Minimum Wage Crime

Twenty one percent of people who live in the United States suffer from poverty; this is something devastating for them, and we must bring a change (Kinsella). The social issues of poverty sadly affect children more than adults. Children who grow up in poverty, according to studies, may not complete a high school education, and may suffer from health problems. For us to change the social injustice many New Yorkers face because of poverty, we must change the minimum wage law to a higher wage. People who work off minimum wage are not making enough money to meet the high expectations of their daily lives, that is meeting the needs of their children, rent money, food and other essentials that are crucial.
One example would be a single parent who

is struggling while living in poverty because of the minimum wage. This single parent may not see their child(ren) for a long period of time because of the two or three jobs needed to maintain his/her child(ren) well. Raising the minimum wage will make families dedicate more time to each other, which is what children need for psychological benefits. The increase will benefit single parents but will also be beneficial to people, communities, and the economy.
There has been research done that has concluded the positive results of raising the minimum wage and which includes the reduction of criminal activity.

A study found that raising the minimum wage “for low-income individuals reduce crime by providing viable and sustainable employment and the raise will decrease crime by 3 to 5 percent.” (Minimum Wage) The reason why raising the minimum wage would decrease crime is because people in poverty are linked to higher crime rates as said by researchers. In addition, children who live in poverty will benefit from the raise because they will be more present in school and their chances of dropping out of high school will decrease. Children who live in poverty are more likely to drop out of high school or miss more school days than children who are not in poverty. Raising the minimum wage will help parents not be in poverty with their children and to be less at risk of the results that poverty brings. (Minimum

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Moreover, health among people will also be improved with the raise because people who live in poverty as indicated by studies are more unhealthy compared to people who do not live off the minimum wage because people living in poverty tend to have a higher percentage of having health issues, like obesity and/or diabetes. Researchers say that people who are not living off minimum wage tend to be healthier because they can afford high quality food and exercise more than individuals who live off minimum wage. In conclusion, the minimum wage will be beneficial to many individuals and will also bring a boost to the economy as well. The economy along with residents of New York will benefit from the raise and a change in our society will be seen.

Opposite argues that increasing the minimum wage would cause businesses to cut off employees and would not boost the economy, this is false because the increase in minimum wage will boost the economy by an “increase from the current rate of $7.25 an hour to $10.10 would inject $22.1 billion net into the economy and create about 85,000 new jobs over a three-year phase-in period.” (Minimum wage) In addition, the opposite side may view that “raising the minimum wage would increase the price of consumer goods,” but this will not happen because “the federal minimum wage is not indexed for inflation, its purchasing power has dropped considerably since its peak in 1968.” (Minimum

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To conclude, it is crucial to raise the minimum wage because the results are caused by the amount individuals make on minimum wage, which are children living in poverty, health problems in individuals, crime rates decreasing, and more high school graduation rates. The action to raise minimum wage should be taken immediately because families need to be good in terms of food, money for rent and other essentials needed for life. Raising minimum wage will bring benefits to the next generation of children, such as higher chances of students graduating high school and crime being reduced. Raising the minimum wage is what is needed to make individuals live better and healthier lives in New York State and all over the United States in general.