How to Prevent/Decrease Crime in Tokyo/Your Hometown

Crime is not such a big problem in Japan, but still in general one could consider it a social issue that affects people all around the world and in every country and culture; it is, unfortunately, a universal human issue.

Many people believe that the focus should be on punishing crime as a way to scare potential criminals and keep people from committing crime in the first place. Although there are certainly many cases in which criminals are bad and have no excuses for their behavior, I am also of the opinion that a lot of crime comes not from people being bad or evil, but from people who were born into and grew up in harsh, difficult circumstances.

There are still millions, if not many more people who are born into and grow up in abject poverty; many in rural areas with a severe lack of schools or any opportunity for education, with an unstable home life and little to no money, and in many countries there is absolutely no support for these sort of people, so some turn to a life of crime as a way to survive. Especially if they do not intend to hurt anyone, but rather just steal to get food or money, I think their situation plays a role.

But how could we solve such a difficult problem? I believe that by investing a lot of money into education we can change the lives of children from underprivileged areas, give them hope for the future and the educational tools to achieve something greater, and improve their situation one day.

I think encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship is another great way to uplift poor communities. If local people are taught small business skills and are given the right support both educationally and financially, they have the opportunity to start their own business and possibly even grow enough to start employing and creating jobs for other members of the community. The more jobs and opportunities are available, the better, and by having these opportunities grow from within the community we can ensure sustainability. Those who have jobs and an education and are able to take care of themselves and even be responsible for the wellbeing of others are far less likely to be desperate and thus resort to a life of crime.

Further relating to the issue of young people committing crime as a result of poverty is the access to entertainment. If children grow up poor with nothing to do, they are more likely to get into trouble. Thus, I think that beyond good quality education, it’s important for children from poor communities to engage in leisure activities; hobbies and interests are important for human beings to flourish and I think these kids should have access to various clubs. Whether they want to play sports or do arts, there should be safe places for them to be able to pursue what they are interested in. Our childhoods have a deep impact on us for the rest of our lives and everyone deserves a happy one.

Ilze

Vocabulary

Circumstance (noun) ? situation
Abject (adj.) ? extreme (used in a negative situation)
Poverty (n) ? the state of not having enough for your personal needs (e.g. not enough money to live or buy food)
Underpriviledged (adj.) ? not enjoying the same standard of living or rights as the majority of people in a society.
Entrepreneurship (noun) ? The idea of starting your own small business
Flourish (v) ? to be successful, grow