Are Criminals Born Or Made Essay, Research Paper

Are Criminals Born or Made

By Steve Lanier

October 18, 2000

Being a criminal is not something you are born with, it is something you turn into gradually over time. The effects of child abuse, single parent families, and the environment in which they grew up make criminals.

Children who have been abused are more likely to grow up to be criminals. Abused children grow up with a large amount of hate that they do not know how to deal with. Their hate is usually focused on the abuser, however, they are not able to retaliate. One way to cope with the way they feel is to be violent towards everybody else.

Single parent families also have a higher rate of criminals. Children need the tender loving care of both the mother and the father. In most cases, the mother has the responsibility of raising the children on her own. Mothers are generally more passive, giving the children the illusion that they can do whatever they want and pay no consequences.

The environment that the children grow up in plays a key role. If the children see drug dealers on every corner, it is only a matter of time before they get confronted. Once they get hooked on drugs and cannot afford to pay, they steal for them.

There are many ways that criminals are made. If parents could do a better job of guiding their children and teaching them wrong from right, many could be saved from a life of crime.