Let there be light...

The first prison I ever saw had inscribed on it: ‘’Cease to do evil; learn to do well.” But as the inscription was on the outside, the prisoners could not read it.
- George Bernard Shaw

‘’That’s terrible! That’s a crime! Someone should do something about it!’ You may have heard such expressions very often whenever a crime is committed.

Almost every day, newspapers report at least one heinous crime. A number of innocent women was killed at Kahawatte. Children are killed for various reasons. Women are often raped and killed. The long arm of the law has put most criminals behind bars. Sometimes, police officers themselves get involved in crimes. You might wonder if criminals go on a killing spree, what will happen to law-abiding citizens.

‘’Someone should do something about it” have become trite words. They may carry a heavy load of emotion, indignation and fear. All civilised countries have sophisticated penal codes to punish criminals. The few tribes who have no such code resort to unwritten laws to tackle crimes. Thus, civilised and not-so-civilised societies regard crimes as something terrible. They think that somebody should do something to eliminate crimes from society.

Law enforcement

In civilised modern societies, people expect the police to do something about crimes. As a result, when a crime is committed, people leave it to the law enforcement officers to nab the offender and take legal action. The situation is somewhat different when a family member happens to be the victim of a crime. Then the immediate family members take a keen interest to see that the offender is arrested and punished according to the law.

It is strange but true that what appears as a crime to a layperson may not be a crime according to the Penal Code. In such a situation, the police can do very little. For instance, adultery is not an offence although it amounts to moral turpitude.

There are times we would not consider reporting crimes to the police because of the fear that we would have to attend courts and testify. If we adopt this attitude, criminals will have a field day. Therefore, every citizen has a duty to inform the police when he comes to know of any illegal activities.

Charmed amulets

The cultural conception of what constitutes a crime and who should do something about it seems to differ from country to country. In primitive societies, children and other vulnerable people were encouraged to wear charmed amulets to ward off evil. They believed that an amulet was a safeguard against evil eye, ghosts and crime. On the other hand, criminals were banished from their communities to protect law-abiding citizens. Sometimes, the murderer was ordered to look after his victim’s wife and children.

With all the amulets, charms, penal codes and other legislation, no country is free of crime. In every society, there are likely to be certain people who are not amenable to the law and cannot be socialised. They cannot control their violent temperaments and destructive impulses. We are not living in a stable, homogeneous small community where everyone knows a great deal about their fellowmen. In cities teeming with millions of people, nobody can keep a watchful eye on the neighbours. Most of the criminals are strangers in crowded cities. One consolation is that the number of lawless elements is relatively minimal.

According to sociologists, we make our own criminals and their crimes in keeping with our culture. It has been said that we get the kind of government we deserve. Similarly, we get the kind of crimes and criminals we deserve. Serial killers and children using lethal weapons are rampant in the United States where the gun culture has taken root. When people have easy access to arms, the country can expect nothing but crimes.

White-collar crimes

Apart from murder and rape, there are white-collar crimes committed by educated people who command respect from society. Although they are not directly involved in crimes, they prepare a fertile ground for criminals to breed. If we allow drug dealing, prostitution and child molesting to continue, society will rot to the core. In such a situation we have no one to blame except ourselves!

We are caught in an ambiguous situation where we wish to get rid of criminals through violent methods. Until recent times, those who were found guilty of murder were hanged. However, the death penalty did not act as a deterrent and people continued to kill others for various reasons. It is a sign of prudence that most modern societies have realised the futility of using violent retribution to eliminate crimes.

No one should be naive enough to assume that the number of crimes will decrease in proportion to the increase in police powers. Arresting and punishing criminals with the sole purpose of eliminating crimes is like stopping a leaky water faucet by placing a pan under it to catch the overflow. Here it is the plumbing that needs attention. If we can put the emphasis on character building, crimes will vanish just as the darkness is dispelled with the lighting of an incandescent bulb.