Social And Economic Impact Of Crime On Wider Society

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

• Many types of crime impact individuals in numerous different ways - yet crime also has a considerable impact on the surrounding community.
• Crime has a significant impact on communities in many different aspects, for example, politically, economically and socially.
• While some may argue that the main impact of crime is political or economic, this essay will reason that the social impact of crime on communities is most significant, through the analysis of various factors such as the depopulation of communities, depressed house prices and the physical damage incurred to communities has a specific impact on communities where crime is prevalent.

Question 2

Social Impact - Crime

Answer 2

• It can be argued that the social impact of crime on communities is the most prominent.
• This can be seen when high levels of crime in an area can cause it to be seen as unsafe.
• This is evident in a Glasgow University survey from 2017 which showed that, in regards to the effects of crime, roughly 70% of Glasgow residents agreed with the statement: ‘Many people in Glasgow think their neighbourhood has a bad reputation’.

Question 3

Social Impact - Crime analysis

Answer 3

Arguably this shows that the social impact of crime is the most prominent due to the negative reflection it gives to communities which can damage their reputation as many people in Glasgow believe their neighbourhood had a bad reputation.

Question 4

Social Impact- physical damage

Answer 4

• It may be argued that the social impact of crime on communities is the most prominent.
• This can be seen by the physical damage that can be caused to an area as Areas with a large amount of crime can become run down due to high levels of vandalism and graffiti.
• For example, according to The Courier in 2019, Dundee City Council dealt with almost 500 incidents of vandalism totalling £133,000.

Question 5

Social Impact- physical damage analysis

Answer 5

• Arguably this shows the social impact of crime on communities is the most prominent due to the destruction and deterioration of facilities and properties which depress the fabric of the community which can be hard to rebuild.

Question 6

Social Impact housing prices due to crime

Answer 6

• It may be argued that the social impact of crime on communities is the most prominent.
• This can be seen when the housing prices of areas with High crime rates decrease.
• This is evident from a survey undertaken by the Land Commission of the Scottish Government in 2017 in which it was argued that if the proportion of crime in an area increased by one percentage point, house prices in the area would be expected to drop by 1.5%.

Question 7

Social Impact housing prices due to crime analysis

Answer 7

Arguably this shows the social impact of crime on communities is the most prominent due to the decline of value of housing to the surrounding neighbourhood, as house prices would fall disproportionately to the rise in crime.

Question 8

Social Impact evaluation

Answer 8

• In evaluation it is clear that the social impact of crime is the main impact of crime on wider communities as crime adversely impacts house prices, leads to depopulation of areas and leaves them with a negative legacy and reputation which is hard to recover from.

Question 9

new laws political

Answer 9

• It may be argued that the political impact of crime on communities is a prominent factor.
• This can be seen when new laws are passed as a result of the crime taking place.
• This is evident as in 2014, the government created Clare’s Law, this scheme gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them by allowing women to check police records to see if a partner has a violent past.

Question 10

new laws analysis

Answer 10

• Arguably, this shows that there is a large political impact of crime on communities as criminal cases can result in outrage, and therefore campaigning and activism can result in new laws being passed to prevent similar crimes from occurring

Question 11

political movements

Answer 11

• Some may argue that the political impact of crime on communities is the most prominent.
• This can be seen with political movements developing and growing out of crime taking place within wider society as protestors may organise a protest as a way of publicly making their opinions heard to influence general public opinion or government policy,
• Evidence of this is after the tragic death of Sarah Everard, protesters gathered outside the Scottish Parliament in her memory and in tribute to other women killed at the hands of male violence. They pledged to “put pressure on those in power” ( 3rd March 2022).

Question 12

politcal movements - analysis

Answer 12

• Arguably, this shows that there is a large political impact of crime on communities as crime can often lead to communities coming together especially in reaction to violence inflicted on women, and to protest for change to show solidarity with the victim.

Question 13

Political evaluation

Answer 13

• In evaluation, it may be argued that the political impact of crime is very significant due to the legal changes that can occur to try and stem the impact of crime in society, especially in instituting Clare’s law and becoming firmer in sentencing.
• However, the social impact of crime on communities is the main one due to the effect it has on a place’s reputation and this could potentially be an impact that residents cannot escape.

Question 14

business crime

Answer 14

• It may be argued that crime mainly impacts communities economically.
• This can be seen by the damage businesses experience and the costs that incurs as a result of the crime.
• This is evident as a UK Government Home Office Report in 2018 estimated that crimes against businesses cost around £10 billion per annum.

Question 15

business crime analysis

Answer 15

• Arguably, this shows that the effect of crimes on business has serious economic repercussions for both the business, as it may result in job loss or even closure.

Question 16

cost of security

Answer 16

• It also may be argued crime mainly affects communities economically due to the cost of security.
• This can be seen when the government or council often have to spend millions on security systems such as CCTV to keep the area safe.
• This is evident as according to Edinburgh Live, Edinburgh city council is set to spend £2.6 million on CCTV cameras in 2022.

Question 17

cost of security analysis

Answer 17

• Arguably, this shows that the effect of crime on the cost of security causes councils to spend huge amounts of money on security systems and such like, which could potentially be spent on more welfare-based things such as healthcare or education.

Question 18

economic evaluation

Answer 18

• In evaluation, it may be argued that the economic effect on crime is the main one due to the cost that businesses have to deal with due to damage and security that could be better spent on things that would be more beneficial to the community and economy.
• However, the social impact of crime on communities is the main impact on society due to the way it can be depopulated and lose a sense of community as a result if the material and economic damage incurred.

Question 19

conclusion

Answer 19

• To conclude, the main impact on crime in communities is social to a large extent.
• Although crime has an economic impact on its communities as crime can be very costly in many areas; for example, businesses, people paying for security and damage caused by crime.
• Crime also has a political impact on communities as it can lead to laws being improved or introduced due to communities protesting.
• Overall, the main impact of crime in communities is social due to the stigma crime can create in a community which can lead to the area becoming undesirable which leads to further consequences such as house prices dropping, reputation being ruined.