Why Most Convicted Criminals are Young, Male and Working-Class

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Why Most Convicted Criminals are Young, Male and Working-Class

Official crime statistics show that young, working-class males commit

most crime. The following are some reasons that I can think of to

explain these generalisations.

Young

=====

I think young people commit crime as they are out of the age group

when their parents closely supervise them. Their curfews may have been

extended and parents tend to give them a bit more space, privacy and

freedom. They are no longer treated as children but are denied the

same rights and responsibilities as adults. This can make them feel

deprived of status in society and suffer from what sociologists call

status frustration. This simply means that they are frustrated their

lack of independent status in society.

They are also at the stage when their friends are an important part of

their (social) life. They want to impress their mates as well as

searching for thrills and status among the peer group. Their peer

group provides them some support on things to do with school and

family and therefore become of great significance.

The majority of young people lack responsibilities that include having

children, keeping a job and financial demands such as rent or

mortgage. The lacking of responsibilities such as these as well as

looking for thrills among the peers can often glide young people in

the direction of deviant acts that sometimes collide with the law.

They might give up these criminal careers, as they grow older due to

things such as marriage, parenthood, buying and looking after a home

of their own etc.

Another reason for why young people engage in crime could be due to

the fact that their parents and teachers can no longer control their

behaviour. Some sort of breakdown of behaviour control at home and at

school may have occurred.

These are the only explanations I can find for why a lot of criminals

are young. Their offences usually involve trivial things like

shoplifting, under-age drinking and are usually peer group related.

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