SOCIOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF

“CRIME IN INDIA AND ABROAD”

Submitted by : -

Shubhrajit Saha
BA LLB (H) – 5th semester
Enrolment no. – A90811115045
ABSTRACT

The present assignment aims to enlighten the readers about the crime in India and its rates and
the kind of crimes being committed in the country and also the scenario of the world in terms
of committing crimes. The main object of this assignment is to show how the human values
have gone down with the passage of time and the new ways that the criminals have found to
commit a crime every-time. The methodology that has been adopted to accomplish this
assignment is a secondary one where the data have been taken from various websites and also
the whole assignment is inspired by many articles and includes many other sources as well.
After completing the assignment what I have found is that with the passage of time crime rates
have went up rather than going down and as far as India is concerned the rates of crime have
shot up in the last decade and for the world as a whole the human values have now hit a new
low with these increasing no. of crimes and now there is a crisis of human values in the present
society.

INTRODUCTION

Crime or delinquency is a great social problem facing every society. According to C. Darrow,
“Crime is an act forbidden by the law of the land and for which penalty is prescribed.”
According to Barnes and Teeters, “Crime is a form of anti-social behaviour that has violated
public sentiment to such an extent as to be forbidden by statute.” Crime is the omission of an
act which the law of the land asks to do or commission of an act which it forbids to do. The
law may be written or unwritten.
When the law is not written then crime is generally recognized as transgressions against the
traditions or mores of the community. Crime, therefore, may be regarded as behaviour of
individuals which the group strongly disapproves. And since societies do not have uniform
standards of right and wrong and since these standards change in a society from time to time,
criminal behaviour is relative and not absolute.

Crime is the price paid for the advantage of civilization. Crime is said to be a major social
phenomenon of modern civilized and advanced societies. Though there was crime in primitive
societies too but therein it was not a major social problem. In primitive societies, the mores are
strong enough to control the individual behaviour effectively, and the few who disobey the
rules do not constitute a threat to the community.

In modern civilized societies, the influence of mores has lessened and it is difficult to compel
universal observance of mores. The modern societies have a population which is heterogeneous
in racial and cultural background and is differentiated into various classes. They have several
norms of conduct which often clash with one another; and have limited control over the
behaviour of their members.
In primitive societies called backward there was a single code of beliefs and customs, the
culture was static and homogeneous and there was little institutional disorganisation and a
minimum class-differentiation. Naturally there was little crime among primitive tribes and in
simple folk societies. But like many other social problems of our modern society, crime also is
the price we have to pay for the advantages of civilization.

CRIME IN INDIA:

In India, there are no dependable figures on crime. The available statistics cover only those
arrested and convicted, or the crime known to the police and even these figures are not reliable.
What is more serious is the white-collar crime which amounts several times more than the
conventional type of crime. By white-collar crimes we mean the crimes committed by the upper
strata of society in their business and professional practices.

The Securities scam, the Sugar scam, the Telecom scam and the Fodder scam are the recent
examples. Racketeering, black-marketing, tax evasion, adulteration and corruption are some of
the crimes committed by the white-collar men frequently which have assumed serious
proportions threatening the entire social fabric.

What is a more-sorry state of affairs is that the racketeers, black-marketers, smugglers, tax-
evaders and bribe takers exert considerable political influence and have entered the legislatures.
The public seems willing to support their activities through extensive patronage.

Not only the above mentioned crimes are concerning the Indian society but also the crimes
against women such as rape, dowry, domestic violence, etc. Police records show high incidence
of crimes against women in India. The National Crime Records Bureau reported in 1998 that
the growth rate of crimes against women would be higher than the population growth rate by
2010. Earlier, many cases were not registered with the police due to the social stigma attached
to rape and molestation cases. Official statistics show that there has been a dramatic increase
in the number of reported crimes against women. Problems like rape, dowry and domestic
violence have been increasing considerably.

 Rapes have doubled between 1990 and 2008. According to National Crime Records
Bureau data of 2012, Gujarat has the lowest rape rate (0.8) while Mizoram had the
highest rape rate with a value of 10.1. the National Average was at 2.1. The rates were
calculated by National Crime Records Bureau as the number of incidents per 100,000
of the population
  Dowries are considered a major contributor towards violence against women in India.
Some of these offences include physical violence, emotional abuses, and murder of
brides and girls. Most dowry deaths occur when the young woman, unable to bear the
harassment and torture, commits suicide. Most of these suicides are by hanging,
poisoning or by fire. Sometimes the woman is killed by setting her on fire - this is
known as bride burning, and is sometimes disguised as suicide or accident Research
shows that there are proportionately more spousal murders in the United States, but
"dowry" gets implicated in India as a cultural crime due to persistent colonial narratives.
In 2012, 8,233 dowry death cases were reported across India. Dowry issues caused 1.4
deaths per year per 100,000 women in India. However, a number of crimes classified
as due to "dowry" may be falsely attributed as a result of the draconian anti-dowry law.
 Domestic violence in India is endemic. Around 70% of women in India are victims of
domestic violence, according to Renuka Chowdhury, former Union minister for
Women and Child Development. The National Crime Records Bureau reveal that a
crime against a woman is committed every three minutes, a woman is raped every 29
minutes, a dowry death occurs every 77 minutes, and one case of cruelty committed by
either the husband or relative of the husband occurs every nine minutes. This occurs
despite the fact that women in India are legally protected from domestic abuse under
the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.
Our moral sense is at low ebb. From the crime statistics or from newspaper reports we can
obtain only a slight idea as to the prevalence of crime in the country. We would not be guilty
of exaggeration if we say that in India crime has increased steadily in recent years. Moreover,
the data from the penal institutions show that a large percentage of inmates are repeaters
reflecting the failure of our society to rehabilitate the criminal.
The country spends several crores of rupees in detecting, convicting and guarding the criminals,
yet crime goes on increasing day by day. If we in India place a high value on wealth, prestige,
and political power regardless of the way in which they are acquired and if the leaders refuse
to abide by laws which they wish to be enforced against other persons, then, of course, we
cannot expect the incidence of crime to go down.

CRIME IN ABROAD:
Crime in the world has been increasing over the couple of years with a concerning rate. The
increasing rate of criminals throughout the world is a constant threat to the society at large.
Over the years, crimes like rape, murder, etc. have increased at an alarming rate.

Not only these but also terrorism has increased with time. The terrorists throughout the world
have caused many damages to the society – both mentally and physically. Whether it is the
9/11 attack in the United States of America or 26/11 attack in India (Mumbai) or the recent
attack in Bangladesh, the terrorist organisations have succeeded to implement their well-
planned attacks.

Apart from such kinds of crimes there are other kinds of crime which are known as the
organised crimes like illegal drug trade, arms trafficking, etc. which are also increasing day-
to-day and have become an easy way to earn money for the criminals. Consumption of illegal
drugs are a concern for the present society and especially for the youth drug addiction is a
major issue now-a-days and they become easy targets of the drug dealers and they sell a huge
amount of illegal drugs to the youngsters which has in-turn led to the development of illegal
drug trade at a bigger level and not only for the consumption but also this industry has engulfed
the youngsters for the purpose of smuggling these illegal drugs across the international borders
by paying them a good amount of money. As far as arms trafficking is concerned, people related
to this business earn in millions and billions as they sell weapons to illegal organisations like
some terrorists organisations, some gangsters, etc. and they get a very high price for that due
to the black market price being higher.

Other than these, there are many crimes which have developed in the modern era like those of
cyber-crime which is basically a kind of crime that takes place using the computers and internet
and other means of technology. In this kind of crime, basically the techies or so called tech
experts, otherwise known as the hackers commit theft or fraud using the internet as a medium.

Adding to the above mentioned crimes, there are a lot more crimes such as white collar crimes
have rather led the human values to go down further in the recent times. White collar crimes
are those which are committed by people who are business professionals or government
officials, basically engaged in money laundering and scams, etc.

Top 5 Countries with the Highest Crime Rates

The United States of America and Canada actually have the highest overall crime rates in the
world. That largely has to do with reports of theft and other crimes in major cities, but if you
take theft out of the equation, the numbers change.

South Africa

South Africa has the highest murder rate among countries with populations of 35 million people
or more. The murder rate since 2011 stayed at around 32 per 100,000 but the number of murders
has increased with increases in population. South Africa also has one of the highest rates of
rape in the world. AIDS also is a concern there, and it has been reported that if a woman is
raped, there is a 25 percent chance her attacker has HIV or AIDS.

Perhaps most shocking of all is that children are often rape victims in South Africa. This is
believed to be a result of a myth that having sex with a virgin female cures a man of AIDS and
other sexually transmitted diseases. Some places in the country even have signs informing
people that is not true.
Other crimes committed in South Africa include car hijackings and kidnapping.

Honduras

Crime has been a serious issue in Honduras for years. Gang activity is a major factor, and the
country in Central America has the highest murder rate in the world, with more than 90
homicides per 100,000 people, compared to the average of 6.2 percent, according to the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes.

Drugs are a serious issue there, as Honduras is a major drug route to the United States. Its long
coastline, and relatively spread-out population, make it a popular route to bring drugs from
Central America to the U.S.

Venezuela

Gallup ranked Venezuela as the world’s most insecure nation in a 2013 poll. The United
Nations attributes the country’s high crime rate to the poor political and economic environment.
Venezuela has a high murder rate, 82 per 100,000 people.

Venezuela also is a key country for drug trafficking, as cocaine and other drugs headed to the
U.S. and Europe are routed through Venezuela. Foreigners often are targets for such crimes as
murder and kidnapping.

One high-profile crime in Venezuela occurred in January 2014 when former Miss Venezuela
Monica Spear and her husband were murdered, and their young daughter was shot.

A travel warning from the United States State Department notes that kidnapping in a serious
concern throughout Venezuela, and that 80 percent of kidnappings go unreported. Many of
these are “express kidnappings,” which last a few hours, but can be very violent, and people
who resist attempts at an express kidnapping have been known to be murdered. Some families
even set aside ransom money in case of a kidnapping.

Belize

This country has a small population (about 335,000), but a high murder rate, often ranking
among the world’s highest murder rates, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime.

Other issues in Belize include human trafficking, drugs, and gang activity. The country also
has a reputation as a place where many crimes go unpunished, because of lack of suitable
resources to prosecute suspects.
Theft has long been a problem there, but in recent years, more of those burglaries have involved
violence, leading to injuries and death.

India

Sexual assault is a major concern in India. More than 33,000 rapes were reported in 2014.

The rate of these assaults is increasing. Rape is one of India’s most common crimes against
women. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,923 rape cases were reported
across India in 2012, but experts agree that the number of unreported cases of sexual assault
brings the total much higher. The latest estimates suggest that a new case of rape is reported
every 22 minutes in India.

There also have been some tragic high-profile cases, including the gang rape and murder of
two teenaged girls in May of 2014, in which police officers were suspects. A post-mortem
examination indicated the girls had been raped and hanged while still alive. But an investigation
by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation said there was no evidence of rape, and that the
examination was flawed. In March 2015, a 71-year-old nun was allegedly gang-raped. Six men
were arrested for the crime.

Riding buses in India can lead to sexual harassment or “eve teasing,” ranging from catcalls,
gestures, brushing up against women, groping and molestation. Other crimes in India include
gang activity and drug-related crimes.

Top 5 Countries with the Lowest Crime Rates

On the other end of the spectrum, here are the five countries with the lowest crime rates in the
world.

Switzerland

Switzerland is known for its low crime rate. The murder rate there in 2014 was 0.49 per 100,000
people, the country’s lowest rate since Switzerland started keeping those statistics in the 1980s.
That low number is despite a population increase from 6.4 million to 8.1 million.

Total offenses registered in 2014 numbered 526,066, with about half of those being committed
by foreigners, many of which were theft, including vehicle theft. There were 556 reported rapes
in 2014, which represented a three percent decrease.

Singapore

Widely regarded to be the safest country in Asia, Singapore has one of the world’s lowest
murder rates (0.3 per 100,000), and violent crime is rare there. A report by the Singapore Police
Force stated that there were 175 violent crimes committed in the first half of 2015, a decrease
from 315 over the same period in 2014. Statistics for drug crimes also are low, as Singapore is
known for its notoriously harsh drug laws. There is an increase in online scams and credit-card
fraud.

Iceland

Iceland has been named the world’s most peaceful county by the Global Peace Index, because
of its low crime rate, lack of armed forces and political stability. It has one of the world’s lowest
murder rates, with just 26 murders being reported from 2000 to October of 2014. Rape is a
concern in Iceland, with a 2013 study claiming that of 189 cases of rape reported rapes in 2008
and 2009, just 21 ended with a conviction.

Japan

Japan is one of the safest countries in Asia, and its murder rate of less than one per 100,000 is
the lowest among industrial nations. Japan has a population of 127 million, yet street crime is
practically non-existent there, and drug use is low. This is largely attributed to the culture of
Japan, as being known to use illegal drugs or being sentence to prison would be considered of
bad character. Organized crime is an issue in Japan, with organized crime syndicates (known
as the Yakuza) being involved in extortion, blackmail, pornography, arson and influencing
public officials.

Luxembourg

A small country of 1,000 square miles, and a population under 600,000, Luxembourg has low
murder and violent crime rates, thought petty crimes, such as pickpocketing and purse-
snatching, are known to happen in tourist areas. Charges of police corruption are rare.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg has the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in 2014, according
to the United Nations.

No matter where your travels take you, property insurance can help protect you assets.
Clements offers comprehensive portable property insurance for people traveling outside their
home countries.

How to combat crime?

The sociologists are not unanimous on the point. Often the measures advocated are based upon
a particular theory regarding the cause of crime. The most accepted view is that the causes of
crime are multiple and no single theory can explain all the causes. These causes are biological,
psychological, social and economic. Among the biological causes we may include insanity,
physical disability, defective glandular and nervous system.
The psychological causes may be neurosis, psychopathy and emotional instability. The social
causes are social disorganisation, social competition, social mobility, conflict, defective social
institutions, lack of education, sexual literature, cultural lag and war. The economic causes are
economic competition, poverty, unemployment, desire for more wealth, unlimited desires,
industrialization, poor natural resources, inflation etc.

The reasons for a person’s is having committed a crime can be discovered only after
investigating his personality and environment. According to Elliot and Merrill, ‘The factors in
relation to the whole, rather than the sum of the single isolated factors, must be considered in
any satisfactory analysis.” Some criminologists, such as Bonger believe that only a completely
renovated society, one in which there is no capitalism, can solve the problem of crime.

Others, who do not go to this extreme, advocate reformatory rather than retaliative or deterrent
treatment of the criminals. Ostensibly the reform of the criminal is the main motive in his
treatment today. In India various means are being explored for giving a better treatment to the
criminal inside the jail. He is being provided with more and better amenities of life. Besides
sufficient food, bedding and clothing he is also provided with recreational facilities.

Indoor and outdoor games are played and tournaments are arranged in which teams from
outside often participate. Even radios have been installed in some of the penal institutions. The
present prison administration in the country guarantees a prisoner better food, clothing, medical
attention and recreational facilities than what are available to a poor honest man outside.

Of the success of these measures it is impossible to speak with any certainty. We cannot say
whether these measures have been responsible for the cure of such criminals who do not
reappear before the court or they have simply given up crime by a process of social maturation.
However, it is universally recognised that punishin6rit does not reform the criminal. Whether
or not it deters potential criminals is open to debate.
ARTICLES REFERRED
1. Crime as a major social problem – www.youtharticlelibrary.com

This article basically defines the major social problems in India and deal also deals with
crime as a social problem. It defines crime or delinquency as a great social problem
facing every society. It also talks about the crimes in the primitive societies and says
how crime has increased in the recent times in comparison to the primitive societies.

This article also explains the situation of India in terms of crime and what kinds of
crime are committed in India and also reminds us that how the moral values have gone
down in the modern era.

Apart from all these this article also tells us about how to combat crime and what the
sociologists think about it. It also elaborates on how the government can take actions to
reduce crime rates and advocates for reformatory treatment of the criminals rather than
deterrent treatment.

2. Rise of crimes in India – www.preservearticles.com

This article says-

“Criminalization is a social phenomenon, which has shaped and continues to be shaped

by the society. Emergence of a society divided on the basis of class, caste and education
has made crime an acceptable way of getting pelf and power by a growing number of
individuals.
This has made our democratic and constitutionally bound society, into an increasingly
crime-prone zone. Nefarious activities like rape, robbery kidnapping, and dacoity have
become means to make quick money, display of power or revolt against the system.

The article also speaks of the two factors responsible for the increasing crime and these
are corruption and money which basically breed crime in the modern world. This article
also says that the National Crime Records Bureau in one of its-reports has stated that
people under the age group of 16-25 have been responsible for 56 per cent of crimes
committed in the country.”

Further, this article enlightens its readers about the ways crimes rates can be controlled
and calls for the people and the government to go hand-in-hand to reduce the crime
rates and also says that the government must put more money in the education system
so that the crime rates can be reduced through a better education system.
3. Countries with the highest and lowest crime rates in the world – www.clements.com

This article basically shows the countries that have the highest crime rates and includes
five countries – South Africa, Honduras, Venezuela, Belize and India and kinds of
crime being committed in each of these crimes.

This article also tells us about the countries with the lowest crime rates which are –
Switzerland, Singapore, Iceland, Japan and Luxemborg.

4. Growing crime rates in India- www.youtharticlelibrary.com

This article enlightens us about the situation of the crimes in India and its causes and
consequences. The article also talks about the juvenile delinquency and to understand
juvenile delinquency, one must analyse the socialisation process, peer group influence,
and the structure of delinquent gangs. The crucial variables in delinquency are age, sex
and status of the family.
The article also speaks of the reasons responsible for the increase in crime in the modern
Indian society and one such reason is power. Power has also become a source of crime
for the privileged sections of society. There is a tendency among powerful persons to
abuse their influence and authority. Several cases of rape and murder have been
reported by wards of influential persons and political heavyweights in the recent past.
White-collar crime is a phenomenon found among the educated people engaged in
trade, professions and government services.
It also enlightens us about the pattern of crime in India such as crimes as to against
property, crime against persons etc. and also discusses the crime rates in various cities
in India such as Mumbai, Delhi, etc.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field of study.
It comprises the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with a
branch of knowledge. Typically, it encompasses concepts such as paradigm, theoretical model,
phases and quantitative or qualitative techniques.

A methodology does not set out to provide solutions - it is, therefore, not the same as a method.
Instead, a methodology offers the theoretical underpinning for understanding which method,
set of methods, or best practices can be applied to specific case, for example, to calculate a
specific result.

It has been defined also as follows:

(i) "the analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline";
(ii) "the systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline"; and
(iii) "the study or description of methods".

There are two approaches to conduct a research:

• Qualitative Approach- In Qualitative approach, the researcher analyses the objective

and study it on the basis of a previous case study or a grounded theory. Usually, this
approach is used in routine business scenarios. Some of the most popular qualitative
research methods are ethnography, grounded theory, biology, case study and
phenomenology.

• Quantitative Approach- This approach adopts experimental and computational

methods. The conclusion is reached after following the rigorous process of observation
made from experimentation performed on the object. Some of the most important
quantitative techniques are inferential, simulation and experimental.
SECONDARY METHOD
Secondary Research is a common research method; it involves using information that
others have gathered through primary research.

Advantages

(i) The information already exists and is readily available - quick & low cost
(ii) Helps guide the focus of any subsequent primary research being conducted
(iii) Internal secondary data uses categories and breakdowns that reflect a corporation’s
preferred way of structuring the world
(iv) Secondary research may be the only available source of specific pieces of
information (i.e. government data)

Limitations

(i) The information lacks specificity or does not exactly address question of concern.
(ii) Some external secondary data may be of suspect quality or outdated.
(iii) Internal secondary data such as sales reports and customer databases may only
describe existing customers.
(iv) Information is less likely to exist, particularly in developing countries, due to the
lack of primary research conducted in unpopular markets or strict media control
from the governments.

Purpose

This technique is performed in order to:

(i) Assess easy, low-cost and quick knowledge;

(ii) Clarify the research question;
(iii) Help align the focus of primary research in a larger scale and can also help to
identify the answer; and
(iv) Rule out potentially irrelevant project proposals (ex. The proposed work may have
already been carried out).
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY USED

In this research paper, the methodology that I have used is the qualitative approach where a
researcher basically does his work on the basis of previously grounded theory. So, here I have
referred to many websites, articles and various data through which I have tried to portray the
scenario of crimes in India as well as outside India. I have also given some data to come up
with a clearer picture of the crimes being committed India and abroad.

LIMITATIONS OF THIS RESEARCH

(i) I have only done the research through the data that was available and therefore,
maybe I’m in dark from the ground reality of crimes in India and abroad.
(ii) I have failed to study particular sections of the society and only studied the scenario
in general.
(iii) I have failed to conduct a survey and as a result of which I really don’t know the
real situation of crimes in the society.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
(i) http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/major-social-problems-of-india-and-
other-countries-its-causes-and-solutions/24338 - accessed on 4th November, 2017
(7:01 P.M.).
(ii) http://www.preservearticles.com/2011081911024/354-words-short-essay-on-rise-
of-crimes-in-india.html- accessed on 4th November, 2017 (7:28 P.M.).
(iii) http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/growing-crime-rate-in-india-
essay/35201- accessed on 4th November, 2017 (7:43 P.M.).
(iv) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_India- accessed on 5th November, 2017
(10:30 P.M.).
(v) https://www.clements.com/resources/articles/Countries-with-the-Highest-and-
Lowest-Crime-Rates- accessed on 6th November, 2017 (00:17 A.M.).
(vi) http://designresearchtechniques.com/casestudies/secondary-research/ - accessed on
6th November, 2017 (7:00 P.M.).
(vii) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodology - accessed on 6th November, 2017
(7:18 P.M.)