Now, before mentioning the impact of Socio-Economic Offenses on the social structure of society we need to understand the meaning of the two terms individually. Socio-Economic Offenses can be defined as offenses that drain the society's wealth and affects the people at large, as in these offenses the victim is not chosen[1]. On the other hand, the distinctive, stable arrangement of structures through which human beings in a community communicate and exist together is referred to as social structure. It is frequently discussed in conjunction with the idea of social change, which deals with the factors that alter the social structure and organization of society.[2]

These offenses are now committed with the intent of gaining an undue financial gain for the perpetrator, causing a loss to society as a whole, and impacting its social and economic structure. Furthermore, psychiatric illnesses in which an individual's anti-social and narcissistic behavior is the root cause of such crimes. Several factors can contribute to such behavior, including severe destitution, pressure from criminal organizations or groups, and, finally, discrimination. The evolution and present condition of these offenses are now the result of shifting societal structures or the elements of societal change.[3]

Further, while we discuss the effect of these offenses upon the social structure is always direct as the loss, incurred is always in proportion to the time our society has been pushed back. It is wrong to say that socio-economic offenses are only a part of developing nations but the fact that can't be denied is that developing nations are easy predators of these offenses which ultimately pushes back our society to be in a stagnant position not only economically but also socially. As the gap between the classes of society doesn't subsidize instead it becomes more widened and deep-rooted.

In reference to this, it has to be noted that with changing times and changing complexities of society and technology these offenses also change and have become more grievous in nature. These complexities and technological advancements have made it even more difficult to administer such offenses and control them. As the ambit and accessibility of resources are widening at such a speed that, monitoring of all the resources has now become a tedious job for the authorities, making the process of knowing who the real culprit is more difficult.

The above reasoning is also valid when it is said that how in Socio-Economic Offenses the component of Mens Rea (Guilty Mind) is not an essential criterion because the act itself is so grave that the society is already at sufferance and has been economically drained. In such cases, merely the commission of an act amounts to punishment[4]. Adding to this even the nature of these crimes is non-violent as they are deep-rooted which makes them more complex and sophisticated. Therefore, these offenses are more complicated and webbed and an individual may not even realize that the other person is a criminal.

Henceforth, it can be drawn upon that how the socio-economic offenses exploit the public resources are exploited due to which public trust is affected and compromised, which will impact the society socially and economically. Due to the advent of these offenses what we don't realize is that our society goes through rapid social changes which will have a negative impact on its development and will be a hindrance on the road to growth.

As a developing nation, it should be our primary duty to restrict the ambit of knowledge accessible, and we do have to manage to get one step ahead of the offender and restrict his actions. As if the socio-economic offenses are not controlled or regulated these would be poisonous to our society and would make it shallow and empty with no growth and the zeal to develop due to which the gaps of the society would widen and would become more evident and prominent.

End-Notes:

1. Concept & Evolution of Socio-Economic Offenses, https://lexpeeps.in/concept-and-evolution-of-socio-economic-offenses (last visited on March 17, 2023).
2. The Concept of Social Structure in Sociology, https://www.thoughtco.com/social-structure-defined-3026594 (last visited on March 23, 2023).
3. PROF. (Dr.) Nuzhat Parveen Khan, Laws Relating To Socio-Economic Offenses 03-04 (1st ed. 2018).
4. Supra note 3.

Award Winning Article Is Written By: Ms.Ishika Goel

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