ECONOMIC APPROACH OF CRIME IN INDIA

This article was written by Kusum Boora a student of BPS Women University, Sonipat.

Introduction:

The term economic as we know basically related to money. It is wrong to say, if I say a person can survive without money. Money is a basic need for human survival. There are a lot of crimes which originally originates from a person’s lower economic conditions. Economic life is fundamental and therefore has the determining influence upon the social and cultural values are an old as the human civilization itself. Economic factors influence the nature and form of all social patterns and control all other aspects of human life. Economic conditions determine the general character of the social, political and spiritual process of life and with the change of economic foundations, the entire super structure is also rapidly transformed. Those who concentrate on the economic aspects of crime and analyse the impact of economic conditions on criminality. Money gained importance in human life so much so that now it has become the sole determining factor of a person’s social status in modern society. Poverty endangers revolution and crimes originate from poverty. Crimes are committed not merely for the sake of meet in the necessities of life but also for acquiring superfluous things. Crimes are mostly committed because of the acquisitive tendency of man and his greed for acquiring surplus wealth. Materialistic tendency of man that generates criminality with him.

RELTIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC STRUCTURE AND CRIME:

The relationship between the economic and crime is inverse, that is when economic conditions are favourable, the incidence of crime is comparatively law but in time of economic depression criminality records and upward trend. Criminality being an extension of normal economic activity, increases or decreases with the rise or fall in economy. The crime-rate shows an increase in period of prosperity and decreases during period of economic depression. There are a lot of factors which increases the advent of materalism.We can see it in different stages of human history towards a better civilization.In ancient age before the coming of the concept of state. Before state comes into existence people live in a state of nature, where nobody owns anything but everybody owns everything. But when people started thinking in term of mine and thin, then the real problem arises.

The coming of the concept of property when the concept of property came, there arises fear among people to save their interests. The coming of the concept of state then people for their personal security and interest abondent their interest favour of a sovereign authority called the state. The advent of industrialization –revolution beings in Europe, it had its impact among all over the world, so in India also there are a lot of industrialization beings in the era of British regime. Industries provide a lot of employment to poor people of India. With the employment, the hand loom industries faced a hard competition-because of it the workers were out from the competition market as there a high demand of machine made good at that time. With Urbanization, people lost contact with joint family system- with this the concept of nuclear family originates and people lost control from their parents and indulge themselves in such practice which is illegal nature.

More Urbanization leads to the coming of more materialistic luxuries life-people now want a more comfortable life and more luxuries. The problem of have and have not –the problem arises of having things and not having. Comparison becomes the norm of this society. Materialistic society comes in to existence, where there is value of things and not people-now, people want money and things and relationships hold no values. This difference makes people indulge in more criminality for having more and more. Greed not need is the basic reason of economic crimes- even people having money more and more money for fulfilling their unending desires for material things. Growing population and increases in demands with less availability of resources- people multiply by having more children and dispute arise because of fewer resources. Poverty is the mother of economic criminality- being poor, people even families taught their children that to steal things for stomach is not wrong, it’s a need. Broken families and single parenting-families that brokes down, have an adverse impact upon the children, they grow in such atmosphere that there is no one to socialize with good values. Modernity wipes away old traditional values- people having low values indulges in more crimes with less fear or no spiritual ethics leads them to live a value less life. Inflation and shooting up prices of basic food material – more prices and less income leads people to steal foods or die of starvation. Explanation in economic sectors- more exploitation in working areas makes people frustrated indulge in criminality.

The capitalist state was creating a criminalogenic society and there was need to replace it by socialist society in which people’s socio economic rights would b safer and secure and this would surely lead to reduction in crime. The criminal law in a capitalist regime is an instrument of the state and ruling class to perpetuate the capitalist social and economic order and it is meant for the protection of their interest. The poor sections of the society remain oppressed through the coercion of legal system and their discontentment generates crime. It is only with the collapse of capitalist society and the problem of criminality can be solved. The real cause for rise in crime –rate with economic prosperity is perhaps the capacity of people to spend more in manipulating escape from arrest the detention. That apart quite a large number of crimes go undetected and unreported for want of lack of initiative on the part of victim in getting offender prosecuted or due to manipulative tactics of crimes. Thus ,present condition have created a peculiar situation wherein crimes are rampant whether the economic condition are favorable or unfavourable.The position that economic condition represent  only a large number of environmental circumstances and it is nothing but a part of multiple factor approach to crime causation. Criminality cannot to be attributed to anyone particular areas of influence namely, economic, biological, psychological, social etc., but each of them constitutes a part of total whole. Economic conditions do influence certain types of crimes such as the pathological crimes, sex crimes, political crimes but the entire criminality in society cannot be attributed solely to economic phenomena. Economic values certainly have a dominant role o play in society but they depend on a variety of socio cultural factors have only a relative significance. Legal control on economic activities would also exert its influence on crime economy relationship to a considerable extent.

CONCLUSION: – To put a check on such type of crimes, people need to take individual steps and also the government should make popular policies at transroot levels. More facilities and more employment opportunities with safer condition of work makes a lot in the step of curbing this problem.