Criminals definition essay

Crime is always socially defined leading to competing views and extensive debate. In this essay I will be focusing on defining crime in terms of legal definitions and also defining crimes in terms of sociological definitions, which can be argued to be the main to focuses when attempting to answer this question.

The concept of crime is explained on the basis of different contending perspectives or theories. Two of the most popular perspective that explains the nature of crime is its condition as being a social construct and being an individual criminality.

Criminals are born not made. The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behavior within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior.

Crime in terms of the legal system is acts which break the law of the land, as demonstrated by the Oxford English Dictionary definition. The legal definition of crime is a very weighted argument, however many also argue that in order to define crime we rely on existing social and cultural norms which are accepted in society.