Crime In The United States

The United States saw its largest amount of crime committed in the 1900s. For the first time in history, crimes began to be recorded in 1960. About 15 million crimes were committed in 1991, since then crime has gradually decreased, but still remains a large problem within the United States (U.S. Crime). Studies have shown that males in their 20’s are the largest culprits committing crime, however crimes are committed by all demographics. America’s prisons are increasingly becoming over-occupied, with about 1 in 100 americans being held behind bars (NCADD 1). As to what causes people to commit crime varies substantially, whether it be violent or petty, misdemeanor or felony, crimes happen on a daily basis, and at an alarming rate. Crime

The primary reasons people commit crimes are because of the influence of alcohol and drugs, the environment they live in, mental disease and lack of an education. When Officer Wade Else was asked what he experienced to be the largest cause of crime, he replied, “blah blah blah.” The largest influence to committing crimes is by far drugs and alcohol. In fact, by their very nature drugs are a crime, and along with alcohol, impair the judgement to the people using them. This impairment causes people to perform actions that they would not normally do sober, yet people still abuse them at a very high rate. According to the Office of Adolescent Health, by their senior year, 50% of adolescents have used drugs and 71% of adolescents have drank alcohol (Adolescents 1). Knowing this statistic should frighten those who are caregivers to this demographic, it also brings up the question, how can this behavior be stopped? Trying to fit in with their friends and peers, teens are susceptible to peer pressure. Falling into peer pressure can cause these teens to perform irrational decisions without thinking of

Unfortunately some people have never been given an opportunity to experience what an education could taste like. Education starts at an early age, even before a child starts in a school system. Humans are taught early what is right from what is wrong, which carries over throughout grade school and then ultimately throughout one’s life time. Certain traits were taught to kids at a young age with the idea that these morals would carry over into the child’s adulthood. However, some kids do not have the opportunity to learn these traits or just choose not to apply these to their life. According to The Bureau of Justice statistics, 68% of state inmates did not obtain their college diploma. In the United States prison system, 14% of inmates do not have any schooling from eighth grade down, more than twice that of the general United States population (BJS 1). This statistic shows the importance of an education, showing that the percentage of people who do not get an education have a much higher chance to commit crimes than their peers who do pursue an education of some sort. Vice versa, committing crime at a young age affects a person by pulling them out of the school system, which would result in them missing more school than their peers not committing crime. Education plays a fundamental role in a child’s life, and can often times determine the amount of success that a child