281 Crime Essay Topics & True Crime Research Topics

Looking for an exciting topic about crime? This article is for you! Here, you will find the most unique crime topics for your compare-and-contrast essay or problem solution paper. We’ve also included true crime research topics for you to check out!

🔝 Top 10 Crime Essay Topics for 2024

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  • Biological and Psychological Theories of Crime
  • How Technology Advances Influences Crime Rates?
  • South Africa: Violence and Crime
  • The Impact of Crime and Violence on Tourism in Jamaica
  • The Consequences of a Crime
  • The Impact of Unemployment on Crime Rates
  • Racism: “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah
  • Organized Crime: Russian Mafia vs. Italian Mafia
  • Importance of Toxicology in Crime Investigation
  • How Social Learning Theories Impact Juvenile Delinquency and Crime
  • Crime Prevention Programs and Criminal Rehabilitation This paper will analyze the various crime prevention programs and criminal rehabilitation efforts that the criminal justice system engages in.
  • Relationship Between Poverty and Crime The paper makes the case and discusses inequality rather than poverty being the prime reason for people committing crimes.
  • Concept of Juvenile Crime There has been a considerable rise in juvenile crime arrest and this is causing alarm to parents and the society at large.
  • Different Perspectives of Viewing Crime The paper suggests that it is prudent to consider crime as a complicated process that can be understood best by examining it from different perspectives.
  • “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky: Analysis of the work “Crime and Punishment”, written by Dostoevsky, concentrates on moral issues and highlights society’s urgent problems in the nineteenth century.
  • Situational and Social Crime Prevention Approaches This paper aims to present a distinction between situational crime and social crime prevention. Technology made it complicated how to implement crime theories.
  • Crime Commission: Legal and Social Perspectives Crime has various dimensions: legal and ethical. Crime commission helps to integrate all dimensions of the society in the administration of justice.
  • Criminal Case Analysis: Criminal Act Synopsis, Crime Identification The case under analysis could fall under the definition of hate crimes – the man intentionally selected these women to conduct an assault and battery.
  • Victimization Prevention is an Effective Tool Against Crime Victimization prevention solutions borrowed from the crime prevention sector should militate against the practice of consultation and dispassionate inquiry.
  • Peru – Globalization, Environment, Crime and Disease The paper synthesizes a number of legitimate sources to focus on globalization and its effects on Peru with special relation to environmental issues, crime, and diseases.
  • The Role of Social Seclusion and Economic Marginalization in Crime This paper explores the role of socio-economic marginalization in crime and the effects of criminal activities on allied populations and the nation.
  • Enron Corporation’s Scandal: White-Collar Crime An accounting scandal that shook the corporate world, Enron Corporation’s white-collar crime saw the downfall of one of the world’s most illustrious companies.
  • Theories of Crime in Forensic Psychology Forensic psychology as a discipline has become closely correlated with the broad theories of crime that aim at defining the reasons behind the offender’s decision to act.
  • Shoplifting: a Crime of Convenience The purpose of the academic-based study was to observe the specific shoplifting tendencies of a broad group of individuals for reducing the number of shoplifting occurrences.
  • Aspects of Crime Scene Investigation Crime scene investigation is a real art that requires care and caution. Criminologists must be careful and persistent in their research.
  • Psychoanalytic and Social Learning Theories Explaining Crime Among the theories explaining the causes of delinquent youth, two are especially important: social learning theory and psychoanalytic theory.
  • Criminal Law – Is Graffiti a Crime or Not? Graffiti has in a key factor been associated with wrongdoings and ill-image driving purposes towards the society.
  • Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” Literary Analysis In “Crime and Punishment”, Dostoevsky tells readers about the tragic events in the streets of St. Petersburg when a student Rodion Raskolnikov commits double murder.
  • How Does Poverty Affect Crime Rates? On the basis of this research question, the study could be organized and conducted to prove the following hypothesis – when poverty increases, crime rates increase as well.
  • Crime Statistics Sources: Strengths and Weaknesses In the justice system, there are some ways to discuss and evaluate crime, based on the different metrics for documenting it.
  • Fight Against Crime and Its General Characteristics Criminology studies crime prevention as a complex dynamic system. Its functioning is connected with the solution of both general tasks of social development.
  • Organized Crime and Corporate Crime One of the vices that are prevalent in all societies in the world is crime. This vice is generally associated with negative outcomes for individuals and society at large.
  • Crime Prevention Practices Overview The purpose of this paper is to discuss effective crime prevention practices and social development models to prevent crime.
  • Concept of Natural Legal Crime The concept of natural crime covers actions that are deemed wrong regardless of whether they are enforced by law.
  • Crime Causation Theories While psychological and sociological factors predispose an individual to delinquency, most offenses can be attributed to biological causes.
  • Full-Service Crime Laboratory: Forensic Science Forensic scientists study and analyze evidence from crime scenes and other locations to produce objective results that can aid in the investigation and prosecution of criminals.
  • The New York Map: A Syndicate Evaluated Crime Network in New York City This paper will largely focus on representing the New York map to show a syndicate-evaluated crime network in New York City.
  • Crime in Society: Costs and Response This paper looks at the social and economic costs of crime, how people learn to involve themselves in crime and how communities respond to the crime in society.
  • Juvenile Crime in Modern Society The current research will focus on examining the problem of juvenile crime from the social perspective rather than the governmental.
  • Identifying Strategic, Tactical and Administrative Crime Analysis This paper aims to reveal the concepts and features of strategic, tactical, and administrative analysis of crimes.
  • Crime and Criminals: General Characteristics For a long time, crime has been a subject of discussion among various countries across the globe, with various strategies and inventions being developed to curb the same.
  • The England Crime Statistics by Region: Liverpool and Manchester The paper will consider such crime types as violence against personality, sexual offense, robbery, an offense against vehicles, theft, fraud, and forgery, criminal damage, etc.
  • Youth Crime Prevention and Needs Assessment To assess needs of youth offenders, one should employ the approach of recidivism prevention and conduct assessment at any stage of the juvenile justice system.
  • Conformity, Deviance, and Crime Definitions of conformity and deviance depend on social context, and what is considered a norm in one community or society can be seen as deviant by those outside it.
  • Technology-Based Crime and Its Management In the modern world of science and technology, new developments and advancements have changed life and style of living tremendously.
  • Whether Crime or Violence Are Justified in a Reaction to Past Trauma This paper presents a debate on whether or not crime or violence should be a justification due to past trauma.
  • Trends Influencing Crime Rates Crime is widely considered a failure in the social system and therefore is to be addressed from the perspective of the social construct operation and the trends existing there.
  • Aspects of Crime Behavior Crime is a behavior in which moral standards that are appropriate for well-being in society are defined, and set rules are violated.
  • Aspects of Crime Against Morality The paper states that crime against morality is an offense of exiting moral values, moral basis, and views shared by the majority of society.
  • The First Responding Officer in Crime Scene Investigation: Primary Duties Ascertaining the situation and providing the support needed to the people affected is the earliest objective of the first officer attending (FOA).
  • Digital Imaging and Traditional Methods of Crime Scene Technological progress allows police to use innovations in their work routine to make crime scene reconstruction, geospatial analysis, and surveillance more efficient.
  • Organized Crime: Forming of the Definition The given work seeks to investigate the process of forming the concept of ‘organized crime’ by governments and justice systems.
  • Crime Scene Search and Its Importance The paper states that the inspection is the first and urgent action that the investigator performs even before the initiation of a criminal case.
  • Juvenile Crime: Punishment of Juvenile Crime The objective of this paper is to discuss why minors should not be treated as adults in court. They should not also receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
  • Mass Media and Its Link to Crime and the Criminal Justice System In this study, the official website America’s Most Wanted will be analyzed to get a better understanding as to why it is so successful as a TV show and as a tool to fight crime.
  • Families, Delinquency and Crime Crime would be considered a major social problem in the United States according to opinion surveys, with the major cause being laxity and inefficiency in parenting.
  • Juvenile and Crime: The Reasons and Today’s Situation Reserch reveals that crime activities can include violence and that the whole incidence of gang activity in schools has become quite frequent in the recent years.
  • Crime Types and Their Harm to Society This paper discusses the questions related to criminal justice issues, such as types of crimes, the concept of the Dark Figure of Crime, victimless crimes, and others.
  • Is There Such Thing as a Victimless Crime? The problem of a victimless crime has been labeled as controversial due to the different opinions surrounding this issue.
  • Crime Explanation Using Biology and Psychology A comprehensive theory of Cesare Lombroso has been discussed indicating that criminals could be picked out and determined by their physique, attributes, and appearance.
  • The Crime Control Model: Due Process Values The Crime Control Model has been founded on the premise that the most important role of the criminal justice process is the repression of any form of criminal conduct.
  • Criminological Theory: Crime Theories and Criminal Behavior Criminal behavior is a type of behavior of a person who commits a crime. It is interesting to know what drives people to commit crimes and how to control these intentions.
  • Corporate Occupational and Avocational Crime Corporate crime is classified on the basis of activities, agents, laws broken or products under consideration; however, the most common criterion use is that of activity.
  • Corporate Crime: Understanding and Explaining Corporate scandals have become the stories behind many company downfalls and corporate governance reforms throughout the world were triggered by the scandals.
  • Fiction Versus Reality: Crime as a Social Phenomenon While making an analysis of various societies of the world at large, it becomes evident that no human society has ever been free from crimes, perversion and deviance at all.
  • Crime Scene Investigation Effect in Justice System Movies have been known to influence popular culture in different parts of the world. Analysts believe that the “CSI effect” is one of the fruits of popular culture.
  • Cyber Crime : Issues and Threats Cyber crime involves the stealing or manipulation of information effectively distorting its values across global networks.
  • Functionalism: Crime and Deviance in Society Issues of crime and deviance directly derive from the functionalist system’s components, which are responsible for ensuring continuous functionality and well-being.
  • Bribery as a Crime As a rule, major bribes include payments that are higher than a certain limit which can be considered as an ordinary present.
  • Deviance, Crime and Social Control The selected topic from the class text is “Deviance, Crime, and Social Control”. The term deviance “refers to the violations of established contextual, cultural, or social norms”.
  • Illegal Immigrants and Its Effects on Crime This paper set out to demonstrate that there is a relationship between the rise in crime and the increase in illegal immigration to the US. It began by highlighting the immigration problem.
  • Capital Punishment Does Not End the Crime Capital punishment needs to be abolished due to the belief that it is equivalent to the crime committed, which is unjust and a form of retribution.
  • The Bank Robbery Crime Investigation The primary objective of securing the crime scene is to preserve all the evidence that can help trace and identify the bank robbery suspect.
  • White-Collar Crime: Definition and Special Features White-collar crimes are defined as deception, concealment, or breach of trust, and the difference between it and other types of crimes boils down to a question of opportunity.
  • Budget Narrative for Markia Crime Stopper Program The following is the budget narrative to enable the Markia crime-stopper program initiative to effectively protect, respond to, and report criminal acts in the community.
  • Obsession With True Crime and the Reasons for Its Growing Popularity This paper discusses the people’s obsession with true crime and explains its current popularity by some fundamental human needs and specific current conditions.
  • Dante’s View on Crime and Punishment Dante believed that the crimes most worthy of penalty were those of abuse of trust, for reasons rooted in sociopolitical factors as well as the philosophy and law of his day.
  • Forensics Analysis of Terrorism Crime Scene Terrorism uses calculated violence to generate public fear and panic to establish a specific political agenda within the general population.
  • Autistic Disorder and Crime in the United States Prevalence and incidence rates of autistic disorders are not high in the United States. According to Schug and Fradella, the prevalence rates are 5 cases per 10,000 people.
  • Managing Crime and Deviance at Public Events and Public Venues The purpose of this article is to consider the problem of crime and deviations at public events and in public places, as well as to propose methods to combat it.
  • The Definition of White-Collar Crime by Sutherland Sutherland had an approach to the definition of white-collar crime that was purely rooted in a sociological approach.
  • Deterring Juvenile Crime. Bullying and Delinquency Delinquency can be defined as a crime committed by a minor; in the recent few years, cases of juvenile delinquency have been on the rise.
  • Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut This article explains the purpose and duties of conscience as depicted in the Mark Twain story, The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut.
  • Criminal Justice System: Drugs and Crime The main objective of the criminal justice system is ensuring delivery of justice for all. It mainly concentrates in detection of crime.
  • Biological, Biosocial and Classical Theories of Crime The association of biology and criminality based on modifications of the brain also stands as a strong influence on the behavior of an individual.
  • Crime Causation Theories: Contrastive Analysis The purpose of this paper is to provide a contrastive analysis of the three crime causation theories in order to define the most prevalent one.
  • Nurse Robaczynski’s Case: Crime or Mercy Killing? The nurse had to disconnect her patient’s respirator because he had no chance to survive. However, the opinions of experts in the field, in this case, tend to vary.
  • Generali Group: Developments in Financial Crime The paper has outlined recent trends associated with financial crime from a GRC practitioner’s point of view. It has methods for protecting the financial sector institutions.
  • Smash-And-Grab Crime: Criminal Investigation The smash-and-grab crime under investigation is a multi-million-dollar burglary that occurred in March 2022 at a Beverly Hills jewelry store.
  • Three Items Linked to Policing That Explain Japan’s Low Crime Rate One of the most significant trends observed in Japan over the past years is the low crime rate. The positive trend has promoted peace and socioeconomic progress in the nation.
  • Crime in Falkner’s “Barn Burning” and Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” William Faulkner’s Barn Burning and Edgar Allan Poe’s Cask of Amontillado raise the topic of crimes that go unpunished.
  • Examination of a Mock Crime Scene The crime occurred around 9:00 PM on March 11th, 2021, and was discovered and examined approximately at 9:30 PM on the same day.
  • Counterfeit Products and Sociological Theories of Crime The paper will attempt to employ sociological theories such as strain theory, social learning theory, and control theory to analyze various aspects of counterfeiting.
  • Organized Crime: The Canadian Mafia The Canadian based criminal gang organization engaged in drug trafficking, smuggling, gambling and political corruption.
  • We Are Living in a Risk Society Governed Through Crime Society and the world at large are under siege of crime; all sorts of crime from pickpocketing to capital crimes and even treason.
  • The Link Between Relative Deprivation and Crime In the paper, the author notes that radical theory has the potential to promote noble ideals as far as social equality and justice is concerned.
  • Topology of Corporate Crime and White Collar Crime Corporate crime is pure form of white collar crime. Corporate abuse of power, corporate fraud has a fundamental link with the core concept of white collar crime.
  • The Profile of a Crime Victim The profile of a crime victim is generally regarded to be a matter of statistics, while the victims themselves are people of various origins, ages, and occupations.
  • “Crimes Against Logic” by Jamie Whyte Crimes against Logic touches the aspect of fallacies through the description of human values and behavior following major actions performed.
  • Crime Theories. “Can’t Catch a Break” by Sered & Norton-Hawk By reviewing the contents of the book and comparing and contrasting it with the three theories, one can examine the key concepts of both the book and the theories.
  • Organized Business Crime Prosecution and Investigation Mr. Big is charged with operating a criminal enterprise that engages in illicit business activities. The memo proposes the investigative plan to obtain relevant evidence.
  • National Crime Prevention Council’s Media Campaign National Crime Prevention Council is among the American educational nonprofit institutions that enable the creation of safe communities by addressing issues such as drugs.
  • Banning Violent Video Games Is a Crime Against Artistic Expression This paper discusses the statement that banning violent video games is a crime against artistic expression, credible research, and the first amendment.
  • Crime and Factors Influencing It Many modern theories, including biosocial criminology, are beginning to consider various processes occurring inside the body as factors contributing to the commission of crimes.
  • Domestic Violence: “Crime in Alabama” by Hudnall et al. The consequences of domestic violence can be associated with deterioration in the population’s quality of life, psychological problems, or even the victim’s death.
  • Fear of Crime and Crime Rates As a social phenomenon, the fear of crime can sometimes be more dangerous than the crime itself, leading to distortion in the social order.
  • Impact of Immigration on the Economy Looking back on the United States’ history on the issue of immigration, the first immigrants came into the country starting in 1820.
  • Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh’s Crime Army soldiers performed the deadliest terrorist attack on the territory of the United States, which remained in this status until September 11, 2001.
  • Network Security and Cyber Crime, Super-Highway Metaphor Some of the major practices that can be done in ensuring maximum data security and integrity is through making all the servers only accessible by the administrators of networks.
  • The Relationship Between Race and Crime in the United States The US media often mentions Latinos in the news when discussing drug trafficking and crimes related to crossing US borders.
  • Successful Ways of Preventing Crime by Blundell Successful ways of preventing crime should be based on a variety of methods. Also, crime is considered to be a social issue can say about effective programs are to be developed.
  • Preventing Crime Victimization in International Students International students are the students who go to other countries to study and because of this, they face a lot of problems – including becoming the victim of a crime.
  • Mechanisms to Fight Serious Forms of Organized Crime in Italy The report analyzes safety in Italy organized crimes range from corporate crime, Neapolitan Camorra and mafia.
  • The Role of Forensics in the War on Drugs This essay looks at chemicals that are used by forensic experts and the role forensics play in the war on drugs.
  • Predatory Crime Causation and Substance Abuse Problems Substance abuse problems, as the causes of deviant behavior, are a subject of study in biosocial criminological theories.
  • The Race, Crime, and Urban Inequality Theory The theory of race, crime, and urban inequality is based on the paradigm of social disorganization theory formulated by the Chicago School.
  • Violent Crime in the USA There are many crimes in the world as well as those that are considered as violent. They mean infliction of harm to human life or health and are divided into several types.
  • Russian Organized Crime: History & Personalities This research paper seeks to focus on Russian Organized Crime. It will elaborately discuss its history, notable ROC personalities, size and scope, causes, and significances.
  • Media and Crime: Shaping of Public Opinion The essay emphasizes how the media exaggerates and portrays false images of a victim and the consequences of crime for a common citizen.
  • Assessing Role of Technology in Police Crime Mapping The role of technology in police operations has become pivotal because it aids our law enforcement agencies to do their tasks easier and less time-consuming.
  • “Goodfellas” Crime Drama Film by Martin Scorsese Goodfellas is an iconic crime drama film released in 1990. It was directed by Martin Scorsese, also written by him and Nicholas Pileggi.
  • Organized and Transnational Crime in Southeast Asia The paper argues that human trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering are some of the most acute security challenges that societies in Southeast Asia encounter today.
  • Crime Scene Investigation in Media and Real Life The process of identifying and matching a piece of evidence to a particular person is a long process which requires exact sciences and methods.
  • Implicit Bias and the Crime Net in the Criminal Justice System An unequal distribution of cases against members of different ethnic groups characterizes the use of force by police officers against citizens in Canada.
  • Problem-Focused Policing Reducing Crime Problem-oriented policing entails the identification of factors that raise crime risk, diagnosing them, and establishing solutions to them.
  • Post-Crime Investigation Analysis Post-crime investigations are an essential process. One of the most important factors is the scene of the crime and the testimony of the victim and witnesses.
  • Hip-Hop and Violence: Does This Music Genre Promote Crime? It is hard to disagree that various types and directions of art are extremely powerful and can have a severe impact on the world and society.
  • Technologies to Reduce Crime and Acts of Terrorism Terrorism can be met with a nonviolent, credible, and justifiable reaction if counterterrorism actions are anchored in an accountable and productive criminal justice system.
  • Racial Discrimination Cases: Federal Hate Crime Charges in Black Jogger’s Racial discrimination happens when a person is considered unacceptable or is denied the same possibilities as others in a similar position because of their ethnicity, or birth country.
  • Asian Hate Crime: Social Limitations and Economic Impact This review focuses on Asian hate and marginalization roots, the current social limitations and economic impacts.
  • Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Impact on Justice The contemporary issue of crime and juvenile delinquency has a negative impact on the field of criminal justice since it contributes to disorganization and anomie.
  • White-Collar and Corporate Crime White-collar crimes have increased in the modern world due to improved technology. Typically, these criminal activities are financially-motivated and are nonviolent.
  • Crime Rates in Urban and Suburban Areas Currently, researchers are paying more and more attention to the consideration of predicates of increased crime rates in urban areas of large cities.
  • World War II Atrocities: Crimes Against Humanity This paper focuses on the crimes against humanity in World War II. The crimes are not on the battlefield and are unconnected with specific military activities.
  • Overcoming Juvenile Crime: Community Programs Juvenile crime is a complex issue that a single program cannot resolve. There are specialized community programs that work with juvenile criminals and prevent their future crimes.
  • Official Crime Data for Policy Development Using official crime data is very important, as it allows the development of policies that target the actual circumstances and avoid biases.
  • Online and Offline Museums in Correlation with Crime People may now visit the world’s best museums using standard technologies. In this paper, these three museums will be illustrated from criminology and their correlation with crime.
  • Biometrics Recognition and Crime Prevention The current business proposal suggests several recommendations on how to prevent consequent crimes and identify the perpetrators by using biometrics recognition.
  • Procedures Within Crime Scene Investigation A crime scene investigation is a complex and multistage research process in which a criminology specialist uses various scientific techniques and methodologies.
  • A Legal or Ethical Obligation of Facebook to Assist a Crime Victim Platforms like Facebook should have a moral obligation to assist crime victims as soon as possible after gathering information from its members.
  • A Victim as a Dark Figure of a Crime A victim is any person who has suffered moral, physical, or property damage from a wrongful act, regardless of whether he is duly recognized as a victim of this crime or not.
  • The Markia Security Crime Stoppers Program The initiative program named Markia Security Crime Stoppers has the objective to reduce the rate of burglaries through a series of preventive measures.
  • Rising Crime and Ethnic Inequality in the United States The article raises the up-to-date topic of the sharp increase in the crime rate in the United States. The numbers are exceptionally high among African Americans and Latinos.
  • Civil War Veterans and Crime in America Podcast by Handley-Cousins and Earls explores how American society and its disabled soldiers coped with the perceptions of service, disability, and government responsibility.
  • Discourse of Fear in Local Crime News Fear is used as one of the formats of the crime news discourse, and it is popular today among many newspapers and advertising companies.
  • The Influence of Police Bias on Disparity in Juvenile Crime: Methodology The issue of racial disparity in the criminal justice system remains a topical one. 64% of the charged youth are people of color.
  • Ethics and Federal Laws as to Computer Crime With today’s rapid technological advancements, we must be conscious of the potential for cybercrime to create calamity.
  • Crime Causes Among Adolescents Aged 12 to 17 Years Project proposal on the paper intended to explore the major reasons for the crime commitment among adolescents of this age group, ways to reduce crime among juveniles.
  • Investigating Crime with Age and Mental Illnesses Factors This paper describes a criminal case that implies the elements of both age and mental illness presented by the young female homicide.
  • White-Collar Crime and the Whistleblower Protection Program The paper discusses white crimes and how the whistleblower protection program can help and protect the affected employees.
  • Theories of Crime and Juvenile Rights The article discusses rights of minors and adults should differ due to the peculiarities of the psychological characteristics of development.
  • Comparison of Primary Crime Data Sources Used In the United States The uniform crime report and the national crime victimization survey are the two primary sources of crime data in America.
  • Crime against Persons With Disabilities In conclusion, it is evident that disabled populations remain extremely vulnerable to mental, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as violence.
  • Hate Crime: History and Prevalence in the US The American Psychological Association defines a hate crime as a legal offense against an individual or property instigated in whole or part by the bias of the offender.
  • Violent Crime, Its Forms and Patterns Even though the legal reform associated with the introduction of rape shield laws work, their effectiveness is limited by inconsistent implementation across states.
  • Computer Crime Prevention Measures The following paper describes the various prevention tools and procedures that are being followed in relation to computer crime
  • Do Increases in Hate Crime Suggest That We Have Become Less Civilized and More Violent? This paper aims to discuss the history of the hate crime concept, as well as the connections between hate crimes, public awareness, and sensitisation to violence.
  • The Natural Crime Concept in the Legal System The concept of natural crime covers actions that are deemed wrong regardless of whether they are enforced by law, these crimes have an inherent sense of wrong and harm.
  • Social Change and Crime Rate Trends According to Cohen and Felson, structural changes in daily routine activities have a direct influence on the frequency of crime occurrence.
  • What Impact Has Feminism Had in the Study of Women and Crime? The most notable impact of feminism on women could be illustrated through the emerging interest of researchers to females in vulnerable communities.
  • Psychological Disorders and How They Promote Crime and Conduct Problems Psychological disorders are one of the factors that have a significant influence on crime rates. This paper analyzes psychological disorders and how they promote crime.
  • Crime Level Investigation in the United States Two mechanisms that the USA uses to trace the rate of crime in the country are the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
  • The Crime of Homicide: History and Laws The project describes homicide, which is the illegal killing of a human being by another. There exist state laws that define the services offered to the victims of homicide.
  • Crime Trends in London and Manchester: 2005 to 2009 The latest annual recap by the Home Office suggests that burglaries and violence around the nation may have at least held steady against the prior 2007/08 financial year.
  • The Drug Trafficking as Organized Crime Drug trafficking is among the recently organized crimes, and it has a direct influence on the economy as it earns a lot of money.
  • Seventh Day Adventists Fight Crime in Jamaica In this article, the author examines the problem of crime in Jamaica and also expresses an opinion on the influence Seventh Day Adventists can have on solving the problem.
  • White-Collar Crime Description White-collar crime is among the subtlest, most non-evident, and most impactful types of crime, which affects the population on a scale of millions.
  • Drugs and Crime Committed Under the Influence It would be prudent to differentiate between two types of drug-related crimes. There are instances of drug-related crimes and psychopharmacological crimes.
  • DNA Analysis: A Crime-Fighting Tool or Invasion of Privacy? The paper argues that DNA analysis is an important crime-fighting tool and bring great benefit despite the likelihood of an invasion of privacy.
  • The Sex Crime: Influence of Childhood Experiences Offenders may engage in sex crimes under an influence of having experienced sexual abuse themselves or other traumatic events in their childhood.
  • Murder Cases: Technology for Crime Monitoring and Control A new invention in the field of crime monitoring has greatly contributed to a decline in the number of crimes being committed.
  • Status Crime: White Collar Crime in Organizations White-collar crime is characterized by inflating the asset values, overstating the reported income and cash flow, and failure to disclose the liabilities in the financial records.
  • Crime Trends: Drug Abuse in Adults and Juveniles One notes a mixed trend in the different crimes over the years. Drug abuse, for example, increased steadily from the 1970s in both the adult and juvenile populations.
  • Impact of Crime on Civil Liability and Risk: FTCA FTCA of 1946 waived the doctrine of sovereign immunity of the United States government. All federal workers lack defense of their employment and become liable for their wrongdoing.
  • White-Collar Crime: Securities and Pension Fraud The PERAC has in the recent past tried to conduct its activities in the best possible way in a bid to eradicate all forms of pension fraud.
  • Crime Rate Series. Main Cases Reporting Criminology is a complex study and care has to be taken. The reporting of the level of felony in an area can be used by a myriad of people in society to plan other activities.
  • Arms Smuggling as a Form of Transitional Organized Crime The paper sets to discuss how small arms smuggling has affected the social, economical and political well being globally.
  • Are Marxist Criminologists Right to See Crime Control as Class Control? Marxist criminology is comparable to functionalist theories, which lay emphasis on the production of continuity and stability in any society.
  • Crime, Childhood Trauma, and Health The connection between crime, childhood trauma, poverty, and both physical and mental health would be all-encompassing and complete.
  • Reporting Behavior Among Victims of Crime The reporting behavior among victims of crime remains relatively low. Satisfaction level in police operations is among the prominent predictors of crime.
  • Crime Intermidiate Houses and Communities Correction centers for crime offenders exist in an assorted list. They may include recreation, trial, parole, public duty, and penalty alternatives.
  • Drugs and Crime Description: Federal Drug Statutes This paper identifies the current federal drug statutes; Minnesota State statute that governs controlled substances; statistics on drug convictions at the federal level and Minnesota.
  • Hate Crime Laws are a Bad Idea Charley Reese provides his opinion on the adoption of hate crime legislation. He identifies their possible consequences for society in general.
  • Is Prostitution a Victimless Crime or Not? Because victimless crimes involve two contentious issues of morality and liberty, the legalization of this category of crime is always disputed on many grounds.
  • Aetiology of Violent Crime Violent crime has become a major part of the crime world. Sexual crimes, terrorism, and hooliganism are just some of the violent crimes.
  • Children as Perpetrators and Victims of Crime
  • Uniform Crime Reporting: Indicator of Crime in the US
  • Crime and Criminal Behavior: Assault Concept Study
  • Uniform Crime Report: Term Definition
  • Syndicated and Organized Crime and Governmental Crime
  • Crime in American Society: Causes, Types, Costs, Etc.
  • Fear of Victims to Report Crime
  • Crime Rate: the Recidivism Rate
  • Racism, Crime and Justice and Growing-Up Bad
  • Various Issues Related to White-Collar Crime
  • Crime Rates: Hawaii
  • White Collar Crime – Madoff Affair
  • Enhanced Police Patrol Drones for Crime Prone Neighborhoods
  • The Effects of Hate Crime Law on Democracy
  • Crime Theory Regarding Rape Laws
  • Crime and Class Relations Analysis
  • Property Crime Rates in Fayetteville, North Carolina
  • Uniform Crime Reports: Crime Trends and Repeat Victimization
  • Crime in Texas: Security Strategies
  • Community Policing: The Alternative Solution to Youth Crime
  • Crime and Causation: Robbery
  • Crime Statistics Comparison Between Two Universities
  • Current Corrections in the Criminal Justice System and Crime Control
  • The Case of Shooting at Planned Parenthood: Understanding the Causes of the Crime
  • The Profiling of Crime Victims
  • The Psychological Underpinning of True Crime Obsession
  • The Theory Deviance and Crime
  • White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime and Substance Abuse
  • Crime Rates in the US and Its Link to the Juvenile Justice System
  • Confidential Informants and Crime
  • Property Crime and Sociological Typologies: Law Study
  • Terrorism as a Transnational Organized Crime
  • Crime Among the Juveniles: Causes
  • Homeland Security, Race and Crime in the US
  • The Relationship Between Drugs and Addiction to Crime
  • Crime Situation in Bankstown-Australia
  • Drugs and Society Violent Crime: Public Drunkenness
  • Should We Rely on Eye-Witness Testimonies to Identify Crime-Suspects?
  • Drug Abuse and Crime Correlation
  • Presidential Powers: Official Pardon for Crime Granting
  • Crime and Justice by Curie
  • Feasibility of Modifying Crime Map
  • Crime Prevention Programme in Australia
  • Criminal Justice and Crime Control in the US
  • “White-Collar Crime” Definition and Qualification
  • Internationalism: The Issue of Transitional Crime
  • Juvenile Crime Concepts Review
  • Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences. The Notion of Criminality and Crime
  • Crime Rates in the United States over 20 Years
  • Sex Trafficking by Organized Crime Groups
  • Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Offenders
  • The Crime of Challenging Moral Settings
  • Recidivism of Juvenile Crime
  • Capital Punishment for Crime Deterrence
  • Childhood Crime at School in the State of Texas
  • Crime Scene Safety and Security in the United States
  • Crime and Delinquency Theories
  • Sociological Diversity and Its Impact on Crime Rate
  • How Local Television News Viewing Relates to Fear of Crime?
  • Capital Punishment as Ineffective Crime Deterrence
  • Race and Crime Among Minorities in the US
  • Repression and Crime Control
  • The Teens, Crime, and Community Project in the US
  • White-Collar Crime and Negligence
  • “Crime in Post-Katrina Houston” Study by Settles and Lindsay
  • Nortel Networks Company’s Corporate Crime
  • Flagami Community’s Crime and Health Situation
  • US Gun Control Measures and Crime Rates Reduction
  • Psychological Help as the Prevent From Possible Crime
  • The Racilisation of Crime and Cultural Panics
  • Criminality Development in the Documentary A Life of Crime
  • How Can Criminology Theories Help in Preventing or Solving Crimes?
  • Should Children Who Commit Crime Be Tried as Adults?
  • Are Crime Control and Social Welfare Becoming More Punitive?
  • How Can Social Science Theory Help Reduce Crime?
  • Can Criminological Theories Help Manage Crime in the Workplace?
  • Should Government Implement Laws for Cyber Crime?
  • Does Imprisoning Drug Offenders Reduce Crime Rates?
  • How Does the Holocaust Explodes the Concept of Mass Crime?
  • Are Hate Crime Laws Effective?
  • What Is the Link Between Drugs and Crime and What Can Be Done Towards Drug-Related Crimes?
  • How Does Criminology Help Our Understanding of Crime and Criminals?
  • Does Social Deprivation Relate to Crime?
  • What Impact Does the Changing Nature of Crime Have on Criminology?
  • Are Homeless People More Likely to Become Involved or Be Victims of Crime?
  • How Can Technology Help Police and Government Officials Solve Crime?
  • Should Crime Victims Have Rights During Criminal Investigations?
  • Can Public Works Programs Reduce Youth Crime?
  • How Were Crime and Punishment Handled in the Roman Era?
  • Are Non-custodial Sentences Soft on Crime?
  • How Do Crime Scene Investigations Aid in Prosecution?
  • Can Death Penalty Prevent the Rise in Crime Rate?
  • Does Longer Incarceration Deter or Incapacitate Crime?
  • How Does Corporate Crime Challenge Conventional Definitions of Crime?
  • Can Punitive Measures Curtail Crime?
  • How Does the Media Use an Ideal Victim in Portrayals of Crime?

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StudyCorgi. (2021, September 9). 281 Crime Essay Topics & True Crime Research Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/crime-essay-topics/

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StudyCorgi . "281 Crime Essay Topics & True Crime Research Topics." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/crime-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "281 Crime Essay Topics & True Crime Research Topics." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/crime-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Crime were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 5, 2024 .

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Crime Essay Topics: 25+ Interesting Ideas for Your Next Paper

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by  Antony W

December 5, 2023

crime essay topics

Your next crime essay has to be on point. You have to prove to your professor that you understand themes of individual restraint, social behavior control, crime deterioration, criminal law, or anything related to crime. The first step is to choose a compelling topic to explore.

In this post, we give you a list of crime essay topics and ideas that you can explore. Whether you’ve started brainstorming or you feeling hopeless because you’re running late, these ideas can save you a lot of time.

Remember, how well and easy you write a crime essay depends on topic selection. So you should be careful to choose an idea that you can explore within the scope of the assignment. Read the assignment brief to determine which essay to write and how long it should be. Everything else builds on the topic you choose. 

Key Takeaways

  • Look at different theories, contemporary issues, and sub-disciplines linked to crime to understand the different areas you can explore.
  • Determine what fascinates you about crime in relation to law essays , coursework, and assignments.
  • Write down the aspects of crime and social justice that most appeal to you and then narrow down your option to one area.
  • Choose a specific topic that fits within your interest.

Best Crime Essay Topics

The following is a list of the best crime essay topic that you might find interesting for your next assignment:

Society and Justice Topics

  • Rehabilitation and moralities
  • The key characteristics of employment and crime
  • Delinquency cases in children
  • Community service and criminals
  • Crime prevention in children
  • Social ecology and abandoned peoples
  • White-collar crimes and their consequences
  • Is moral panic a new danger or an ordinary issue?
  • Socio-economic background and crime
  • Bad parenting and juvenile delinquencies
  • Social changes in the United States is a problematic issue
  • The pros and cons of background criminal checks
  • Are new prisons necessary in the United States of America?
  • Write an essay on rehabilitation and recidivism
  • Social institutions and criminal justice
  • Causes of victimization
  • Justice as a norm in today’s society
  • Criminal justice, sociology & psychology
  • Social cohesion and criminal justice
  • The prosecution of children as an adult in the United States of America
  • Criminalizing homelessness in the United States of America and the world
  • Cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking
  • The role of education in keeping a safe society
  • How to help abused children
  • Children and online offenders

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Police and Policing Topics

  • Ethical dimensions of policing and criminal justice: an analytical study
  • Unpacking contemporary instances of police corruption: case analyses
  • Militarization of law enforcement in the United States
  • Examining instances of police brutality
  • Police-public interactions and controversial issues in the United States
  • Police as catalysts for societal change in the United States
  • Critiquing crisis intervention training in policing
  • Exploring systemic police abuse in the United States’ criminal justice framework
  • Assessing the efficacy of predictive policing in law enforcement practices
  • Tracing the historical trajectory of American policing from a contextual perspectives
  • Advantages and dilemma of community support for policing in neighborhoods

Capital Punishment Essay Topics

  • Understanding racial disparities in the criminal justice system and their societal ramifications
  • Examining solitary confinement’s psychological impact on prisoners
  • Critical assessment of mandatory minimum sentences in drug offense cases
  • Ethical quandaries surrounding the employment of informants in criminal investigations
  • Evaluating bias and discrimination in predictive policing algorithms
  • Private prisons’ influence on the structure and functioning of the justice system
  • Assessing rehabilitation programs’ efficacy in reducing recidivism
  • Ethical considerations and data usage of technological surveillance in law enforcement:
  • Decriminalization versus legalization perspectives over drug criminalization:
  • Policy implications of mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients
  • Impacts of bail reforms pretrial detention and systemic equity
  • An assessment of efficacy of poverty, crime, and programmatic interventions

Criminal Law Essay Topics

  • Intersecting legal and ethical dimensions of the death penalty
  • Examining plea bargains: Implications and functionality in justice systems
  • Evaluating the impact of mandatory minimum sentences on crime reduction
  • Race, ethnicity, and the dynamics of the criminal justice system
  • The role, reliability, and significance of forensic science in criminal investigations
  • Unpacking the relationship between poverty and crime rates
  • Forensic psychology’s contributions to profiling in criminal investigations
  • Evaluating its effectiveness of community policing in crime prevention and resolution
  • Protecting victims’ rights within the criminal justice framework
  • Ethical concerns and algorithmic biases in predictive policing applications
  • Understanding mental health’s interplay with criminal behavior
  • Exploring drug decriminalization or legalization: impacts on crime
  • Surveillance ethics: Legitimacy and considerations in public spaces
  • Media influence and its role in shaping public perception in criminal trials
  • Implications and rectification of sentencing disparities based on socioeconomic status
  • Assessing hate crime legislation’s efficacy in prosecution and prevention
  • Restorative justice’s role in recidivism mitigation
  • Emerging technologies in criminal law: AI, facial recognition, and privacy concerns
  • Technology’s influence on criminal investigations and privacy rights
  • Effectiveness of rehabilitation programs in recidivism prevention

Criminal Justice Essay Topics

  • Regulatory frameworks and security protocols
  • Understanding eligibility and protection in witness security programs
  • Patterns and profiles of abduction, ransom, and recurring behaviors
  • Contemporary challenges and priorities for law enforcement
  • Forensic science’s role and evolution in modern criminal justice
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of community corrections programs
  • Identity theft in today’s context: Risks and impactful consequences
  • Forgery incidents: Prevalence in workplaces, government, and academia
  • Addressing issues and improvement strategies of prison living conditions:
  • Real-world application of prosecution laws
  • Anatomy of a criminal trial: The processes and key components explained
  • Navigating ethical challenges in law enforcement from a critical perspective
  • Exploring historical insights and lessons from the evolution of criminal courts
  • Religious motive crimes: Understanding sentencing and punitive measures
  • The impact and ethical considerations of the media’s role in crime narratives
  • Problem-solving courts: Resolving foundational issues in justice systems
  • Distributive justice’s significance in the framework of criminal justice
  • Mechanisms and taxonomies in categorization of crimes
  • Looking at the methodologies and considerations for jury selection processes:
  • The role of crime mapping in modern criminal justice dynamics

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About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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112 Murder Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Murder is a topic that has long fascinated and horrified people around the world. Whether it be in literature, film, or real life, the act of taking another person's life is a subject that continues to captivate audiences. If you are a student tasked with writing an essay on murder, you may be struggling to come up with a topic that is both interesting and thought-provoking. To help you out, here are 112 murder essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing:

  • The psychological motivations behind serial killers
  • The role of gender in murder cases
  • The portrayal of murder in classic literature
  • The impact of social media on murder investigations
  • The ethics of capital punishment
  • The use of forensic science in solving murder cases
  • The psychology of mass shooters
  • The phenomenon of murder-suicides
  • The relationship between mental illness and murder
  • The influence of childhood trauma on future acts of violence
  • The role of race in murder trials
  • The power dynamics in domestic violence situations
  • The impact of trauma on victims of murder
  • The portrayal of murder in popular culture
  • The role of the media in shaping public perceptions of murder cases
  • The impact of technology on the investigation of cold cases
  • The history of famous murder cases
  • The role of religion in justifying acts of murder
  • The impact of poverty on rates of violent crime
  • The representation of murder in true crime podcasts
  • The relationship between drug use and violent behavior
  • The influence of societal norms on acts of murder
  • The psychology of cult leaders who commit murder
  • The role of jealousy in cases of spousal murder
  • The impact of mental health stigma on access to treatment for potential offenders
  • The portrayal of murder in horror films
  • The impact of childhood abuse on future acts of violence
  • The role of revenge in cases of premeditated murder
  • The use of murder as a plot device in literature
  • The influence of peer pressure on acts of violence
  • The portrayal of murder in reality TV shows
  • The impact of war on rates of murder and violence
  • The role of genetics in predisposing individuals to violent behavior
  • The influence of substance abuse on rates of murder
  • The portrayal of murder in video games
  • The impact of mental health stigma on victims of violent crime
  • The psychology of hitmen and contract killers
  • The role of infidelity in cases of passion-fueled murder
  • The use of murder as a political tool
  • The impact of media coverage on the investigation of murder cases
  • The representation of murder in art and photography
  • The influence of peer pressure on acts of gang-related violence
  • The role of technology in preventing acts of murder
  • The impact of gun control laws on rates of murder
  • The psychology of thrill killers
  • The portrayal of murder in graphic novels
  • The role of restorative justice in cases of murder
  • The influence of social class on rates of violent crime
  • The impact of fame on murder investigations
  • The portrayal of murder in true crime documentaries
  • The relationship between mental illness and acts of terrorism
  • The role of trauma in cases of war crimes
  • The impact of political corruption on rates of murder
  • The portrayal of murder in music and lyrics
  • The role of technology in tracking and preventing acts of murder
  • The influence of cultural beliefs on attitudes towards murder
  • The impact of immigration on rates of violent crime
  • The psychology of school shooters
  • The portrayal of murder in comic books
  • The role of religion in cases of honor killings
  • The influence of social media on public perceptions of murder cases
  • The impact of mental health stigma on access to support services for victims of violent crime
  • The psychology of child killers
  • The portrayal of murder in theater and performance art
  • The role of politics in shaping public policy on murder
  • The influence of addiction on rates of violent crime
  • The impact of organized crime on rates of murder
  • The portrayal of murder in fashion and design
  • The role of gender identity in cases of hate crimes
  • The psychology of cult followers who commit murder
  • The impact of technology on the investigation of unsolved murder cases
  • The relationship between domestic violence and future acts of murder
  • The influence of social norms on attitudes towards murder
  • The portrayal of murder in fashion and beauty advertising
  • The role of social media in spreading awareness of murder cases
  • The impact of mental health stigma on access to resources for victims of violent crime
  • The psychology of thrill-seeking killers
  • The portrayal of murder in children's literature
  • The role of religion in cases of ritualistic murder
  • The influence of peer pressure on acts of gang violence
  • The impact of technology on preventing acts of murder
  • The representation of murder in street art and graffiti
  • The role of politics in shaping public perceptions of murder cases
  • The influence of social class on attitudes towards violent crime
  • The impact of fame on rates of murder
  • The portrayal of murder in gaming and virtual reality
  • The psychology of spree killers
  • The role of social media in solving cold cases
  • The relationship between mental illness and acts of workplace violence
  • The influence of cultural beliefs on attitudes towards honor killings
  • The impact of immigration on rates of hate crimes
  • The portrayal of murder in street fashion and subcultures
  • The role of gender identity in cases of transphobic violence
  • The psychology of mass murderers
  • The portrayal of murder in street art and murals
  • The role of religion in cases of religiously-motivated violence
  • The influence of technology on tracking and preventing acts of terrorism
  • The impact of mental health stigma on access to treatment for offenders
  • The psychology of child soldiers who commit murder
  • The portrayal of murder in street photography
  • The role of politics in shaping public policy on violent crime
  • The influence of addiction on rates of hate crimes
  • The impact of organized crime on rates of terrorism
  • The portrayal of murder in street music and rap lyrics
  • The role of social media in spreading awareness of honor killings
  • The psychology of contract killers
  • The impact of technology on solving cold cases
  • The relationship between mental illness and acts of domestic violence
  • The influence of peer pressure on attitudes towards violent crime
  • The portrayal of murder in street theater and performance art
  • The impact of media coverage on public perceptions of murder cases

These 112 murder essay topic ideas and examples cover a wide range of subjects within the realm of murder and violent crime. Whether you are interested in exploring the psychological motivations behind murderers, the impact of technology on solving murder cases, or the role of social media in shaping public perceptions of violent crime, there is sure to be a topic on this list that sparks your interest. Happy writing!

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How to Write Great True Crime

Hint: Branch out from serial killers coming through the window.

A hand holding a pen while surrounding by yellow crime scene tape

True crime is one of the most popular forms of entertainment. The genre grips audiences across mediums, in films and television, and—perhaps in its original form—literature.

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Despite an arguably elevated cultural position, literary works can be as formulaic and mass-produced as anything onscreen. In the world of crime writing, that’s often the case. With demand high, creators can churn out whodunnits as fast as consumers can devour them.

Writing in  World Literature Today , mystery novelist J. Madison Davis tackles the subject of what separates the wheat from the chaff in the craft of crime writing. It’s far more than a grisly backstory, he explains; the market is flooded with blood-soaked paperbacks.  “ Judging the Edgar Allan Poe award for ‘best fact crime’ in 1992 was an incredibly depressing experience,” he writes. “Serial killers were popular as subjects, and their stories were monotonously consistent.”

In fact, Davis read so many books that used a similar structure that he produced a basic format in full (to the bemusement of anyone who has ever picked up a discounted crime novel).

The book opens with Joe Sicko sharpening his axe or climbing into the window of the victim’s house. About the time he reaches the top of the stairs, the author ends the chapter (often glorified by the title “Prologue”), suspending the gore and jumping all the way back to when Joe…began his life as a child. He doesn’t stand a chance, given his dysfunctional home. The book then follows the long progress of Joe to become the monster at the top of the stairs. If Joe’s unhappy development becomes too boring, the book may be interrupted with interludes portraying the indomitable avenger who will bring Joe down. After arriving back at the top of the stairs (so to speak), the book then fulfills its promise of carnage and unwinds with the detective work that brings Joe down.

So much for what makes a crime book formulaic. The more pertinent topic Davis discusses is what elevates a work into “the level of lasting literature.” While acknowledging that art is an intensely personal (and therefore subjective) experience, he also highlights that, in judging among hundreds of books submitted for an award annually, “writers of widely divergent backgrounds and locations create…similar lists of finalists,” suggesting a common understanding of what makes great crime writing.

“Writers know good writing, just as musicians know good music, and the elements of this seemingly intangible quality are much more specific than most people think,” Davis explains.

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In Davis’s view, a common misstep is thinking that true crime writing has to be equivalent to journalism: clinging closely to facts and dismissing artistry and interpretation, as though there is a sharp line between “nonfiction” and “fiction.” He points out two examples that reject this notion, to great success: Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood , arguably the germinal work of true crime and simultaneously recognized as a great work of literature, and Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song , which won the Pulitzer Prize.

“In the end,” Davis explains, “it isn’t the oddity or excesses of the crime that allow true-crime books to earn the designation of literary excellence. That only comes from the writing.”

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45 Crime and Punishment Essay Topics

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ESSAY TOPICS

Understanding the depth and breadth of “Crime and Punishment” is essential to effectively approach related essay topics. The text touches upon various aspects – the themes the author explores, the book’s characters and their influence on the plot, the literary techniques employed, and the story’s settings, to name a few. An essay on the subject should be thorough, and missing out on any aspect could signify a lack of dedication.

Choosing a topic can be a daunting task. But when given the freedom to choose, it also offers an opportunity to delve into an area that genuinely interests you.

Tips to Choose the Right Essay Topic:

Begin Broadly : Start with a general subject and then narrow it down. Eliminate topics that don’t resonate with you, leaving 3-to 5 you feel confident about.

Topic Characteristics : The topic should be interesting, relevant, and something you can thoroughly discuss.

Suggested Topics for Crime and Punishment Essays:

  • Author’s perspective on crime.
  • Svidrigailov’s dignified end: An in-depth analysis.
  • Portrayal of women in the narrative.
  • Evaluating freedom’s concept in “Crime and Punishment”.
  • Interpretation of law within the book.
  • Representation of Christianity.
  • Contrasting characters: Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov.
  • Theme of crime and its repercussions.
  • Relationship between law enforcement and justice.
  • Analyzing motives behind murders in the book.
  • Role of suffering in character development.
  • Exploration of poverty and its effects.
  • Mental torment faced by Raskolnikov post-crime.
  • Significance of dreams in the novel.
  • Examination of family bonds.
  • Symbolism of blood in the storyline.
  • Exploration of Raskolnikov’s theory of extraordinary men.
  • Influence of urban settings on the story’s mood.
  • The theme of resurrection and renewal.
  • Role of fate and free will in the narrative.
  • Analysis of secondary characters and their significance.
  • Social commentary and criticism in the book.
  • Exploration of the moral dilemma faced by characters.
  • The journey of redemption in the storyline.
  • The importance of confession in the narrative.
  • Exploration of the duality of human nature.
  • Examination of love as a redeeming force.
  • The philosophical underpinnings in the storyline.
  • Mental illness and its portrayal in the book.
  • Influence of the author’s personal life on the narrative.
  • Examination of despair and hope in the story.
  • The role of sacrifice in “Crime and Punishment”.
  • Analysis of the prison setting and its significance.
  • Exploration of the concept of justice in the book.
  • The juxtaposition of youth and age in the narrative.
  • Raskolnikov’s philosophical conflicts.
  • The underlying theme of existentialism.
  • Exploration of pride and its consequences.
  • Analysis of friendship dynamics in the story.
  • Examination of the power dynamics in the narrative.
  • Discussion on moral judgments and their implications.
  • The theme of alienation in “Crime and Punishment”.
  • Analysis of the epilog and its significance.

Practical Essay Ideas :

  • Dive into the historical setting of “Crime and Punishment”.
  • Explore the primary themes addressed by Dostoevsky.
  • Analyze the characters’ roles in the development of the plot.
  • Assess how the narrative impacts readers’ perceptions of crime.
  • Evaluate the language and its efficacy in delivering the intended message.
  • Reasons “Crime and Punishment” is deemed a classic.
  • Dostoevsky’s take on the legal system.

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Crafting an insightful essay on “Crime and Punishment” requires a deep understanding of the book. If you’re finding it challenging, our experienced essay writers are here to help. With their expertise on the subject, no topic is too challenging. Reach out today and let an expert assist you.

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100 Criminal Justice Essay Topics for Your Inspiration

If you are dealing with a frustrating college assignment and are now searching for criminal justice essay topics, we have several ideas that could help you out! Criminology is a many-layered study area: it could be dark and complex, but it could also be fascinating and exciting to explore. Before you get to do research and learn new things, though, you need to pick a good topic. And that’s where students face a whole array of problems. How to make the correct choice? Is it possible to find a topic that would be interesting enough for readers and for the actual writer? The answer to the last question is yes: if you know where to look, you’ll succeed in writing an essay you like. The list below will take care of the first question since, with its help, you’ll see a diversity of titles to choose from.

100 Criminology Essay Topics For College Students

Inspiration is a fickle thing. What one writer enjoys in an essay might be something another one considers boring and vice versa. That’s why the more titles you see, the more chances you have at selecting the right one. We prepared 100 of them. Look through them and make your choice! Feel free to pick anything you like and develop an excellent essay.

Crime and Punishment Essay Ideas

When crime happens, the perpetrator must be punished. But how far could justice stretch? Who regulates it? The following criminal justice essay topics will help you dwell on these ideas.

  • Assess Evidence Against Ted Bundy From a Modern Perspective: Did He Get a Just Punishment?
  • Is Death Penalty a Good Punishment For Proven Crimes Including Torture?
  • Consider Prisoners’ Perspective: Is Life Sentence or Death Penalty the Worse Punishment?
  • How Homicide Gets Punished in Different Countries. Provide Comparative Analysis
  • Judging Gang Violence: Should All Members Receive Equal Punishments?
  • Chose a Serial Killer Few of Us Know About & Analyze Their Criminal Journey
  • Is Murder Worse Than Torture from Law Perspective?
  • Could Two People Involved in One Legal Conflict Be Imprisoned in the Same Jail?
  • Inspect Publicity That Charles Manson Received: Did Fame Mitigate His Punishment?
  • Imagine That You Are Dictating the Terms: How Would You Punish Vandalism?

Child Abuse Topics

Crime topics for essays related to children could be difficult to explore, but they are vital if you want to ensure justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. So, study ideas for essay below. You could find something enlightening.

  • Examine Differences in Child Abuse Laws Across Three Different States
  • Emotional & Physical Abuse: Which Has Worse Long-Term Impact on a Child?
  • Is Being a Victim as Child Worse Physically and Mentally Than When One Is an Adult?
  • Abused Children Often Choose a Criminal Path: Is There a Pattern?
  • Is Child Neglect a Form of Abuse?
  • Describe a Case Where Justice System Failed a Child: How & Why Did This Happen?
  • Could Parents Be Called Abusive If They Refuse to Let Their Child Attend School?
  • Kicking Child Out Before They Are 16: Is This Illegal & What Repercussions Does It Have?
  • Could A Child Be Justified in Killing Their Abusive Parents?
  • Analyze the Case of JonBenet Ramsey: Did Sibling-on-Sibling Abuse Take Place?

Domestic Violence Essay Topics

Sometimes violence comes from the closest people. Unfortunately, it’s a common problem, so there are plenty of good criminal justice essay topics here. Pick any of them you like best.

  • Are Males More Inclined to Abuse Their Families Than Females?
  • Why Do Some Individuals Marry Abusers? Analyze Psychology &  Circumstances
  • Victim Mindset: Why Is Abuse Not Reported in Many Cases?
  • Explain How People Could Recognize Abuse Signs From Their Loved Ones
  • Does Therapy Help Abusers Stop Their Violence?
  • Solutions for Humans Who Want to Escape Abusive Relationships: Where Could They Appeal?
  • What Is Marital Rape & What Repercussions Does It Have?
  • Explain Concept of Stockholm Syndrome: Could Men Be Its Victims?
  • Why Is Female Violence Against Men Often Dismissed as Insignificant?
  • Where Did Victim Blaming Come From & How to Achieve True Justice?

Crime Prevention for Achieving Justice Topics

People who want to stop violence from happening aren’t naïve or overly idealistic. If you study law, then you know how vital crime prevention topics for essays are. Take a chance to explore them to learn about useful methods.

  • Role Police in the US Play in Justice & Preventing Crimes
  • Should Prostitution Be Prevented or Should It Be Officially Allowed?
  • Imagine That You Were Tasked with Preventing a Bank Robbery: How Would You Achieve This Goal?
  • Is It Possible to Interfere in Organized Crime or Is It an Unstoppable Force?
  • Security in Prison: Is It Effective in Stopping Violence Among Inmates?
  • Discuss Possibility of Ending Crime for Good: Under Which Conditions Would This Be Possible?
  • How Could Online Piracy Be Stopped on a Global Level?
  • Discuss Ways of Preventing Rape by Focusing on Tested Methods
  • Could Revenge-Motivated Murders Be Stopped Through Timely Criminal Profiling?
  • What Role Do Psychologists Play in Crime Prevention?

Juvenile Delinquency and Justice-Involved Ideas

Check this list of basic criminal justice topics for college essays. Young people are the foundation of our society, but sometimes their actions poison it. It is our duty to learn why and how this happens.

  • Which Is the Most Common Crime Among Teens?
  • What Is the Chance of Sexually Abused Teen Growing to Be a Sex Offender?
  • How Bad Is State of Juvenile Delinquency in Your City?
  • Analyze Existing Techniques for Solving Issue of Teen Crime
  • The Most Horrifying Child Killer That Stayed in Your Memory
  • Which Crimes Happen in Schools & How Are They Addressed?
  • Could Young People Be Tried as Adults Under Certain Circumstances?
  • Discuss Major Reasons That Cause Juvenile Delinquency
  • How Does American Foster Care Contribute to Crimes Done by Teens?
  • Is There a Link between Violent TV & Rising Crime Rates and Addictions Among Young People?

White-Collar Crime and Justice Essay Topics

What do you think about white collar crime topics? Every country is plagued by this problem to the point where most people take this idea for granted. Investigate it and try to make a difference, even if in a small way.

  • Stealing Done on a Governmental Level: How Is This Done?
  • Discuss Procedure  of Sentencing High-End Officials to Prison & Its Commonness
  • Which Governments Are Secretly Involved in Drug Trafficking?
  • Analyze Identity Theft Organized by American Government to Hide Its Involvement in 9/11 Tragedy
  • The Most Corrupt Government in the World
  • Instance of White-Collar Crime That Was Left Unpunished
  • Analyze an Instance of Corporate Crime: How Did It Occur?
  • Does Gender Have Any Relevance in White Collar Crimes?
  • Confrontation between Classes: Compare Justice as Applied for Low & Upper Classes
  • Organized Crime as an Action Secretly Supported by Governments

Hate Crimes

Hate crime essay topics are upsetting but interesting. There is nothing more terrifying than the idea of being targeted just because of your mere existence. Tackle this fear by providing explanations and solutions in your essay.

  • What Criteria Should Be Met for an Attack to Qualify as a Hate-Crime?
  • Why Do Some People Hate Sexuality of Others Enough to Kill Because of This?
  • Crimes Fuelled by Racism: Are They Still Common?
  • Assess Statement “Religion Kills the Biggest Number of People” From a Legal Viewpoint
  • Is It Possible to Diminish the Number of Hate-Fuelled Crimes via Education?
  • Select the Most Vulnerable Population Group: Which Criminal-Related Problems Do They Face?
  • Describe the Oldest Hate-Crimes You Could Find: When and How Did They Occur?
  • How Do Media Sources Address Hate-Crimes?
  • Personalities Of People Committing Hate-Crimes: What Are They?
  • Are Most Hate-Motivated Crimes Committed by Gangs or Single Perpetrators?

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Cyber Crimes Topics

The Internet is an amazing invention, but it has also brought us lots of pain and other problems. Check these crime topics for essays. Which of the titles looks more interesting? The choice is all yours!

  • Define Concept of Cyber-Crime & Its Characteristics
  • Discuss the First Known Cyber-Crime Ever: What Were Its Circumstances?
  • Is It Possible to Commit Cyber-Crimes Without Active Internet?
  • Describe Types of Malicious Software & Their Impacts
  • Stalking People Has Become Much Easier with Social Media Platforms
  • What Is Wikipedia Vandalism & How Is It Regulated?
  • Can Telemarketing Scams Be Qualified as Cyber-Crimes?
  • Describe Process of Online Identity Theft
  • How Do Police Officers Control Cyber-Crimes?
  • Dark Net and Dangers It Hides: Could Authorities Close It Down?

Criminology and Justice Essay Ideas

Exploring more science-based topics on crime could be a great idea for an essay. So, take a look at titles below. They could give you a required inspiration boost.

  • Explain How Forensic Science Works: What Is Its Role in Crime Solving?
  • What Is Trafficking & What Could Be Trafficked?
  • Elaborate On Broken Windows Theory: What Is It & How Does It Work?
  • Is There a Point in Racial Profiling or Is It Ineffective?
  • What Pushed You Toward Studying Criminology?
  • How Could True Crime Statistics Be Obtained?
  • Define Deviant Behavior: What Is This & How Is It Classified?
  • Research Female Serial Killers: Who Are They & How Many of Them Are Known?
  • Fake Scientific Information: Is It Fraudulent to Distribute It?
  • What Causes Riots & How Does Government Deal With Them?

Criminal Behavior

What motivates criminals and why they commit crimes despite the fear of punishment? There are many different crime topics to write about in this category. Check out any of them and start research for your essay!

  • Somali Piracy: What Motivates People Involved in It?
  • Create a Criminal Profile on Al Capone
  • Could Ted Bundy Be Stopped If He Got Help Timely?
  • Describe an Instance of Personality Disorder along with Its Reasons
  • Under What Conditions Do You Think You Could Become a Criminal?
  • Discuss Stereotypes Related to Criminals: How Do People Perceive Them?
  • What Kind of People Become Terrorists?
  • How Often Do Psychopaths Become Killers?
  • Discuss Suicide by a Police Officer Phenomenon: What Stimulates It?
  • Explain Documented Cases of Murders Committed By Sleepwalkers

Choose the Best Criminal Law Essay Topics

We hope that at least one title from our criminal justice-based list helped you settle on a topic! If you pick great themes that you genuinely find interesting and engaging, you’ll be able to see writing from a whole new side. All college students know that they’ll have to write essay works on a constant basis, and the best way to deal with this is by making writing process exciting. So, don’t pick the first law enforcement essay topics you see: make an effort to look for the ones that make you eager to explore them. Everyone is going to benefit from this!

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14 fascinating teacher interview questions for principals, tips for success if you have a master’s degree and can’t find a job, 14 ways young teachers can get that professional look, which teacher supplies are worth the splurge, 8 business books every teacher should read, conditional admission: everything you need to know, college majors: everything you need to know, 7 things principals can do to make a teacher observation valuable, 3 easy teacher outfits to tackle parent-teacher conferences, useful crime essay topics.

true crime essay ideas

Useful Crime Topics for Essays

  • The Importance of Hate Crime Legislation
  • The Approach to Crime of Hans Von Hentig
  • Environmental Design in Hughesville for Crime Prevention
  • The Crimes of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
  • Classical Criminology and Contemporary Crime
  • American Crime Trends and Criminological Theories
  • Discussion of Hate Crimes and the Law
  • Intellectual Property Crimes in Cyberspace
  • Theories of Crime Causation and Conflict Criminology
  • The Crime and Law Enforcement Rates in Fort Lauderdale
  • Abortion as a Crime and the Opposition to it
  • Investigating Property Crimes
  • Classification of Violent Crimes in the United States
  • Decreasing and Controlling Violent Crimes in the US
  • Crimes of Identity Theft in the United States
  • Sociological Theories of Crime
  • Theory of Fraud and Crime in the Film Black Money
  • The Broken Windows Theory vs. Giuliani’s Crime Strategy
  • Statistics on Juvenile Crime in the United States in 2008
  • Crime Causation and Diversion in the State of Florida
  • Death Penalty: Racial Bias, Mistrial, Crime Ranking
  • Housing, Homelessness, Drugs, and Crime in Los Angeles
  • Hate Crime Charges Leveled Against Sikh Professor
  • Impression of a Shoe at a Crime Scene
  • Racial Profiling, Terrorism, and Hate Crimes
  • Crime of Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment
  • Focus on White Collar Crimes
  • Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in the United States
  • Protocols and Stages of a Crime Scene Investigation
  • Effectiveness of Crime Prevention and Control
  • Laws Against Discrimination and Hate Crimes
  • Internet Crime Prevention Through Law and E-Commerce
  • War Crimes Portrayed in S. Mehmedinovic’s Zambak/Muslims
  • The Crime Television Series, Al-Fin CayĂł !
  • Internet Security and Computer Crimes
  • Crime, Media Reporting, and Ethics in the Zodiac Film
  • Emile Durkheim’s The Functions of Crime
  • Bohm and Haley’s Crime and Justice in the United States
  • Peer Group Influence on Youth Crime
  • Commitment and Revelation of Civic Virtue in Crime
  • Current Laws and Organized Crime
  • The National Influence of Organized Crime
  • Principles and Procedures of Crime Scene Investigation
  • Presence of Police Patrols in Crime “Hot Spots”
  • Strain Theory: The Link between Gender and Crime
  • Nanjing Massacre: Japan Denies War Crime
  • Gender in White-Collar Crime: Pink-Collar Criminal
  • Theories and Causes of Cybercrime
  • Immigration Services in the Fight Against Crime and Terrorism
  • Adolescent Sex Crimes and Deterrence Theory
  • Internet Crimes and the Prevention of Digital Terrorism
  • Marijuana Crime in State and Federal Courts in California
  • Crime Reduction Using Closed-Circuit Television Cameras
  • Fascination With Crime Via the Art of Photography
  • The Impact of Compliance on Financial Crimes
  • The Balkans’ Organized Crime
  • Hate Crimes in Contemporary Society
  • Sex Crime and Firearm Violence Crime Rates
  • Tools for Collecting and Analyzing Crime Data
  • Risk Management and Crime Prevention
  • Sexually Motivated Crime Rate
  • Trends in Crime and Victimization
  • Crime Perception Differences in North Jersey
  • Cleaning up a Crime Scene
  • Causes of White-Collar Crime
  • Types of Analysis in Crime Scene Investigation
  • Approaches to Crime Prevention
  • Prohibition as a Contributing Factor to Increased Crime and Illegal Activity
  • Theory and Doctrine of Crimes Against Persons
  • The Importance of Setting in Crime Fiction
  • Employee Theft and Crime Prevention in the Workplace
  • Age of Offenders and Anti-Black Hate Crimes
  • Theories of Crime in Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Theories
  • Alleged Crimes: Drug Dealing and Aggravated
  • Drug and Human Trafficking as Transnational Organized Crimes
  • Examining Crime Evidence in Forensic Science
  • Community-Based Crime Prevention in Phoenix Park
  • Electronic Crimes and Federal Regulation Guidance
  • School Violence, Security, and Crime Prevention
  • The Three Strikes Law Ineffective Against Crime Reduction
  • The Crime of Robert Courtney as Input to Business Regulation
  • Theories of White-Collar Crime and Their Evolution
  • Crime Theories: Northwest Washington Shooting
  • Theories of Anomie and Strain Crime
  • Comparing Different Crime Indexes
  • Crime Costs to UK Healthcare Statistics
  • Statistical Cases and Tactical Crime Analysis
  • Differentiating Criminal Behavior Using Crime Theories
  • Fear of Crime Reporting in the Media
  • War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Under International Law
  • Analysis of the Organized Crime Series
  • Obtaining Total Community Security
  • Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Economics
  • Writing Crime Analysis and Alert Website Content
  • Serial killers, Their Crimes, and the Stereotypes That Surround Them
  • Counter-Strategy for Transnational Organized Crime
  • Definition of Religion’s Role in Crime
  • Victimless Crimes: Definition and Classification
  • General Crime Trends Over the Last Twenty Years
  • News About Crime and Criminal Justice
  • Canadian Crime Victim Foundation NGO Analysis
  • The Connection Between Crime Rates and Poverty
  • Problem-Solving Policing in High Violent Crime Areas
  • Theories of “Broken Windows” and Situational Crime Prevention
  • National System for Missing and Unidentified Persons
  • The Media and Crime Relationship in Forensic Psychology
  • Capturing Criminals, Crime, and the Public’s Imagination
  • Models of Conflict and Crime Control vs. Consensus and Due Process
  • Gender Factors in Campus Crime
  • Gender and Campus Crime: A Correlation Analysis
  • Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme
  • New York and Chicago Organized Crime
  • Rates of Immigration and Crime in the United States
  • Longford: A Biographical Crime Drama Film from the United Kingdom.
  • Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Prevention
  • Processes and Analyses for Computer Crime Investigation
  • Identity Theft and Computer Forensics
  • Small Business Crimes and Prevention Strategies
  • Cybercrime and Computer Forensics
  • Critical Crime Scene Responsibilities
  • Viewing the Future of Computer Crimes
  • Reconstruction of Crime Scenes
  • The First Officer on the Scene of a Crime
  • The Crime of Innocence
  • Surveillance as a Solution to the Crime Problem
  • Analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey
  • Global Positioning System Crime Investigation
  • Teenagers Do Not Commit Crimes
  • The Prevention of Crime in the United States
  • Classification of Evidence and Crime Scene Investigation
  • The Most Common Crimes
  • CCTV Cameras: Surveillance and Crime Reduction
  • Increased Surveillance Is Not a Desirable Solution to the Crime Problem
  • Typologies of Property Crime
  • The Uniform Crime Reporting Program Concept
  • Crime Scene Investigations and Forensic Biology
  • Cybercrime in the United States and Nigeria
  • The Uniform Crime Statistics for More Than 5 Years
  • Deferred Prosecution and White-Collar Crimes
  • Genocide: Justice and Ethical Concerns

Interesting Crime Topics

  • Hotspots for Crime and Disorder Policing
  • Prevention of Situational Crime
  • Strategy for Situational Crime Prevention
  • Accreditation and Certification of Crime Laboratories
  • The General Crime Theory
  • Crimes and Torts: Liability for Traffic Accidents
  • Building Inspectors in Granite City: Service Crime
  • Strain Theory: A Sociological Analysis of Crime
  • Psychological Theories of Violent Crime
  • Ward Churchill’s Crimes Against Humanity
  • Relations Between Crime, Justice, and the Media
  • Crimes and Criminal Tendencies: What Causes Them?
  • Community Policing and Crime Reduction in New York City
  • Is Prejudice Against Young People Justified?
  • Laci Peterson’s Murder Is Among the Most Notorious Crimes
  • Drugs, Crime, and Control in Criminology
  • Physical Security and Crime Prevention That Works
  • Discussion: Date Rape Is Not a Crime
  • Crime in Inner-City Communities
  • Crime and Subcultures in the City
  • Crime Prevention and Control
  • Crime Victimization in the United States: Data Statistics
  • Nazi Atrocities Against Jews During WWII
  • White Collar Crimes: When Appearances Can Be Misleading
  • High School Crime
  • White-Collar and Corporate Crimes in Law Enforcement
  • Multiple Perceptions of Crime in Violence and Society
  • The Evolution of Cybercrime and the Most Common Types of Cybercrime
  • The Economic Cost of Crime to Society
  • Three Views on a Single Crime
  • Political and White-Collar Crimes
  • Juveniles Tried as Adults: Crime Policy and Practices
  • Texas Crime and Punishment
  • The Enron Scandal and Business Fraud
  • Parental Responsibility for Children’s Crimes
  • Prostitution: A Victimless Crime
  • Crime Prevention Technology
  • Alcohol and Crime in the United Kingdom, America, and Australia
  • Patterns, Benefits, and Risks of Sex Crimes and Burglary
  • Rape: A Misunderstood Offense
  • Crime Prevention Programs in the United States
  • Issue of Responsibility for the Most Heinous Crimes
  • Disruption, Crimes, and City Violence
  • Recommendations for Crime Control Policy
  • Punishment and Youth Crime
  • Criminology’s Core Subject: Hate Crime
  • The Future of Crime Corrections
  • What Influences Human Behavior?
  • Elements of Intentional Tort and Crime
  • Is it True That Drug Interdiction Increases or Decreases Drug-Related Crime?
  • Major Crime Causation Theories
  • Physically Injured Crime Victims: Criminal Justice
  • Investigating Crime Using a Conduct Report
  • Crime Punishment: Today’s Humane Treatment of Prisoners
  • Sociology and Media Representation of Crime
  • Anthropological Crime Theory
  • Cyberbullying Is Illegal: A Discussion
  • The Evolution of Crime Theories Based on Behavioral and Cognitive Development
  • Criminal Investigations: Crime Scene Investigators
  • Crime and Punishment in China’s Legal System
  • Jack the Ripper Crime Mysteries
  • United States Organized Crime
  • Criminals are Kept at Bay in the Country by Cutting-Off Hands
  • Crime, Criminality, and Prisons in the USA
  • Investigation of Organized Crime in Various Countries
  • Do Drug Enforcement Laws Aid in the Prevention of Other Crimes?
  • Social Program for the Prevention of Violence Against Women
  • Gang Violence in Irish Cities
  • Crime Rates in the United Kingdom: Quantitative Methods
  • Crimes Against the State: Death Penalty and Terrorist Attacks
  • Women’s Crime: A Theory of Gendered Criminology
  • Is Crime a Good Investment?
  • Economic Aspects of Ornament and Crime
  • Crime and the Middle Class: A Historical Examination
  • The Poverty-Crime Relationship in Cities
  • The Problem of Crime and Justice and Philosophical Theory of Law and Justice
  • Crime Scene Investigation in the Criminal Justice System
  • The Crime Self-Control Theory
  • Economic Downturns and Crime Rates
  • Leaving No Trace: Crime Scene Field Notes
  • Justification for Medea’s Crime
  • In War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, Personal vs. Collective Responsibility
  • The Influence of Black Clothing and Social Pressure on Crime Judgments
  • Causes, Regulation, and Legislation in Canada
  • Investigating and Documenting the Crime Scene
  • Theoretical Implications for Sexual Crime Investigations
  • The Nature of Crime: What Motivates People to Be Criminals?
  • Bias Toward the Victim’s Identity in Hate Crimes in the United States
  • The Three Strikes Law in Crime Prevention
  • Drugs, Crime, and Violence: How Drug Use Affects Behavior
  • The Link Between Unemployment and Crime
  • Police Operations: Using New Technologies to Combat Crime
  • The Effects of Society’s Reaction to Crime
  • Keeping Sexual Offenders From Committing Crimes
  • Sex Crime Recidivism Rates
  • Texas Kidnapping Study: State or Federal Crimes?
  • Myths About Crime and Domestic Terrorism
  • Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Using Cyber Technology
  • Press Release from the US Attorney’s Office Regarding Birmingham Crimes
  • Crime in America Since the Early 1800s
  • Depiction of White-Collar Crime: Toxic Chemicals and the Effects of Pollution
  • Crimes Against Women: Salem Witchcraft Hysteria
  • Seligman and Perspective on the Crime Rate Drop
  • Screening in Aviation: Crime Prevention
  • Men’s Sexual Violence as a Crime
  • Discussion of Deviance and Crime Among the Power Elite
  • Employment and Financial Crime
  • The Role of Humans in Enabling and Facilitating e-Crimes
  • Police-Recorded Crime Trends in Northern Ireland
  • The Impact of the War on Crime and Power Shifts Among Different Groups
  • Globalization and the Internet: How Has Organized Crime Changed?
  • The Correlation of Crime and Conflict in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
  • Globalization and Integration: The Future of Global Crime
  • Cyberbullying and the Positivist Crime Theory
  • Concept of Crime and Social Learning Theory
  • The Characteristics of Crime in Virginia
  • Using the Internet to Investigate a Crime
  • Use of Information Technology to Solve Crimes: Biometrics and DNA Tests
  • Crime Prevention and Community Justice
  • Gender Influenced Crime and Interventions Have Negative Effects
  • The Connection Between Drugs and Crime
  • Tools and Techniques for Processing a Crime Scene
  • Relationships and Motivations in Age-Related Crime
  • South African Crime Factors and Levels vs. Canada
  • Crime Incidence and Community Cohesiveness
  • International Organized Crime
  • Loeber Identifies Three Pathways to Crime
  • Different Cultures, Different Attitudes in Asian Crime
  • International Policing and Transnational Crime
  • What Exactly Is a Crime? Is It Possible to Stop Crime?
  • Preventing and Combating White-Collar Crimes
  • Eric Smith’s Case: Crime and Delinquency
  • The Relationship Between the Economy and Crime
  • Good Practice Guide for Electronic Crime Scene Investigation
  • Typical Activities Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson’s Theory of Crime
  • Globalization and Neoliberalism’s Impact on Crime and Criminal Justice
  • Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Watch Programs
  • Terrorism and Cybercrime Investigation Methods
  • Fears of Reporting a Crime: Why Do Witnesses Fail to Report Crimes?

Crime Research Questions

  • Can Genetics Lead to Crime?
  • Are the Laws Fostering Crime?
  • When Was the First True Crime Committed?
  • Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime?
  • Do Violence and Crime Have an Impact on the Tourism industry?
  • Does Crime Cause Drug Use or Does Drug Use Cause Crime?
  • Is Marriage a Deterrent to Crime?
  • What Is the Cause of Crime?
  • Is There a Link Between Social Deprivation and Crime?
  • What Motives People to Commit Crime?
  • Why Will Crime Rates Fall?
  • What Are the Social Factors Contributing to Youth Crime?
  • What Factors Contribute to a High Crime Rate?
  • What Are the Correct Procedures for a Crime Investigation?
  • What Are the Psychiatric Roots of Crime?
  • What Are the Root Causes of Youth Crime in the United Kingdom?
  • What Are the Major Issues Concerning Crime Statistics Collection?
  • Official Crime Statistics: How Reliable Are They?
  • What Comes First, Crime or Law?
  • How Has American White Collar Crime Changed?
  • What Are the Seven Crime Elements?
  • What Impact Does Globalization Have on Crime and Victimization?
  • How Should Crime Be Measured?
  • What Causes Crime to Change over Time?
  • How Can Crime and Deviance Be Seen as Beneficial to Society?

Cosmetics Essay Topics

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Matthew Lynch

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Our Long-standing Obsession with True Crime

Until quite recently, when someone who actually knew what he or she was talking about took the trouble to correct it, the Wikipedia entry for “True Crime” claimed that the genre originated in 1966 with the publication of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” This all-too-common misconception gets the starting date wrong by roughly 400 years.

No sooner had Gutenberg invented movable type than enterprising printers began churning out graphically violent murder ballads. Whenever a particularly ghastly killing occurred, it was promptly cast in doggerel, printed on a large sheet of paper known as a “broadside,” and peddled to the hard-working masses eager to brighten their dreary days with a little vicarious sadism. Throat-slittings, stranglings, bludgeonings and axe-murders were among the many grisly subjects of these crudely written verses, though few atrocities could match the morbid titillation of a really gruesome child-killing, as in the case of the British “monster mom” Emma Pitt:

                   This Emma Pitt was a schoolmistress,

                      Her child she killed we see,

                   Oh mothers, did you ever hear

                      Of such barbarity?

                   With a large flint stone she beat its head,

                      When such cruelty she’d done,

                   From the tender roof of the infant’s mouth

                      She cut away its tongue.

Murder ballads weren’t the only kind of crime literature available in the old days. In England, true crime books can be traced as far back as John Reynolds’ “The Triumphs of God’s Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sin of Murther,” an Elizabethan anthology that dished up juicy real-life stories of homicidal violence under the moralistic pretext of demonstrating that Crime Does Not Pay. Even more popular was “The Newgate Calendar: Or, Malefactors’ Bloody Register,” a constantly updated compendium of sordid true crime accounts, which, after the Bible and Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” was the most widely read book in Britain for more than a century.

Here in America, the public’s appetite for lurid entertainment was fed by volumes like the “The Record of Crimes in the United States” (a particular favorite of self-confessed true crime junkie, Nathaniel Hawthorne). Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th, similar compilations were churned out on a regular basis. Perhaps the best known was the 1910 “Celebrated Criminal Cases of America,” by former San Francisco police captain Thomas S. Duke, a collection of criminal case histories covering a wide range of reprobates, from infamous outlaws like Jesse James and the Daltons to Victorian serial killers like Theodore Durrant (aka “The Demon of the Belfry”) and the Chicago “multi-murderer” Dr. H.H. Holmes. Dashiell Hammett was so addicted to Duke’s book that he kept a copy of it on his night table for bedtime reading (as does his surrogate, Sam Spade, in “The Maltese Falcon”).

Though first-rate pieces of American true crime writing appeared throughout the mid-20th century, by such writers as Damon Runyon, Herbert Asbury, Jim Thompson, Dorothy Kilgallen and especially Edmund Pearson (revered by aficionados as the dean of American true crime), a distinct air of disreputability still clung to the genre. Then came “In Cold Blood,” which elevated the book-length true crime narrative to the rarefied heights of serious literature. Unfortunately, its author also set an unfortunate precedent by indulging in the kind of novelistic embellishment (not to say rank fabrication) that has become endemic to the form. People who write true crime, of course, aren’t the only authors of creative nonfiction who have been known to improve on the truth. Given the promise of absolute veracity that is embedded in the very name of the true crime genre, however, I believe such writers have a particular obligation to stick to the facts.

Not that I’ve always done so myself. Early in my writing career, I occasionally allowed myself a bit of what I referred to as “extrapolation” (less euphemistically known as “making stuff up”). My unacknowledged credo (cribbed from the first chapter of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) was “It’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.” In my defense, I restricted my fabrications to fairly minor atmospheric details. For example, in my book “Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Fiendish Killer,” there’s a scene in which the main character—the wizened cannibal-pedophile Albert Fish (using his pseudonym, Frank Howard)—dines with the family of his future child-victim, Grace Budd. Here’s how I describe the meal:

The men retired to the kitchen, a clean but dingy-looking room illuminated by a single bare bulb that tinged the whitewashed walls a sickly yellow. The long wooden table, covered with a plaid oilcloth, held a big cast-iron pot full of ham hocks and sauerkraut—the leftover remains of the previous night’s dinner. The sharp, briny odor of the cabbage filled the room. Arranged around the pot were platters of pickled beets and boiled carrots, a basket of hard rolls and two ceramic bowls into which Mrs. Budd had transferred Frank Howard’s pot cheese and strawberries.

This lunch really happened, but I took the artistic liberty of inventing the menu. I hasten to say I did some research into the kind of food a working-class family like the Budds might have served a guest for lunch in the late 1920s. Still, I didn’t actually know what they ate; I just wanted to make the moment seem real for the reader.

I no longer permit myself even such minor bits of imaginative re-creation. My field is historic true crime—I’ve written about cases from the Civil War era to the 1950s—and I’ve come to see the genre as a legitimate branch of American historical study. After all, the Leopold and Loeb case tells us as much about the Jazz Age as Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight does, just as the Manson murders shed as much light on the culture of late-1960s America as Woodstock does. To be taken as seriously as history, however, a true crime book must adhere strictly to documented fact. There’s no reason why a book-length narrative about a 19th-century serial murderer shouldn’t be held to the same rigorous standards as, for instance, a biography of Teddy Roosevelt.

My task as a writer, as I see it, is to produce a serious work of historical scholarship (my last few books have included copious endnotes) that stays true to the sensationalistic roots of the genre by providing “murder fanciers” (as Edmund Pearson called true crime lovers) with the primal pleasures they crave. In looking for a suitable subject, I try to find cases that possess some larger social or cultural significance. Shocking murders happen all the time, of course, but few of them have the ingredients to make much of an impression on the public beyond momentary shock. In the early 1920s, for example, a former showgirl named Clara Phillips—“The Tiger Woman,” the tabloids dubbed her—took a claw hammer to the skull of her husband’s mistress and bludgeoned her to death. Her crime provided the public with some fleeting titillation but quickly vanished into permanent obscurity. By contrast, the 1927 “Double Indemnity Murder” perpetrated by Queens housewife Ruth Snyder and her milquetoast lover, Judd Gray, became one of the signature crimes of the Jazz Age. What made it so riveting wasn’t the homicide per se (the victim, Ruth’s husband, Albert, suffered a death no more or less gruesome than the one inflicted on Mr. Phillip’s mistress) but the colorful cast of characters, the deliciously tawdry storyline and—most important of all—the way the crime seemed to crystalize the cultural anxieties of the day: the breakdown of traditional morality, the threatening freedoms embodied by the “New Woman” and so forth.

Of course, there will always be highbrows who cast a contemptuous eye at the true crime genre. In an essay on “In Cold Blood,” Renata Adler deplores both the original book and the 1968 movie for playing to the bloodlust of the audience by using “every technique of cheap fiction” to intensify the emotional impact of the killings. This criticism, however, seems deeply wrongheaded since, on some fundamental level, one purpose of true crime writing is precisely to provide decent law-abiding citizens with primal, sadistic thrills—to satisfy what William James called our “aboriginal capacity for murderous excitement.” The worst specimens of the genre may not rise above the quasi-pornographic level, but the best—like those exquisitely ornamented war clubs, broadswords and flintlocks displayed in museums—are a testimony to something worth celebrating: the human ability to take something rooted in our intrinsically bloodthirsty nature and turn it into craft of a very high order, sometimes even art.

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Essays on Crime

The ethics of true crime.

True crime, a genre that delves into the intricate web of criminal behavior and the pursuit of justice, has garnered a massive following across various media platforms. However, beneath the intrigue lies a tapestry of ethical considerations that merit meticulous examination. This essay embarks on...

Strategies to Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft, a growing concern in our digital age, threatens the very fabric of personal security and privacy. As technology advances, so do the methods used by malicious actors to steal sensitive information. This essay explores effective strategies to prevent identity theft and safeguard individuals...

The Importance of Protecting Endangered Species

Our planet's rich biodiversity is a source of wonder and a testament to the intricate web of life that has evolved over millions of years. However, this diversity is now under threat as numerous species face the peril of extinction. The decline in global biodiversity...

Confronting Social Injustice: Criminal Justice Reform

The criminal justice system plays a crucial role in maintaining law and order in society. However, it is not immune to flaws and biases that perpetuate social injustice. Throughout history, marginalized communities, particularly people of color, have faced disproportionate targeting, unfair treatment, and harsher punishments...

The Phenomenon of Missing White Woman Syndrome

In a world where news cycles dictate public attention, a disconcerting pattern has emerged - the "Missing White Woman Syndrome." This term refers to the disproportionate media coverage and public concern given to cases involving missing or endangered white women, often overshadowing similar incidents involving...

Young People Commit Crime: Understanding Factors

Crime is a complex issue that affects societies worldwide, and understanding the reasons behind why young people engage in criminal activities is crucial for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies. This essay aims to explore the factors that contribute to youth crime, including socio-economic factors,...

Why Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote: Respecting Human Rights

What’s the point? What's the point of sending people to jail in hopes of rehabilitation and then taking away rights that every human has? As if they are less than a human, when after an individual gets out of jail it is already hard enough...

Death Penalty Vs Life Imprisonment: What Brings to Better Society

Abolition of the death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in the United States of America. There is a popular phrase that a lot of the death penalty supporters use to justify the death penalty:” An eye for an eye.” This is means,...

Negative Effects of Immigration in America: the Issue of Crime Rate

One of the most underlying controversial themes in contemporary society reveals the connection between crime and immigration. Immigration in the contemporary United States exposes heavily debated issue of public policy. Security and security concerns strongly frame this discussion. One side of the debate supports a...

The Silent Suffering: Exploring the Effects of Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is a type of violence that involves the use of force to harm another person's body or physical well-being. Physical abuse essay reveals that this form of abuse can take many different forms, from hitting, slapping, and punching to burning, biting, and choking....

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  • Crime Prevention
  • Serial Killer
  • Child Abuse
  • Identity Theft
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • White Collar Crime
  • Cyber Crimes
  • Forensic Science
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Criminal Justice
  • Broken Windows Theory
  • Criminal Behavior
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Profiling
  • Criminals in Society
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Juvenile Crime
  • Juvenile Justice System
  • Organized Crime
  • Physical Abuse
  • Prostitution
  • Sex Offender
  • Somali Piracy
  • Violent Crime

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