Why do people commit crime?
The nature and evidence of crime in the UK, the groups most affected as victims and offenders, and the main theories explaining the causes of crime including social, economic and individual factors.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the causes of crime, covering evidence of crime in the UK, the groups most affected as victims and offenders, and the competing theories that explain crime through social, economic and individual factors.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe the evidence of crime in the UK, identify the groups most affected as victims and offenders, and explain the main theories of why people commit crime, including social, economic and individual factors. This supports -mark "to what extent" essays on the causes of crime.
The answer
Evidence and patterns of crime
Social and economic theories
Sociological ideas support this view: strain theory argues people turn to crime when legitimate routes to success are blocked, and the link between deprivation and offending is one of the most consistent findings in criminology.
Individual theories
Bringing the theories together
Examples in context
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey data consistently show that the risk of being a victim of crime is higher in the most deprived areas, supporting the social and economic explanation. Yet the example of two people from the same deprived background, one of whom offends and one who does not, shows why individual factors such as addiction, family influence and personal choice cannot be ignored. Drug and alcohol addiction in particular links the two views: deprivation raises the risk of addiction, and addiction then drives acquisitive crime. Using this interaction lets a Higher answer reach a balanced "to what extent" judgement.
Try this
Q1. Describe two social or economic causes of crime. [4 marks]
- Cue. Poverty, unemployment, poor housing, inequality or a lack of opportunity in deprived communities.
Q2. Explain the view that crime is caused by individual rather than social factors. [8 marks]
- Cue. Upbringing, peer pressure, addiction and personal choice place responsibility on the individual rather than on society.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 201920 marksTo what extent is crime caused by social and economic factors rather than individual factors?Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from accurate explanation of both sets of causes: social and economic factors (poverty, unemployment, poor housing, inequality, lack of opportunity) and individual factors (upbringing, peer pressure, addiction, personal choice), supported by patterns such as young men being over-represented among offenders.
Analysis and evaluation marks come from weighing the two views: deprivation creates the conditions for crime, but not everyone in poverty offends, so individual factors matter too. A sustained "to what extent" judgement is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 202112 marksAnalyse the social and economic causes of crime in the UK.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation of cause and effect rather than a list.
KU should cover poverty, unemployment, poor housing, inequality and lack of opportunity, with the pattern that deprived communities experience higher rates of many crimes.
Analysis marks come from explaining the link, for example how unemployment and lack of opportunity can push people towards crime, while acknowledging that these are not the only causes. A clear judgement on the strength of the social and economic explanation is the discriminator.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)