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Causes of Crime

Useful Definitions

Causes​

Mental illness​

  • The criminal may not understand what is right or wrong
  • The criminal may enjoy making others suffer

Upbringing​

How the criminal was brought up.

  • The criminal may not have been taught that crime is wrong
  • The criminal may have been brought up around crime

Opposition to laws (Protest)​

The criminal belives that the law is unfair or wrong.

  • The criminal may break laws as an act of protest, e.g. Rosa Parks.
  • The criminal may break laws to bring attention to the unfairness of them.

Greed​

  • The criminal may break laws to have money that they do not need.
  • The criminal may steal to have something they are not usually able to.

Hate​

The crime was done as an act of hate towards the victim(s).

  • The criminal may commit a hate crime.
  • It may be done as an act of revenge.

Addiction​

  • The criminal may break the law to feed their addiction, like stealing drugs (or money to pay for them).
  • The criminal may be addicted to:

Poverty​

  • The criminal may commit the crime to get basic needs, like stealing food (or money to pay for it).
  • It may be out of neccessity, like to feed themselves or others.

Religious Perspectives​

Christianity​

  • Christians believe that evil is an abuse of free will
  • They believe that for good to exist, evil must too.
  • They believe that Satan is an evil power who tempts people to do bad

Buddhism​

  • Unenlightened people can commit skillful (good) or unskillful (evil) acts
  • Unskillful acts (like crimes) are motivated by the Three Poisons: greed, hate and ignorance
  • Unskillful acts have consequences on you and others
  • Everyone is responsible for their own actions