Do punitive measures reduce crime?

There is no proof that the death penalty deters criminals.

According to sociologists, youths, among the various age groups, face high exposure for indulgence in crime because of their great ambitions to do whatever they wish to. As they are more influenced by their peers, sometimes they become restless to replicate others' adventure. Particularly, if they are unemployed resorting to criminal act has high possibility. Others also might use them to serve their interest. Therefore, in order to facilitate a better future for the youth and help them be optimistic, parents and the society must be considerate towards the youth.

On the other hand, as crime is a threat to a nation's stability, tracing and preventing it must be a priority agenda. At this point , the justice organs as well as the system must be reorganized and institutionally strong.

It is understood that criminal activities could be induced by socio-economic factors such as unemployment and poverty. Criminal mentality is being spurred by the growing materialist cultural and global network of money laundering, human trafficking and contraband trade. And a terrorism network is affecting the world's socio-economic arena as it changes its maneuvers from time to time.

If rampant unemployment and poverty continues the chance of the youth to involve in criminal activities is much higher. Hence, the government's plan of reducing poverty through job creation is vital. The on going effort to create job through small-scale enterprises must be enhanced.   Tracing criminals and bringing them to justice is a secondary action. Rather , addressing poverty and unemployment is vital and must be prioritized because it could address the root causes of the problem.

According to  Twaweza findings released in 2015 crime rate in the country is on the rise.   It showed that three out of ten citizens experienced theft in 2014, with half of all Tanzanians having had something stolen from them.

The findings have it that majority of the citizens, almost 84 per cent, believe they are likely to be affected by gangs similar to Panya Road in Dar es Salaam.

In January 2015, Panya Road, a gang of youthful criminals, caused mayhem among residents, with extensive social media blowing the panic beyond proportions.

Two out of ten citizens report that they witnessed violence during the local government elections in December 2014. Twaweza in a research titled, "Our Safety? Citizens' views on security and justice," said the findings are based on data collected from 1,401 respondents across Mainland Tanzania in February and March in 2015.

Despite the relatively high rates of theft, fears about gangs and incidents of political violence, eight out of ten citizens report never or rarely, feeling unsafe in their own communities and neighbourhoods.

However, they believe that the justice system in the country is not functioning as it should, whereas over half of citizens believe that ordinary citizens would be punished according to the law if they commit a crime.

Given the reported low trust in the police, many communities have local security groups who provide basic law enforcement.

Although many citizens report feeling safe in their own communities, they have also experienced burglary, are afraid of being affected by gangs and have observed political violence.

Also ordinary citizens believe that the police or justice system favour the elite. This belief has become more widely held over time. In addition, they have seen an increase in police violence in the past two years, which discourages them from pursuing formal mechanisms of justice.