Does Marriage Reduce Crime - Essay Example

According to the authors, the research done by them is however not accurate as all the figures in an individual's life cannot be kept constant and this restrains the authors to conclude authentically that marriage reduces the crime rates. However, the evidence given by the authors supports the notion that rate of crime does get affected because of the bond of marriage. The authors hypothesize that getting involved in social bonds and activities may help one to avoid committing the crime. According to the authors, marriage is a social bond that inflicts social responsibility and compulsions on one individual which further diverts the individual from committing a crime.

The change in routine is also marked as important by the authors as it helps to change the mood and passion of an individual. It makes one individual spend more time with his family rather than friends (Warr 1998: 183). Furthermore, the monitoring activity done by the spouses is supposed to be helpful to divert one from criminal activities. The supervision done by spouses can help men to avoid committing any crime (Waite and Gallagher 2000: 24). And lastly, the authors define marriage as a bond that puts the responsibility on either gender.

It can help one to change his self-identity through cognitive processes and this is also termed to be helpful in avoiding crimes (Giordano, Cernkovich and Rudolph 2002). The authors use findings from Glueck and Glueck in Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency (1950). The study observed 500 male individuals for criminal activities for over 25 years. Interviews were done in these 25 years of these 500 individuals over time and this proved to be a beneficial source for the authors to conclude their hypothesis.

Out of these 500 individuals, the ones who lived and agreed for interviews after 35 years were interviewed. The results were then analyzed using the counterfactual approach of the Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). This method was further used to calculate how the life patterns of the individuals were affected throughout. The results illustrated that marriage affected the probability of crime committed by an individual in his life. The findings were carried out effectively and they clearly showed that marriage decreased the rate of crime happening.

It can be said that marriage has a certain effect on the rates of crime but likewise it can also be said that the social interactions in one's lives can change throughout life. And it can also be seen throughout the world that even though people are married they commit crimes. Furthermore, the research done by the authors is perfect but the lowering of crime rate can also be related to other social norms in lives.