Social and Environmental Factors of Crime

Humans are inherently social creatures who are shaped by their experiences, their culture, and how they are socialized. Much of what humans do is guided by learning and mimicking other people. In many ways, this same concept holds true for criminal behavior. Some thieves learn the "skills of the trade" from other people or from books.

Nearly all types of crimes, ranging from white-collar crimes to street-level robberies, require some sort of learning. Given that learning is largely a social process, some of the most salient factors related to criminal behavior are those that are found in the social environment.

For this Discussion, review the media piece The nature of crime and criminology: Social and environmental factors. Select the two most important social and environmental factors that may explain the crime in the media piece.