There is a small percentage of the human race who
do not want to follow the laws set by the majority of them. Whereas the
majority set laws about ownership of property, the sacredness of life and so
on, the minority want to break these laws to serve their own interests. The
major breaches of the law that they commit, we call crimes.
In ancient times a simple method of combating criminals
-- those who commit crimes -- was worked out. Criminals were simply punished to
make them ‘pay’ for their crimes as a means of punishing them and as a means of
preventing crimes from being committed either by the criminals themselves and
by others who may have thought of committing crimes too. Many societies often
meted out punishments far in access of the crimes committed. In fact, even
today the world is not agreed on what punishment is to be given for which
crime. One thing that seems certain is that punishments do not stop crimes. If they
do then, judging from the fact that severe punishments have been meted out on
criminals throughout the centuries, there should be little or no crime now.
Studies by’ countries which have the means to make
such studies show that crimes are committed because of deep seated psychological
problems that people suffer from. These problems a caused by upbringing and by society.
If that is the case it seem that criminals are not wholly, if at all,
responsible for the crimes that they commit. If society is the cause, the
society must do something to rehabilitate the criminals, instead of just being
simplistic and punishing them. Hence a few societies have gone into
rehabilitation iii a big way. However, rehabilitation does not work perfectly
either. In countries where rehabilitation programrs abounded, so do crimes.
It is obvious that we do not know enough about
crimes and criminals. Hence there seems to be a need for deeper study about
them and what makes people choose the easy way out of life -- albeit the risky
way -- and live by breaking rules and bringing misery to others, and to
themselves. Until the studies bring out some definite causes, effects and cures
-- crimes will continue to plague every society.