminally active. As with individuals, places can be rendered crime-prone by a variety of factors. The most common characteristics of crime-prone neighborhoods were poverty, unemployment, and income inequality. These factors can lead to the presence of gangs and/or other criminal organizations that further exacerbate crime. Crime rises or falls over time in response to a wide variety of factors. Economic factors apparently played an important role in shaping trends in property crime. Alcohol consumption and unemployment apparently influenced levels of violent crime. Other potential influences included the availability of firearms, rates of family breakdown, the percentage of sole-parent families living in poverty, levels of geographic mobility, and percentage of females in the labor force. Given the multiplicity of factors that contribute to crime and criminal behavior, a mix of crime-control strategies is appropriate. 101 notes