In many countries the level of crime is increasing and crimes are becoming more violent. Why do you think this is and what can be done about it?

It is true that the

crime

rate is increasing in many areas of the world. Many governments react to

this

problem by building prisons to contain the criminals.

This

has proved so unsuccessful that each year bigger and tougher prisons are needed. Perhaps we need to go back to the basics of

this

problem and assess the possible causes. One of the reasons

that is

often given is the increase in violence both on television and in computer games. While

this

may be responsible for making crimes more violent, I think, it is unrealistic to lay the blame for all criminal activity on the media. I think the main cause of the

crime

is the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, as well as the increasing use of drugs. The majority of crimes are being committed by people in need who are forced to take what they do not have and by people addicted to drugs. Solving these problems is not easy. We could try to ensure that more jobs are created so that the divide between rich poor is reduced.

However

, criminals need to be trained and rehabilitated so that they can enter the workforce.

Furthermore

, providing employment only addresses part of

this

problem; so far there has been little success in the war against drugs. I believe that

crime

will continue to rise, particularly in crowded and overpopulated areas, unless we can find an effective way to address these issues. Perhaps we can help to break the cycle by trying to ensure fewer young people enter a life of

crime

in the

first

place. We could do

this

through education and by making sure that they are able to work.