WHAT CAUSES CRIMES: Crimes Committed in Barangay Ugad

By:

BASSIG RODEL A.
CARAG KAYE ANGELIE C.
CARNIYAN RAZEL V.
MADDALORA NIÑA G.

Bachelor of Science in Criminology 2B

Submitted to:

SHIERLY CABANGAN
Subject Professor; BS CRIMINOLOGY Program Chair

College of Criminal Justice Education

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY-CABAGAN CAMPUS

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Subject

CRIMPROF214
THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION
 I. INTRODUCTION

Why do individuals commit crimes? At the same time, why is crime present in
our society? The criminal justice system is very concerned with these questions, and
criminologists are attempting to answer them. In actuality, the question of why crime
is committed is very difficult to answer. However, for centuries, people have been
searching for answers. It is important to recognize that there are many different
explanations as to why individuals commit crime.
Cabagan, officially the Municipality of Cabagan, is a 1 st class municipality in
the province of Isabela, Philippines. It is divided into 26 barangays. Barangay Ugad
is one of those barangays and is located in an urban area where supermarkets,
grocery store, mall, and marketplace appear. Ugad is a barangay in the municipality
of Cabagan, in the province of Isabela. Its population as determined by the 2015
Census was 2,434. This represented 4.85% of the total population of Cabagan.
According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Ugad is
20 to 24, with 258 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population
is 80 and over, with 15 individuals.
Combining age groups together, those aged 14 and below, consisting of the
the young dependent population which include infants/babies, children and young
adolescents/teenagers, make up an aggregate of 29.95% (729). Those aged 15 up
to 64, roughly, the economically active population and actual or potential members of
the work force, constitute a total of 65.69% (1,599). Finally, old dependent population
consisting of the senior citizens, those aged 65 and over, total 4.35% (106) in all.
The computed Age Dependency Ratios mean that among the population of
Ugad, there are 46 youth dependents to every 100 of the working age population;
there are 7 aged/senior citizens to every 100 of the working population; and overall,
there are 52 dependents (young and old-age) to every 100 of the working population.
This study will focused on the crimes committed by the residents of Barangay
Ugad, Cabagan, Isabela and aims to answer the question “what causes crime?” as
well as the other factors that gives a person a pressure to do wrong things. With the
factors or reasons, we will be able to look on possible theories on why do crimes
exist or committed in a certain community.

II. BACKGROUND/RATIONALE

Crime causation is a daunting and complex field. As time pas by,

philosophers, sociologist, criminologist and other scholars have pondered the
meaning of the concept of cause as it pertains to human behavior. Individuals are
unaware of the causes of other people’s behaviors as well as the causes of much of
their own conduct. It is no longer sufficient to ask people, “Why did you do that?”
(Davison and Neale, p. 167), because they may only think they know. Instead,
modern research offers a bevy of approaches in an attempt to answer that question.
Criminal behavior is, by definition, outside of normative conduct. Many criminals
engage in behaviors that most people could not conceive of doing themselves. There
is also a wide range of criminal misconduct that may not always share the same
source. For example, the causes of violent crime can differ from the causes of
property crime; the causes of chronic and repeat criminality can differ from the
causes of one-time or infrequent criminality. This type of variation makes the field of
crime causation all the more challenging.
Theories of crime causation try to explain the causes of crime in the society.
The theories have been developed to have an in-depth understanding of the crime
and how best they can be addressed to ensure that humans live in a conducive
environment. Several theories have been developed to determine the causes and
factors on why crimes were being committed. One notable theory is Rational Choice
Theory, which states that individuals use their self-interests to make choices that will
provide them with the greatest benefit. People weigh their options and make the
choice they think will serve them best. How individuals decide what will serve them
best is dependent on personal preferences. For example, one individual may decide
that abstaining from smoking is best for them because they want to protect their
health. Another individual will decide they want to smoke because it relieves their
stress. Although the choices are opposite, both individuals make these choices to
get the best result for themselves. On the other hand, some theorist argues that
crime is not a choice, this theory is what we call Positivist Theory. The primary idea
behind positivist criminology is that criminals are born as such and not made into
criminals; in other words, it is the nature of the person, not nurture, that results in
criminal propensities. Moreover, the positive criminologist does not usually examine
the role of free will in criminal activity.
Other theories states that one of the causes of crime is because a person was
motivated, triggered or pressured to do due to societal factors. Strain theory states
that certain strains or stressors increase the likelihood of crime. These strains lead to
negative emotions, such as frustration and anger. These emotions create pressure
for corrective action, and crime is one possible response. Crime may be used to
reduce or escape from strain, seek revenge against the source of strain or related
targets, or alleviate negative emotions. For example, individuals experiencing
chronic unemployment may engage in theft or drug selling to obtain money, seek
revenge against the person who fired them, or take illicit drugs in an effort to feel
better. Other factors includes such as lack of income or lack of quality education,
drives individuals to commit crime.
According to Dweck (2000), there is a difference between a fixed and growth
mindset. She states that people with a fixed mindset often believe in the basic
intelligence they are born. They often doubt their abilities because their minds cannot
perceive beyond what they think they can manage, and as such, they lack the
motivation to try harder because they are afraid to lose. On the other hand, those
with a growth mindset perceive challenges as an opportunity to prove and test their
mental capabilities.
With this in mind, the question that begs to be answered is: why do people
commit crimes? The answer to this question can best be addressed by exploring the
various theories that explain the causes of crime. In this paper, we shall provide a
derived theory that best relate from the reasons provided on the crimes committed in
Barangay Ugad.
The Brgy. Of Ugad is located at Cabagan Isabela and a community that has
a lot of people living. The barangay includes Cabagan Public Market and some
establishments that people used to go for our daily needs. Some residents in there
has a corn field beside their houses because of the good location, water facilities,
and the wide fields which surrounds the place, which is good for farming. Not
everyone living in here has a job, many are still unemployed. Due to some
uncontrollable situation, crimes often committed due to drunkenness and envy.

III. FINDINGS

This paper aims to determine possible theories on why people commits a

crime based on the reasons below. Committed in the year 2019-2020.

Crimes Committed Reasons Theories

Theft (Shoplifting) Financial Difficulty Strain Theory
2019 (1); 2020 (2)
Public Scandal Drunkenness; Jealousy; Positivist Theory
2019 (1); 2020 (3) Envy
Slander Envy Positivist Theory
2019 (1); 2020 (2)
Grave Threat Drunkenness Positivist Theory
2019 (2); 2020 (3)
Falsification of Public Personal Interest Rational Choice Theory
Documents
2020 (1)
Sabotage Envy Positivist Theory
2020 (2)
Trespass to dwelling Personal Gain Rational Choice Theory
2020 (1)
Physical Injury Drunkenness/Negligence Positivist Theory
 2020 (4)
Illegal Gambling Personal Gain Rational Choice Theory
2020 (2)
Adultery Lack of satisfaction/Personal Rational Choice Theory
2020 (1) Interest
Table A. Data Information Gathered In Barangay Ugad

Barangay Ugad is a city-liked area because of what it has (mall, marketplace,

grocery stores, supermarket and different shops). One of the common crimes
committed in this barangay is Theft (Shoplifting) and it indicates that the crime
committed is due to financial difficulty. A person who cannot afford to buy things
triggered himself to do such a wrong thing.
The most common crimes committed in Barangay Ugad is Grave Threat
followed by Physical Injury and Public Scandal. It appears that these crimes were
done due to “Drunkenness” and “Negligence”. Alcohol plays a large role in criminal
activities and violence. Excessive drinking has the ability to lower inhibitions, impair a
person’s judgement and increase the risk of aggressive behavior s. Because of this,
alcohol-related violence and crime rates are on the rise throughout the barangay.
However, it is not just the alcohol itself that changes the behavior of a person, for
example, the Public Scandal that was committed in the barangay, aside from
drunkenness, another factor that triggers a person is an unpleasant feeling caused
by the situation in his environment, being jealous and envious.
Oral or spoken defamation or slander is the legal term for the act of harming a
person’s reputation by telling one or more other people something that is untrue and
damaging about that person. Slander can be the basis for a lawsuit and is
considered a civil wrong. From the gathered information above, Slander and
Sabotage were committed due to “Envy”. Envy can be a destructive emotion both
mentally and physically. Envious people tend to feel hostile, resentful, angry and
irritable. Such individuals are also less likely to feel grateful about their positive traits
and their circumstances.
Other crimes committed were Falsification of Public Documents, Trespass to
dwelling, Illegal Gambling and Adultery. The first three were caused by personal
interest and personal gain, and the last one is due to lack of satisfaction. The
reasons in committing those crimes falls in a one concept which is being a “rational
being”. They achieve outcomes that are aligned with their own personal objectives.
As a result, outcomes provides people with the greatest benefit and satisfaction
given the choices they have available.
 IV. CONCLUSION

Barangay Ugad is an urban area, visited daily by the neighboring barangays

and municipalities to shop at Cabagan Public Market for daily needs. One of the
most common crimes committed in Barangay Ugad is Theft which is committed due
to financial difficulty or financial problems and was included in strain theory wherein
it states that certain strains or stressors increase the likelihood of crime. Other
factors includes such as lack of income or lack of quality education, drives
individuals to commit crime. There are also crimes that is committed for personal
interest and personal gain such as Falsification of Public Documents, Trespass to
Dwelling, Illegal Gambling and Adultery. These crimes were involved in rational
choice theory because the individuals use their self-interests to make choices that
will provide them with the greatest benefit. People weigh their options and make the
choice they think will serve them best. Other crimes committed were Public Scandal,
Slander, Grave Threat, Sabotage and Physical Injury. These crimes were committed
due to drunkenness and being envious. With being envious and drunk, comes the
inappropriate behavior such as being angry or aggressive. As a consequence, an
individual doesn’t intend to such negative things. They are being swallowed by those
negative behavior.
From the results, we can say that a crime is committed due to personal choice
(gains and interest) and from having an uncontrollable feelings. With these, we
concluded in a “Theory of Turbulent Behavior” or “Turbulent Behavior Theory”. By
our definition, Turbulent Behavior Theory focuses not just on the behavior but also
with the individual’s will and individual's environment and social factors that leads to
crime causation. From the theory we derived, an individual commits a crime because
he/she can’t control his/her behavior, due to some circumstances. For example,
Shoplifting caused by financial problems, due to his/her situation, uncontrollable
behavior went out and for him to make himself calm, he thought of shoplifting. There
are other factors that leads to uncontrollable behavior such as drunkenness and
envy/jealousy. With these factors, people provides themselves an inappropriate
behavior such as anger and aggressiveness in which they can’t control by
themselves. Turbulent Behavior Theory also view personal choice as a
uncontrollable behavior. In such a way that an individual wants or thinks something
that is beneficial to himself/herself, he/she might provides himself/herself an
uncontrollable behavior to do such wrong things.
All in all, Turbulent Behavior Theory, suggest that a crime is caused by
uncontrollable action due to individual’s situation, environment and personal will.
 ANNEX
(DOCUMENTATIONS)

Data Gathering at the Office of Barangay Ugad