Impact of crime ( social vs economic ) ADV MODS Flashcards
possible essay titles
“the social cost of crime outweighs the economic cost” discuss
“all involved in crime experience the economic costs greater than any other impact” discuss
“the emotional and social toll of crime is greater than anything else” discuss
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
point
clearly crime impacts the whole of society in a negative way,
perpetrators experience very negative social consequences that can not be ignored.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
explain
perps who are punished the most harshly by being sent to prison, experience hugely negative consequences as they must mentally adapt-
commonly referred to as prisonisation, this new mentality does not fit in well when it comes to life outside of prison and these institutionalised personality traits can be;
a lack of trust in others, poor decision making and a lack of a ability to make/maintain relationships.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
prison reform trust have found through their research that
43% of inmates in the uk have lost touch with loved ones and family members following their prison sentence.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
international comparison
Meijers (2018) finding in her study of 37 inmates in Amsterdam that
short-term inmates displayed some concerning adaptations in their personality eg. less impulse control as well as a lesser ability to self-discipline and deteriorated ambition.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
analysis
shows that when in prison perps undergo personality changes that makes maintaining relationships and a life outside of prison extremely difficult to achieve -
showing that offenders who are punished the most severely experience the social impact of crime massively.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
evaluation
in terms of the economic impact on offenders there are improvements being made in Scotland -
in 2018 a new body called release Scotland were created in order to help support offenders when released from prison by educating employers on the benefits of employing ex-offenders.
the body has established partnerships with companies such as Greggs and virgin trains. this shows progress has been made.
Paragraph 1: focus on perpetrators
line of argument
while there are improvements being made on the economic impact, there is much more required to limit the social impact experienced by perps.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
point
clearly, the victim cannot be ignored and experience huge social consequences of crime.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
analysis
both show that crime has extremely negative social impacts on victims and that this should not be ignored as it can be lifelong for the victim.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
explain
the impact on a victim can vary with a variety of different factors such as
the specifics of a crime, the victims financial circumstances and their support.
victims of crime experience both emotional and psychological impacts of crime, with most crime causing emotional and psychological distress.
this is especially seen in victims of violent crime as they are not only physically impacted but it was found that 815 of victims of violent crime claim to be emotionally impacted.
the emotional and psychological impacts can either be long-term or short.
short term impacts can include; shock, guilt, anger as well as fear and worry alongside many more.
long term impacts can include; anxiety, stress and in some cases suicidal thoughts.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
example
suicide is a very extreme impact which can be seen in that 2.3% of victims of fraud reported feeling suicidal.
a large impact is the fear of revictimization, with 73% of victims of burglary claim that they fear revictimization.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
international comparison
whereas PTSD is a key concern in the USA-
a similar trend is seen in the USA where research has found
that victims of crime are significantly more likely to experience lifelong PTSD than those who have not been victim to a crime,
with 25% of victims of crime experiencing lifelong PTSD.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
evaluation
however, victims also experience economic costs associated with legal battles or when the crime has a financial element to it-
this can impact them longer term also vet can also lead to social and emotional issues such as anxiety and depression.
Paragraph 2: focus on victims
line of argument
shows impact on victims clearly negative but the economic impact can also ultimately result in social impacts and therefore social impacts are the greatest.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
point
in addition it is also the perpetrators family who experience the social consequences of crime greatly.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
explain
When an offender is incarcerated, it is commonly understood that they often lose contact with their family, which negatively affects both the family and the offender.
however families also experience many other negative social impacts as a result of a crime, including feelings of isolation and stigmatisation.
this is felt by all the family but mist crucially by the children of perps, who experience restricted visitation and perhaps a loss of role model.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
example
this in turn can result in young people who go on to become less engaged in education and society and more likely to engage in anti-social behaviour, which could result in criminality.
with children of perps being 3 times more likely to engage in anti social behaviour.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
international comparison
linked to this, professor of sociology, Christopher Wilderman, from duke university in America has claimed
“the incarceration of a parents setts of a downwards spiral in which negative responses from teaches..and even peers due to the stigma..lead children down a difficult path”
Paragraph 3: focus on families
analysis
This clearly demonstrates that the impact of crime extends beyond the perpetrators to their families, who also experience significant negative social consequences. These effects are particularly profound on children, influencing their development and potentially perpetuating the cycle of crime into their adult lives.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
evaluation
however, there is also a financial strain on these families such as loss of breadwinner or costs associated with visiting prisons-
these are important but ultimately the social costs is what stays with a child of a perp into their adult life.
Paragraph 3: focus on families
line of argument
while the economic impact on families cannot be ignored the social impact on children of perps is far greater and results in potentially longer lasting, life changing consequences.
Paragraph 4: focus on wider society
point
the impact that crime has on may groups in society is huge, arguably the social cost for individuals is greatest.
there is an argument that financially, crimes impacts the whole of society greatly.
Paragraph 4: focus on wider society
explain
when a society experiences a rise in crime or a lot of crime, government and authorities opt to spend a great deal of money on combatting the problem-
this might take the form of recruiting extra law enforcement or building more/spending more on prisons.
Regardless of the response, ultimately it results in a negative impact on the tax payer.
