Social Bond and Violent Crime in Dhaka City

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship between social bond and violent crime. The methodology of this study is mainly Qualitative in nature. The study area was predetermined:

areas under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Data obtained from the qualitative method of In-depth Interviews and Case studies were supplemented by Official Data on crime during 1972-2022 from DMP Headquarters. Nine in-depth interviews of the accused person and case studies of respective cases were conducted to understand the relationship between social bond and violent crime in Dhaka City. Travis Hirschi‘s Social Bond theory, which focused on the four elements of social bond— (a) attachment, (b) involvement, (c) commitment, and (d) belief--was used as the theoretical model of this study. Thematic data analysis showed that in all cases, lack of some elements of social bond in the process of socialization of the accused led to violent crime. In a nutshell, this study confirmed that the lack of attachment to family was the main cause of deviant and criminal behavior.