Why Do People Commit A crime? Case Study in Pajangan Correction Institutions

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

A crime is an act that breaks a law that relates to

how to behave in society. The harm caused by the act is

seen to be against society as a whole, not just a

specific person.  Currently, the number of criminal

action develop rapidly in all the countries over the

world, including Indonesia. Criminal action in Indonesia

has many types, such as, corruption, theft, assassin,

misuse of drugs and etc. To dealing with the issue of

crime, we need the other science related to nature and

scope of crime, causes of crime, development of criminal

law, characteristic of criminal law, and crime pattern

and social changes that is criminology. On this paper, we

are concern on the questions “why do people commit a

crime? Why do people become criminal? ” from some

theories, why do people commit a crime because some

factors, such as strain theory, cultural deviance theory,

sub-cultural theory, social control theory and labeling

theory. Dealing with the development of crime rapidly in

Indonesia, therefore in accordance with done our

assignment on criminology, we tries to find out the

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offender and connecting their actions with the theory

that learn in criminology.

B. Problem Statements?

1. Why do people commit a crime?

2. Why do people become criminal?

C. Purpose of Research

1. To find out and analyze the reason people commit a

crime

2. To find out and analyze the reason people become

criminal

D. Benefit of Research

This research want to give contributions to develop

the knowledge not only for the author but also all

of the people. The expected benefits of this

research in terms of academic and practical matter

are:

1. Academic Matter

This research have benefit to developing the

science to the authors, it will be used as one

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of references on studies related to people

commit crime.

2. Practical Matter

This research is useful as an important

information relating to people commit crime.

This study aims to provide a further

understanding of why people commit crime. Law

enforcement officers can clearly understand why

people commit crime so that the number of crime

will be reduced.

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CHAPTER II

METHEDOLOGY OF RESEARCH

Type of Research

The type of research is a field research. This

research used by us because, our target is to find out

and to analyze why do people commit a crime, and try to

connect it to the theories of criminology.

Method of Data Collection

The method of data collection in this research will

be done through interview with the offender/criminal

actor in correctional institutions. The data will be

collected from interview, analyzing, and making

conclusion of all theories of criminology.

Data Analysis

The data will be analyzed sistematically through

juridical thinking. Systematically means the research

will be analyze based on theories related to the

criminology.

Schedule of Research

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Place : Correctional Institutions of Pajangan,

Bantul, D.I. Yogyakarta

Time : Sunday, June 8th 2014

Offender : 5 people

BAB III

LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Data Interview

Andri

Question : What is your name?

Answers : Andri

Question : How old are you?

Answer : 26 years old

Question : What your last education?

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Answers : I never go to school

Question : Do you married?

Answer : yes, I have 2 Children

Question : How old they are?

Answer : Around 4 years old

Question : What was your job?

Answer : I’m jobless

Question : Where do you live?

Answer : At Sleman, Jl. Kabupaten. Near Jombor.

Question : How was the environment there? The situation,

is the environment bad?

Answer : Oh no, my environment was very nice, the

society there religious.

Question : When you enter here?

Answer : Since March 17, 2014

Question : What make you here?

Answer : I stole electronic in Kasihan, Bantul and

after I Stole police came to my home to catch me

Question : with whom you did it?

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Answer : with my friend, we were two

Question : who has the idea to commit a crime?

Answer : Me, I invited my friend

Question : How was the verdict?

Answer : 2 years

Question : What do you think about that verdict?

Answer : I think this punishment unclear, punishment

is not solution, and that will not make me

abundant, the solution should give us the job,

so we will go to work not steal again, because

we need money to eat and to live our family

Question : How many times you in correctional

institutions?

Answer : Had already 5 times

Question : How do you feel in correctional institutions?

What they have given?

Answer : They teach us about religion, but they do not

teach us the skills, only the special one that

get the skill not all, it’s not good.

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Randy

Question : What is your name?

Answers : Randy

Question : How old are you?

Answer : 26 years old

Question : What your last education?

Answers : Senior High School

Question : Do you married?

Answer : yes, I have a Child

Question : What was your job?

Answer : Work in iron shop

Question : Where do you live?

Answer : On Malioboro

Question : How was the environment there? The situation,

is the environment bad?

Answer : Just so-so

Question : When you enter here?

Answer : Since September, 2014

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Question : What make you here?

Answer : Unintentionally killed someone

Question : With whom you did it?

Answer : I just alone.

Question : How was the accident?

Answer : I was on street that divide the way in to

two, then I would like to return back to my

home, but unfortunately there is a motorcycle

from another way crash my motorcycle, then he

passed away in hospital.

Question : It was only accident why you verdict as

fault?

Answer : Prosecutor said that was because of

negligence. The right one I should wait for the

other way until that way free than I can pass

that way to behind distort.

Question : How was the verdict?

Answer : 8 months in this place.

Question : What do you think about that verdict?

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Answer : I don’t want this is happen again, I don’t

like in correctional institution. Since my

first time I was caught by the police because I

stole my boss properties.

Question : Why you stole your boss properties?

Answer : I had stolen my boss jewelry, because I hate

him

Question : How do you feel in correctional institution?

What they have given?

Answer : They teach us about religion, then I become

religious here

Kiswanto

Question : What is your name?

Answers : Kiswanto

Question : How old are you?

Answer : 28 years old

Question : What your last education?

Answers : Senior High School but not finish.

Question : Do you married?

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Answer : yes, I have a Child

Question : What was your job?

Answer : Thief

Question : Where do you live?

Answer : Kerandaan Street

Question : When you enter here?

Answer : Since January, 2014

Question : What make you here?

Answer : Carry away and thieve

Question : with whom you did it?

Answer : I just did it alone

Question : Where do you usually did your crime?

Answer : On the street

Question : Do you have intention to do so? Or because of

opportunity to do so?

Answer : I have intention, I need money. I already

told that I have no job it is mean I need

money. I was not finish in Senior High School.

There is no one want to give a job.

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Question : Is it your first time?

Answer : No, I already did that for many times and

this is my third time I am in Correctional

institution.

Question : In the same prison?

Answer : No, I ever been in Wirogunan.

Question : Where are you did that crime?

Answer : Kasihan

Question : Why you choose that place?

Answer : because in Kasihan is proper place for me to

commit a crime, there are so many target of

crime there and it make me easy to do so.

Question : How was the verdict?

Answer : Judge decide 18 months

Question : What do you think about that verdict?

Answer : I have no idea

Question : How do you feel in correctional institution?

What they have given?

Answer : They teach us about religion, then I become

religious here

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Handika

Question : What is your name?

Answers : Handika

Question : How old are you?

Answer : 24 years old

Question : What your last education?

Answers : Junior High School

Question : Do you married?

Answer : Not yet

Question : What was your job?

Answer : Work in cellular shop

Question : Where do you live?

Answer : Gedung Kuning

Question : How was the environment there? The situation,

is the environment bad?

Answer : it is good.

Question : When you enter here?

Answer : Since March, 2014

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Question : What make you here?

Answer : Marijuana, i consumed it.

Question : with whom you did it?

Answer : Alone

Question : How was the incident?

Answer : I was in my home, my neighbor he is also

consumed it. Police want to catch him suddenly

they also interrogate me, and now as you know i

am here.

Question : Why you consumed?

Answer : I am in stress. People said that marijuana

can make stress go away and I tried to consume

it.

Question : How was the verdict?

Answer : Judge decide a year and 8 months

Question : Don’t you want to ask rehabilitation?

Answer : My family struggle to ask that, but there is

no answer until now.

Question : Do you have the other reason except stress

why do you consumed?

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Answer : My friends consumed and i want to do so.

Question : So, it is because of your surrounding?

Answer : yes, I dont have any special intention to do

so.

Question : How do you feel in correctional institution?

What they have given?

Answer : They teach us about religion, then I become

religious here. I am Christian, I never got

that before. It is good opportunity for me to

understand well about my religion.

Suroso

Question : What is your name?

Answers : Suroso

Question : How old are you?

Answer : 26 years old

Question : What your last education?

Answers : Senior High School, in SMK Babarsari

Question : Do you married

Answer : yes, and I have 1 children

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Question : What was your job?

Answer : I’m jobless

Question : How was the environment there? The situation,

is the environment bad?

Answer : it is good.

Question : When you enter here?

Answer : Since April, 2014

Question : What make you here?

Answer : I stole my neighbor chicken, It is my first

time stole other people properties.

Question : with whom you did it?

Answer : Alone

Question : How was the incident?

Answer : I stole my neighbor chicken, in 2 am, I

commit a crime because economical factor,

because I need money. Because there is

opportunity I did it.

BAB V

DISCUSSION

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Andri

Based on this interview here, Andri commit a crime

suitable with Strain theory. Andri commit a crime because he

is in lower class that has no job and has a family that

need live like others. They because why Andri commit a

crime not because of victimology, facilitated factors,

Community, environment and etc.

The cause only because he is in lower class that has

no job and skill to give his family a living well. Then

because of this economic problem and not abundant

punishment make him always still to get money, to reach

his goal.

Based on our analysis the factor also because of

there is no education and ethical behavior within him,

yet he never went to school. It is make him has no skill

to find the job. If he finished his school may be it will

be better, he will give living to his family. The other

factor are he was married so soon. Because he has a

family, wife and two children it make him has more

responsible to give them living. So he should not married

to soon if he not yet get a job.

Randy

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Randy’s case here was omission case that because he

did nothing then he was in trouble which made other

because of his negligence. When we connecting with

criminology theory this case close with criminalization

theory. Criminalization is the action that past time not

a crime and now become criminal because there a violation

that violate. The violation that violate was article 310

jo. 22.

So all of people must careful yet actually there

some act that actually the crime when you do that or did

nothing with it. This is actually happened because many

people also always did it and there is no something fatal

happen then most of people also did it include Randy, but

here Randy unlucky, he followed the majorities by that

act he killed someone unintentionally. This case also

our group connect with theory that explain that people

commit crime because most of people also did that.

Kiswanto

Based on this interview, Kiswanto was committed a

crime. The last education of Kiswanto is Senior High

School and he is not finish yet, that education not

enough to getting the job. It is why he did those crime.

Firstly, he was commit a crime because he is in lower

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class that has no job and he also has a family that need

live like others. He must fulfill the daily need of his

family. This reason suitable with Straight theory that said

criminal behavior as a result of the frustration severed

by lower class in individual.

In this interview, Kiswanto stated that he already

did that crime for many times, and already got punishment

for 3 times. We asked question, why he did so? He

answered that he already did a crime so it is easy to do

so for second and third time. After law enforcer stated

that he was free, society called him as a criminal even

he don’t want to do that for the second times. In other

hand he stated that he still need money, because he has

no skill and he is a criminal no one want to give him a

job it is why he did that crime for many times and his

statement in line with Labeling Theory.

Based on our analysis the factor also because of there is

no education and ethical behavior within him, yet he

never went to school. It is make him has no skill to find

the job. Society give him label as a criminal.

Handika

Based on this interview here, Handika was committed

a crime. The last education of Handika is Junior High

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School, even he is graduate from junior high school he

has a business it is cellular shop. Firstly, he was

commit a crime because he is want to know how to overcome

his stress, after that he knows that his behavior full

with people who consume marijuana. He consumed marijuana

for fun, he consumed for 6 month and his family don’t

know about it. Social Control Theory said that crime occurred

because of lacking of control from others. This theory

same with case of Handika he was lack in control from

society. Even he is not child anymore, control from

society is important to overcome crime. On the other,

from our interview, we found that, Handika consumed drugs

because influence from his friend, it is also in line

with people learn to commit a crime because the peer

group, we may see that Handika becoming drugs user

because learn how to use drugs from his friends, who

encourages and reward of his actions.

Suroso

Based on the interview with Suroso, he committed a

crime (steal). Because economical factor, on the other

hand, there is no intention of him to commit a crime

before. But since he is a jobless and he has family and

have no money. When he got opportunity to commit a crime,

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he did it. What he done it is in accordance with strain

theory, which explain criminal behavior as a result of

the frustration suffered by lower class individual

deprived of legitimate means to reach the goals. The

strain theory also explain one of the most important of

the middle class values is economic success. Since lower

class person do not have legitimate means to reach the

goal they tends to do illegitimate means in desperation.

It is happen in Suroso case, because he explain. Since he

have a children and wife. To fulfill their need, he have

to get job, but in fact he is jobless, he have no money,

and when there is opportunity to commit a crime, he did

it as the desperation.

BAB V

CONCLUSION

a. Conclusion

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From our field research, we may conclude that,

people commit a crime because some reason. From 5 people

interviewed by us. All of their reason is in line with

the theories of criminology, such as Strain theory,

Cultural Deviance theory, Subculture theory, Social

Control theory and labeling theory. And some of them

committed a crime because economical factor, since they

have a family, but on the other hand they have no job.

And to fulfill their need, they commit a crime, and some

of them involved in organized crime (steal) and other as

a part of victimless crime (drugs user).

b. Recommendation

With regard to the issue of criminal actions the

author may suggest that, for the offender who lived in

correctional institutions not only give the religious

matter but also, the correctional institutions may give

them skill training who will support them to struggle in

their life after they out from correctional

institutions, because we found that in the Pajangan

there is no skill training. Moreover, most of them

committed a crime because economical factor, I do hope

that the correctional institutions will provide skill

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training, therefor, when they out from there, they may

work and do not commit a crime again.

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