Social Problems In Malaysia Which Is Vandalis Essay Example

tort action for damages so that the damaged property can be repaired or replaced. Vandalism is a general term that may not actually appear in criminal statutes. Frequently, these statutes employ the terms criminal mischief, malicious mischief, or malicious trespass as opposed to vandalism. A group of individuals can be convicted of conspiring or acting concertedly to commit vandalism.Generally, the attempt to commit vandalism is an offense as well, but the penalties for attempted vandalism are not as severe as the penalties for a completed act. Penalties also depend on the value of the property destroyed or the cost of repairing it.

Destructive acts will not be excused merely because the defendants acted out of what they thought was a noble purpose. Political demonstrators may exercise their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and assembly, but if they deface, for example, government property with spray-painted slogans, they can be convicted of vandalism.The peak period for committing relatively minor property crimes is between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one. In the Malaysia adolescent vandalism, including the wanton destruction of schools, causes millions of Ringgit Malaysia of damage each year. Apprehending vandals is often difficult, and the costs of repairing the damage are passed on to taxpayers, private property owners, and insurance companies. Some states hold parents financially responsible for vandalism committed by their minor children, up to specified limits.

These statutes are designed to encourage parental supervision and to shift part of the cost of vandalism from the public to the individuals who are best able to supervise the children who destroyed the property. Vandals are criminals because they destroy property, waste time and money, and cause

suffering and death. There is no single type of vandal. Both sexes and generations are guilty.

Most vandalism to private property is committed by male adults. Female adults are the second most frequent offenders. Most vandalism to public property is committed by juvenile males. Female juveniles are second. Over one-half of all the crimes associated with vandalism occur in high schools.

2.0 Types of Vandalism

Vandalism happens everywhere, but most often: where building design and lighting offers concealment and anonymity, in areas frequented by young people such as schools, parks, shopping centers and public buildings, in unoccupied buildings, open spaces or parked vehicles where minimum surveillance is given to the property. Basically, there are three categories of vandalism which are public vandalism, school/campus vandalism, and private vandalism.Public Vandalism Public vandalism is a deliberate act that are damage or destruction of any portion of public property such as spray painting on public places with graffiti, removing an exit sign and so on. Private Vandalism Private vandalism is a malicious damage to someone else’s property like car or breaking others home windows. School/Campus Vandalism School/Campus vandalism is willful, malicious damage to property of school grounds which is so extensive in scope that parents and teachers rally together and the police are called into investigate.

3.Main Causes of vandalism

Although most vandals do not have a clear motive for their acts, studies show that basic social problems and attitudes are at the root of the vandalism. Among the many explanations for the crime are anger against society, boredom, drug and alcohol abuse, disciplinary problems and personal problems.

3. 1 Lack of parental guidance

Materialistic word in parents are busy working day in and day out,

trying to earn enough money.

In doing so, they neglect their duty, responsibility to bring up their children. Children need guidance while they are growing out.The lack of it will bring them to astray. Besides, parents do not spend time with their children. They are either too tired or couldn’t be bothered to do.

As a result, their children felt lack of love from their parents. They go to seek attention elsewhere by destroy somethings to protest. Broken families also one of the reason, the children who are caught in this situation will have extra disciplinary problem. They are angry and destroy whatever things to rent their anger.

3. 2 Bad influence from movie

Some movies may contain negative issues.Our minds are corrupted when we are free access to such movies which are available through internet / DVD / VCD / satellites. People are easily influenced by the actors and they imitate their action especially for the young people.

Young minds can’t differentiate the right from the wrong, they think what they do is correct. They will associate the experience with pleasure without think that vandalism is a crime.

3. 3 Bad influence of peer groups

As we know, we spend much of our time with our friends and we are more easily influenced by friends especially teenagers who are still young.In order to be accepted they need to follow what the group is doing.

They need to fit in. As the saying goes, ‘Birds of the same feather flock together. ’ If friends participants in vandalism, they will more likely being influenced and become vandal.

3. 4 Drug and alcohol abuse

Furthermore, a lot of people nowadays are very excited and more appetence to

attempt something new or never try it before without think twice that how the effect after do it.

They want to try new experience and how it feel if do that. They even don’t know the basic facts about drugs and how drugs can affect their brains and bodies.They may become violent under the influence of drugs. They may loss control and become more aggressive after drink. As a result, they will damage whatever things around them with pleasure and that is causing vandalism!

3. 5 Stress Another main cause is stress.

Young people become stressed for many reasons. The most common of these are:

1.  Break up with boy/girlfriend
2.  Increased arguments with parents
3. Trouble with brother or sister
4.  Increased arguments between parents
5.  Change in parents' financial status
6.  Serious illness or injury of family member
7. Trouble with classmates
8. Trouble with parents
9.  Cannot complete school works
10.  Examination stress The majority of people face the stress of negative life events, find internal or external resources to cope and move on. The actions in response to stress were also different.

Some of them may response it using the positive ways but some of them will express their stress out by exhibiting much more anger, aggressive, and antisocial behavior such like graffiti, spray paint anywhere they like and so on.

4. 0 Impacts of Vandalism

How many times have you strolled through the streets and noticed unsightly vandalism?Most often, the vandalism is graffiti spray-painted on to walls of local businesses or the fences of private citizens. Other examples of vandalism could be damaged or destroyed property or broken windows. The effects of vandalism to a community can also be varied.

Spray-painted walls and fences are unsightly and

encourage more vandalism in the future. Items damaged or stolen from parks and green spaces are expensive to replace. It caused our government should spend more money to repair or repaint those facilities that had been destroyed every year.In many small communities, fund raising efforts of local citizens is what helps to purchase play structures enjoyed by children in the local park.

When someone comes along and damages these structures, the children are the ones who lose. Vandalism will diminish property values and lower the community standard. This is because no one like to stay in the town with full of sprayed everywhere, and dirty place. Tourist or visitor who are visit to those country that are ugly, unsightly places full in the country, after back to their country, they may express their displeasure by engage negative words of mouth of that country to everyone.Automatically, the image of the country will drop down and outside people won’t spend their money to visit those countries anymore.

5. 0 Ways to Overcome Vandalism

Vandalism is a serious social problem that will lead to many bad effects to our society moreover country. Hence several ways are suggested to overcome this problem.

5.1 Teach by Example

As parent, we are considered responsible for our child's behaviour. Setting a good example start from younger is the best way to influence children to behave properly.

• Respect the law, plus other people's rights and property. Don't offer excuses for lawlessness; don't be indifferent to it.
• Don't break laws, no matter how small (e. g.violating traffic rules).
• Teach children to take care of their property from an early age.
• Show children how carefully you look after your own
  

property.

5. 2 Report Incidents

As a citizen, we are responsibility to report suspicious persons or activities near our residential area or our neighbour's home to our local police.

Report to authorities if we spot unusual activities at odd hours near our school, church and etc. Work with our local newspaper and radio stations to emphasize the nature and extent of the problem. Encourage them to publish a weekly "destruction list" enumerating acts of vandalism and the cost to taxpayers. If we are confronted by vandals, cooperate with local police force to see that they are caught and punished.

5. 3 Be Aware

Your child will probably be exposed to vandals in his school. Make sure you discourage him/her from participating in their activities.

• Give your child enough attention. Give plenty of love as well as discipline.
• Encourage his activities, recognize his successes and help him learn from his failures.
• Be aware of who his friends are and know how he spends his time. Give advice when needed.
• If your child begins to destroy things around them, get professional counseling. It can keep minor problems from becoming major difficulties.

5. 4 Get Involved

Besides, encourage your family and friends to join anti-vandalism organizations.Join a townwatch in your area, or start one if there isn't one already in your neighborhood. Contact your local police department for information on townwatches in your area. Townwatches

are neighbors that meet and plan preventive measures against vandalism and other crimes such as watching each other's property, patrolling the neighborhood, and reporting any suspicious activities.

Become active in youth programs that provide young people with constructive alternatives to vandalism and enable them to take pride in their neighborhoods instead of destroying them.These include neighborhood beautification programs; community camping trips; basketball teams; or theatrical groups. You can also help develop counseling centers or anti-vandalism campaigns in schools or assist other youth groups such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Campfire Girls, Boys Clubs, Big Brothers/Big Sisters or other youth oriented community service organizations.

5. 5 Other solutions

Education programs: School institution can organise campaigns in schools can help children realise the consequences of vandalism and graffiti and discourage them from these activities.

Surveillance: Government or those organization involved should increased surveillance, through professional security patrols or guards - or more expensively via closed circuit television - can be required in heavily vandalised areas where the benefits outweigh the costs. Information sharing: Comprehensive statistics should be kept on vandalism so the scope of the problem can be understood, and methods of preventing vandalism and repairing vandalised property should be shared among victims. 6. 0 Conclusion Vandalism is a crime that are willful or malicious destruction of public or private property.Every year, our government spend a lot of money on the projects of against vandalism and repair the willful destruction or defacement of property. Furthermore, vandalism leads to many bad effects to our society and drop our country image too.

There are many reasons lead to vandalism. Among the many explanations for the crime are anger against society, boredom, drug and

alcohol abuse, disciplinary problems and personal problems. When the reasons are identified, there are more easiest for us to combat against vandalism.Parents, public citizens, police, government and other related institution play an important role in this situation. Parents should spend more their time with their children and try to understand their children problems. Public citizens should be aware and report to police if notice suspicious persons or activities.

Police are responsible to having patrol around the vandalised areas more frequently. Government can organise anti-vandalism campaigns or any related activities to attract citizens involved in it to help citizens realise the consequences of vandalism and discourage them from these activities.As a conclusion, vandalism must be prevented from continue bringing bad effects for our society and country again. Thus, as a Malaysian, we must cooperate together and being responsibility to overcome the vandalism act in our country.

Bibliography Electronic Sources:

1. <http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Vandalism> <http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vandalism>
2. <http://www.aic. gov. au/publications/crimprev/graffiti/>
3. <http://www. rotten.com/library/crime/school-vandalism/> <http://www. bins-n-benches. co. uk/vandal.
4. htm> <http://www. btpolice. com/vandalism. htm>