Correlation between crime and unemployment

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Correlating Crime and Unemployment:
Scholars have often debated the primary causes of criminal behavior and its correlation to economic factors. It is hypothesized than an unemployed person may resort to illegal methods to obtain money due to a lack of unemployment opportunities. Several studies have targeted the unemployment rate as having an adverse effect on the increase of crime rate. Researchers have observed the rates of property crime, violent crime, and motor-vehicle crime in order to determine the potential of a correlation between crime and unemployment (Aaltonen, Macdonald, Martikainen, & Kivivuori, 2013; Kleck, G., & Chiricos, T. 2002; Sookram, S., Basdeo, M., Sumesar-Rai, K., & Saridakis, G. 2010).
It has been proposed by researchers that unemployment may affect repeat offenders and first-time offenders differently (D'Alessio, S., Stolzenberg, L., & Eitle, D. 2014) Studies show that an unemployed person may be prone to criminal behavior through the promotion of deviant values. Through research scholars hope to better understand the relationship between unemployment and crime. The following studies will further analyze the correlation between criminal activity and unemployment.
A study conducted by Baron (2008), investigated the association between criminal behavior and unemployment. A sample size consisting of 400 (265 males and 135 females) unemployed homeless street youths were examined (Baron, 2008). The study researched if the unemployed respondents possessed values that promoted criminal behavior and if they had committed any crimes post unemployment. It is hypothesized that those who are unemployed will experience anger over being unemployed becoming more prone towards deviant values and associating with dev...

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...d no criminal record.
Next, the correlation between unemployment and crime is observed through examining whether the motivation to commit crimes is increased when an individual is unemployed. In a research article written by Kleck and Chiricos (2002), county-level data of property crimes was observed in order to further understand the relationship between unemployment and crime. It is hypothesized that unemployed individuals were commit more property crimes than an individual who is employed. A sample size of 67 counties located in Florida was observed during a single year period. The study used a series of regression estimates in order to evaluate the data of several target-specific crimes, which included robberies of convenient stores, theft of automobiles, shoplifting, burglary, theft of commercial stores, and the theft of drug stores (Kleck & Chiricos 2002).

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