Beccaria's Crime And Crime

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When the City of Atlanta is mentioned, individuals automatically associate the city with its positive attributes, such as, the beautiful lights, family activities and tourist attractions. The crime that occurs often goes unmentioned; however, it is increasingly becoming an issue. Forbes ranked Atlanta as the sixth most dangerous city in the US with a violent crime rate of 1,433 per 100,000 residents. The city’s crime rate correlates with its poverty levels and low education rates. Beccaria’s believed punishment should be swift, severe and certain. However, Beccaria’s ideas are often difficult to execute properly. Poverty has a direct effect on crime. The two topics can be associated in several ways beginning with the frame of mind individuals …show more content…

When parents are inattentive to their children because they are working in an effort to provide for their household or simply because of bad parenting, the environment is left to raise the child. It is extremely important to provide positive guidance to adolescences as a deterrent because deviance eventually results to involvement in criminal behaviors. In 2013, property crime and larceny-theft were the highest index of crimes. These two categories show that theft was both a reoccurring crime and major issue in Atlanta. According to a study conducted by Adam Atler of New York University, the feeling of being financially deprived causes individuals to steal. (DiSalvo) In my opinion, that mentality is very juvenile yet it occurs within the city on the daily basis. People often feel destitute when they compare themselves to others who appear to have more money or material things. The crime statistics also correlate with deviancy of those individuals who were 16 and under and between the ages of 17-21 who were arrested for …show more content…

I do agree with his main aspects of punishment being severe, swift and certain. It is important to be severe to ensure that the consequence outweighs the benefits of the crime. Swiftness is equally as important in deterring crime. Beccaria stated, “Promptness of punishment is more useful because when the length of the time that passes between the punishment and the misdeed is less, so much stronger and more lasting in the human mind is the association of these two ideas, crime and punishment… one as the cause, the other as the necessary inevitable effect” (Schram and Tibbetts). Lastly, I agree with certainty being the most important component. The certainty of punishment has the strongest impression on individuals because they are aware of the repercussions for their actions. In addition, general deterrence and specific deterrence are also pivotal. Punishment is not limited to deterring a specific criminal, but it is intended to prevent all individuals from committing

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