CRIME Flashcards
If young people commit a crime, who do you think is responsible?
That’s a very good question.
I think every country has a different idea of how old a child is when they can be held responsible for their actions. If they’re really young, in their pre-teens, then I would say the parents are responsible. Very young children only get involved in crime if they are left alone without any supervision.
Nowadays, a lot of families are too busy to worry about these things and I think family values are lost in the process. The children might only start with petty crimes but, if they fall in with the wrong crowd and become delinquent, then this can escalate to more serious crimes like robbery or car theft.
If you get a criminal record as a child, it can affect your whole life.
Do you think young people today are well behaved?
I think each older generation looks at the younger generation and criticizes it for being badly behaved. But I do think it’s true that, nowadays, people generally have less and less respect for the rules of society.
You only need to look around the streets to see all the graffiti and vandalism. I think that there’s also been an increase in juvenile crime. Partly I think this is through peer pressure-young people are very much influenced by what their friends think of them, and it’s become cool to act like a gangster. I think the main problem, though, is the media. It cultivates that image and it becomes normal for children to see violent behavior.
Do you prefer going out alone or with friends?
I go out on my own in the day quite often but I would very rarely do it at night.
In the area where I live, the crime rate has increased significantly in the past few years. There seems to be a lot more criminal activity these days so I think it’s a lot safer to go out in a group. There’s no nife crime or anything like that. I’m not afraid of getting stabbed, it’s more muggings, you know, when people grab your bag, stuff like that, I think it’s because of the rising unemployment. People just don’t have enough money. I suppose that’s why some of them turn to theft.
Is the crime rate nowadays lower than in the past?
It depends on which crimes we are talking about. If we are talking about violent crimes, there doesn’t seem to have been much change, but many property crimes, like burglary, have certainly decreased because home security is much better than before.
For instance, when we heard that petty crime is more rampant in the streets where my family live, my father decided to equip security cameras to deter burglars. This also helps me feel safe when I am alone and someone is knocking at the front door, I just check my camera to confirm.
Should young criminals be sent to prison for committing crimes?
Well, it depends on the intention of the minor, because sometimes young ones are not really aware of what they are actually doing and they may have been led astray (=misled) by someone.
I believe that They need some punishment, so they realize that they have slipped up (=made a mistake), but maybe not a prison because that might turn them into a hardened criminal.
For instance, if they commit shoplifting which is a kind of petty crime and it isn’t related to violence, then putting them on probation is acceptable. OR They should be given an alternative sentence, such as community service.
How technology can help tackle crime
Technology can help tackle crime by assisting the authorities to collect information about criminals effectively and efficiently to support their investigation of a crime
I read an article about that some police forces are using AI technologies to assess the potential threat of an arrested suspect to society and if they should be kept in custody (=kept in prison before their trial) or released on bail (released from prison before their trial happens by payment of a sum of money).
Why do some people commit a crime?
It’s a difficult question and it’s hard to say because it really depend on the circumstances. I think on the one hand, some people live in very difficult circumstances and they are brought up
