Causes_of_Crime

A question that has long been asked in the social and behavioral sciences has been: Why do people commit crime' The theories that seek to explain the causes of criminal behavior are almost as plentiful as the different types of crimes themselves. Many lawmakers in Congress and in the states assume that the high level of crime in America must have its roots in material conditions, such as poor employment opportunities and a shortage of adequately funded social programs.(Heritage Leadership for America, 1995, 6) Nonetheless, this paper will confine itself to a discussion of only a few of them. This paper looks at the reasons why people commit crime and why some groups are more prone to crime than others. The paper also discusses theories that try to explain why people commit crimes. Al Capone Throughout America's history many criminals come to mind, such as John Dillinger, Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson, to name a few. There is one criminal that is recognized as the most notorious and famous due to his extreme wealth and Godfather like status, Al Capone. During the 1920s Prohibition era Capone was seen as the single greatest symbol of the downfall of law and order within the United States. Capone’s role in illegal activities gave Chicago its reputation as a lawless city. Al Capone was possibly considered the most feared mafia boss in America Capone ran the City of Chicago. He always appeared on newspapers all over the United States. Capone ran many illegal businesses not limited to bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and murders. Organized crime was very popular during this time and Al Capone’s was at the top. At the start of his criminal career in Boston, he served as an apprentice to Johnny Torrio, a man who would become a long time friend. The Beginning On January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York Capone was born. Baptized "Alphonsus Capone," he grew up in a rough neighborhood and was a member of two "kid gangs," the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. (Chicago Historical Society, 1999, p. 1) He was bright student but at age of 14 Capone left school in the sixth grade. He was a clerk in a candy store, a pin boy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery when he wasn’t apart of any scams. He soon became part of a gang most highly known as the Five Points gang in Manhattan. During that time worked in Frankie Yale's Brooklyn dive, the Harvard Inn, as a bouncer and bartender. While he was working at the Inn, Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname "Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother, Frank Gallucio. (Chicago Historical Society, 1999) This incident caused a bit of an uproar. Gallucio went to Lucky Luciano to complain about what had happened between him and Capone. Then Luciano went to Frankie Yale. When Yale found out what happened, all four men came an agreement about what should be done. Capone had to apologize to Gallucio for the incident. Capone learned something from the experience --to restrain his temper when it was necessary. (Bardsley, n.d.) Yale was Capone’s mentor and showed him how brutality could build up the business. Yale was a resourceful and violent man who made money through using strong-arm tactics. As powerful as Yale's influence would be on Capone's eventual development, other influences had a very moderating effect on Al.(Bardsley, n.d., 5) At the age of 19, he met a beautiful blonde Irish girl named Mae Coughlin, who was 21 years old. Her family was middle class and because of Capone’s family background they did not embrace their relationship. After Capone and Coughlin first baby was born, they got married. On December 4, 1918 Albert Francis Capone was born. Johnny Torrio was named as his godfather. Sonny, as he was also known as, seemed healthy at birth, but he was indeed a victim of congenital syphilis. Al confessed to his sons doctors, years later that before he was married he too had been infected, but believed that the infection had gone away. Al began focusing on a legitimate career because he had a beautiful respectable wife and a baby to support. He quit working for Frankie Yale. When he moved to Baltimore, he worked as skillful bookkeeper for a construction firm owned by Peter Aiello. Al handled this job very well because he was smart, had a good head for figures and was very reliable. Quite suddenly, Al did another about face when his father died November 14, 1920, of heart disease at the age of 55. (Bardsley, n.d., 8) He continued his relationship with Johnny Torrio, who had expanded his racketeering empire during their time apart. Torrio had left Brooklyn for the open spaces of Chicago. The opportunities were enormous: gambling, brothels, and illegal alcohol. (Bardsley) Torrio called for Al to come to Chicago and early in 1921 Al accepted. Capone had a good resume for a career in crime because of knowledge of business and his affiliation with the brutal Frankie Yale, The Middle Chicago was considerably the best place to start a criminal empire. It was a rowdy, pugnacious, hard-drinking town that was open to anyone with enough money to buy it. (Bardsley, n.d.) Chicago was known as a commercial town with no room for snobbishness. When Torrio was shot by rival gang members and consequently decided to leave Chicago, Capone inherited the "outfit" and became boss. (Chicago Historical Society, 1999) Capone’s entourage liked, trusted, and obeyed him, referring to him as "The Big Fellow." He proved to everyone that he was better than Torrio at organization by syndicating and expanding Chicago’s vice industry between 1925 and 1930. Capone controlled speakeasies, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, horse and race tracks, nightclubs, distilleries and breweries at a reported income of $100,000,000 a year.(Chicago Historical Society) He even got a hold of a considerable amount of interest in the largest cleaning and dyeing plant chain in the city. St. Valentine's Day Massacre was Capone's most notorious killing. On February 14, 1929, four Capone men entered a garage at 2122 N. Clark Street. The building was the main liquor headquarters of bootlegger George "Bugs" Moran's North Side gang. (Chicago Historical Society, 1999) Two of Capone's men were dressed as police officers. The seven men in the garage thought it was a police raid so they dropped their guns and put their hands against the wall. Capone’s men had two shotguns and two machine guns and they fired more than 150 bullets into the victims. Six of the seven killed at the garage were members of Moran's gang; the seventh was an unlucky friend. Across the street was, probably the real target, Moran. When Capone's men arrived he stayed away when he saw the police uniforms. Capone had an alibi as usual. During the massacre, he was in Florida.