5 Shocking Facts About Crime

- You have the right to remain entertained!
Or educated, or something. Crime is present everywhere, with places more so than others, but what causes it? Why is it that people break the law? And where does it happen the most? Well, in this Facts In 5, I'm going to explain everything that you need to know about crime, in five minutes or less.

Every year nearly 1.2 million violent crimes are committed in the United States, alone. Scarier still, one out of every five people is a victim of a crime. And although every nation deals with crime, there is one that has a surprisingly high one, in fact, the highest in the world, but we'll get to that. So get ready because this is Facts in 5, all about crime.

No 1: So what is a crime?

A crime is any unlawful act that is harmful to a person, animal, community, government body, or to even nature itself. Every crime comes with a different punishment when committed, and obviously, some are much more severe than others. And while crime should always be taken seriously, some acts that are considered criminal are just plain ridiculous. For instance, in Italy, it's illegal to tell a man that he has no balls. In Britain, it's absolutely illegal to handle a salmon under suspicious circumstances. And in the great state of Florida, it's against the law to fart in a public place if it's after 6 p.m. on a Thursday. I guess that last one is a crime against nature. Am I right?

No 2: Who tends to commit the most crimes?

Even though the research that has been done involving criminal profiling is insurmountable, there's no surefire way to determine who will commit a crime and who wouldn't. That said, the papers and data have revealed some surprising facts, not only about criminals but those who have to deal with them. Disadvantaged youth tends to engage in risky, or criminal behavior and the number of males incarcerated outnumbers the number of females 21 to 1. Furthermore, the majority of offenders act out young, committing crimes before the age of 30. When it comes to those individuals in charge of determining how long someone stays behind bars, it's been found that how attractive a defendant is will directly effect their sentencing. The study showed unattractive criminals received sentences that were, on average, 50% longer.

No 3: So where does crime occur?

Well, no matter how peaceful the country is, unfortunately, every single one of them has some level of crime. In fact, if you're looking for criminals, look no farther than the Vatican. I'll explain. With an average of 1.5 crimes per citizen, Vatican City holds the record for the highest crime rate in the world. Venezuela, while being one of the overall happiest countries on earth, has one of the highest murder rates. Maybe because everyone lets it out? Two-thirds of all executions on the planet take place in China. And the good 'ole United States of America holds the record for the most prison inmates, holding just under one-quarter of the total number of inmates in the entire world. Currently, over two million people are in jail in the United States.

No 4: So when can the justice system fail?

If you do the crime, you better be prepared to do the time. But believe it or not, unfortunately, there are some people doing someone else's time. In the United States, DNA profiling, developed in 1985, was used to exonerate 333 falsely accused inmates between 1989 and 2015. Most of who were compensated for their incarcerations. Sadly, though, only 163 of the real perpetrators of those crimes have actually been apprehended. And sadder still, is the fact that an estimated 340 inmates could've been exonerated using DNA evidence but were executed between 1973 and 1989.

No 5: So why is a crime so bad?

This one might seem like an obvious question, but maybe not. Whenever someone commits an act that goes against one of us, it's an incredibly uncomfortable experience. And with crime rates as high as they are, the odds are that you have met dozens of criminals in your life, but likely didn't even know it. Believe it or not, organized crime is the third largest business in the entire world, only topped by foreign exchange and oil. Plus, according to police, over one million U.S. citizens are members of criminal gangs and commit 80% of all the crimes in the entire country. Not only is a crime itself terrifying, but prevention techniques can strike almost as much fear. For example, the taser was created to help control violent people without using extreme measures, but still, between 2001 and 2016, 245 people have died after being shocked with the device.

Crime is all around us, and it can be scary, but hey, that's what laws are for, to help prevent people from stealing, killing, and skydiving on a Sunday afternoon, if you're a divorced woman in Florida. Yeah, that's law. And that's all for this article, guys. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you can catch my next article, Thank you see you next time.