Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Poverty related to crime
Correlation between poverty and crime
Correlation between poverty and crime
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Introduction
Several contributing factors can be viewed as reasons for crime. Depending on the circumstances, it can sometimes be very difficult to resist the temptation to commit a crime. It is even harder when you are coming from a place where crime is considered to be a normal part of society and looked at as a way of daily living that is supposed to be incorporated into daily lifestyles, hence the city we are not too far from: Fresno. In fact, by having a city or group of cities nearby where violence, crime, and gangs are abundant, it has given me an incentive to dig deeper into this issue. Now the question can be posed: What is the significance of crime in areas where poverty is present? True, this is not an easy question to answer considering that crime happens for many different reasons and sometimes location is not the problem. The origin of crime date back to the beginning of man, and the thing is it will never be stopped, as it is almost a part of human nature nowadays. But for now, we must study how crime and poverty are linked to one another, and what other contributing factors influence the effect of crime where poverty is relevant.
In the United States there are specific areas that have been overwhelmed by the infestation of crime and violence and it appears to be at its peak in areas where poverty is high. Therefore, in this essay I will examine the connection between poverty and crime and attempt to prove relationships of the two. The link between poverty and crime is not a new discussion. In fact it has been an extremely controversial subject among many over the years. There have been arguments made stating that poverty does not have a direct link to crime based on countries that have very high poverty, however ...
... middle of paper ...
...sis, which could make all results invalid. With any research projects, limitations will be present. It is important to attempt to eliminate some of these causes in order to complete a thorough, accurate study. In future projects, this study could go about researching the issue in different ways. Perhaps using a larger sample size would be conducive for accurate results. A larger sample size helps reduce and even out any possible errors caused by those who do not answer truthfully. Also, keeping the surveys mainly anonymous would help to receive more truthful and accurate responses from participants. Participants may be fearful of judgments on open interviews or phone interviews, which could affect responses. In order to obtain as accurate results as possible, a future study would need to find ways to survey participants in a confidential way that feels comfortable.
In the study, they neglect to factor in the financial needs of their subjects. The study of Broken Window was based on the results received from higher income neighborhoods; in those neighborhoods financial circumstances are not crucial to families. Financial factors vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and even from family to family within the same neighborhoods. Ignoring this financial need in the areas where the studies were done lead to fundamental misunderstandings in the theory. The study generalizes the outcome of one broken window. Having a broken window on any property does not automatically lead to more broken windows, like suggested by the results of the cars placed in California and the Bronx. The level of desperation of families due to their financial circumstances leads to increasing crime rates. When the economy is unstable, a lot of people become unemployed; people that still have the obligation of sustaining their families. This may lead them to turn to illegal activities for a fast extra source of income. In these situations, crimes involving robberies and drugs increase in
Residential inequality created by Macrosocial patterns is an important factor of violence and crime in poor inner city neighborhoods. This leads to social isolation of poor blacks and ecological concentration of of blacks and other disadvantaged people. The structural barriers include good schools and universities,employment opportunities, protection by the police, institutions like churches, and more barriers from organized community organizations. The people of these communities have fewer legal opportunities compared to the middle class to achieve success in legal ways and can influence the involvement in crime to find success and
One of the most important social factors that contribute to violent death in the United States is poverty/ unemployment. “Poverty can lead to high levels of stress that in turn may lead individuals to commit theft, robbery, or other violent acts” (Taylor, 2006, p.1). Poverty can lead to people with an inferior education meaning that they have less access to quality schools, role models, and jobs. So many people including children and teens are more likely to engage in bad behaviors and associate themselves with gangs due to poverty. Crimes and violent deaths are committed when so impoverished people have a way to obtain material goods. When they want to acquire more goods they will commit more violent acts. Unemployment increases poverty rates and will lead to people committing crimes due to being depressed from having no
For decades, researchers have tried to determine why crime rates are stronger and why different crimes occur more often in different locations. Certain crimes are more prevalent in urban areas for several reasons (Steven D. Levitt, 1998, 61). Population, ethnicity, and inequality all contribute to the more popular urban. Determining why certain crimes occur more often than others is important in Criminal Justice so researchers can find a trend and the police can find a solution (Rodrigo R. Soares, 2004, 851). The Uniform Crime Reports are a method in which the government collects data, and monitors criminal activity in the United States (Rodrigo R. Soares, 2004, 851). They have both positive and negative attributes that have influenced
Wealth is the many fortunes that billions of people have never gotten a glimpse of. In contrast, poverty has drenched the lives of over three billion people; 270 million of these people are Indigenous. The 15 percent of the world’s indigenous poverty resides in Canada. Issues such as land usage, lack of employment, internal conflicts, poor education, and racism are well known factors of poverty. The Indigenous peoples of Canada are predominantly controlled by the issues derived from poverty.
Crime is not something unique to one country or culture, it can be found all over the world and has been present for as long as history goes back. There are many theories on why crimes happen ranging from individual responsibility to responsibility of societal influences. However, some countries suffer from much higher crime rate than others and the United States of America happens to be such a country. This paper will look at how societal influences, more specifically, the concept of the American Dream, affect crime rates in the country. It is the idea that the basis of striving towards economic success, seen in the foundational ideas of the American Dream, is the very same factor that allows the nation’s crime rate, such as in white collar
Poverty is “the inability to acquire enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter” (Gosselin,2009). This social disadvantage limits one’s ability to receive a quality education and it is a constant problem throughout the world accompanied with“deleterious impacts on almost all aspects of family life and outcomes for children”(Ravallion,1992). Poverty is a main factor that affects normal human growth and development in a variety of ways, primarily impacting children’s early development, social behaviour, health, and self worth.
... Poverty is known for having some well noted, negative outcomes to those dealing with the issues they are facing. There are many who suggest, that being poor causes people to commit crimes; either out of desperation, or bad-mindedness, some people are thought to break the law. Many people ignorantly assume that criminal activities are some ways poor people in urban areas, survive, and that the underprivileged people are the main cause of the majority of crimes. While there are higher instances of crimes in urban areas, it is only because there is a much larger population compared to that in rural or suburban communities. “The Federal Bureau of Investigations” data consistently shows a steady decline in all major criminal activities since the 1990s, mainly due to, more structure in both the law and police systems in America (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010).
In today 's society, there is 1 in 7 people living in poverty which is costing Canadian citizens’ money as they are paying for taxes. There are many standpoints in which people examine the ways poverty affect society such as Marx’s conflict theory. Marx’s conflict theory goes over how social stratification being inevitable and how there is a class consciousness within people in the working class. Another way that poverty is scrutinized is by feminization. Feminization is the theory that will be explored throughout this essay. Poverty will be analyzed in this essay to determine the significance of poverty on the society and the implications that are produced.
From 1991-2000, statistically there was a dramatic decline in crime nationally. The statistics studied were of all categories of crimes considered serious, including: homicides which decreased by 39%; rape which decreased by 41%; robbery which decreased by 44%; aggravated assault which decreased by 24%; burglary which decreased by 41%; auto theft which decreased by 37%; and larceny which decreased by 23%. The statistics show a range of decline of 23-44%! (United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation 1990, 2000. Uniform Crime Report. Washington, D.C.) The evidence indicates that the benefit of declining crime rates are concentrated on specific groups with...
The Webster dictionary defines crimes as a serious offense against the public law, and statistics as a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of masses of numerical data (Merriam-Webster, 1999). Crimes statistic are vital to the Criminal Justice system for numerous reasons. Not only do law enforcement agencies use it as a tool to assign resources and plan their budgets, but it is vital in tracking the latest trends in criminal behavior. Crime statistics also aide criminologist and law enforcement agencies to predict crime, analyze crime, and even prevent crime. For this assignment we will be using the (FBI), Uniform Crime Reporting website and choose two cities and discuss various crime statistic for each city. The discussion will cover violent crime as well as property crime. We will discuss the demographic breakdown of both cities and draw conclusion as to what affect it
Poverty is an outcome of the mode of production and plays a large role in relation to production. Therefore, according to Marx, it is a contributor to the economic base. People who are living at poverty level struggles to meet the living necessities due to capitalist exchange values on productions. What I mean by this that people in poverty cannot afford to buy enough food, clothes, and most importantly a safe home for their kids. This is due to the fact that most people living in poverty are being paid minimum wages that does not meet the exchange values of commodities. People in poverty are the laborers in the capitalist world, they a commodity as well. Using Marx’s theory, people in poverty are the proletariats since they are the actual
Robbery rates have always fluctuated depending on many outside factors. Currently, we are experiencing a trend of decreasing robbery rates. The academics are intrigued and eager to see why this phenomenon is happening. This paper will examine and summarize the current state of academic literature on the relationship between poverty and robbery.
As a result of unemployment people will naturally struggle to make ends meet, and when this occurs some individuals turn to crime as a source of income. “results show that the unemployment rate has a positive effect on the rate of auto theft and the volatility of the unemployment rate has a negative effect, both in the short and long run” (Fallahi, Pourtaghi, Rodríguez, “The unemployment rate, unemployment volatility, and crime”). The positive trends of crime during high unemployment rate is shocking, yet one might feel that it is just another example of the number of effects of widespread joblessness. Desperation, due to unemployment, for money can cause one to commit a crime to provide for their family. “From the point of view of the unemployed person, if that person is criminally inclined, then property crime becomes an alternative substitute for legal economic activities which obtain income for the individual. However, being unemployed may evoke a much deeper frustration than simply not being able to bring home income for expenses. The general level of frustration in those who are unemployed may be so great as to cause them to engage in violent crime as well.” (Yang, Bijou, Lester, and David, “Crime and unemployment”). Crime is a scary reality, and unemployment plays a huge role in increasing crime rates. The correlation between increasing crime and high unemployment is evident. Unemployment can turn an individual towards a life of
I argue that poverty is the main cause of the increasing crimes in the society. It is quite evident that the aspect of crime and poverty normally go hand in hand. It is not possible to deal with crime without having to deal with some of the root causes which mostly are the aspects of poverty. Poverty can be basically referred to as the condition of choice and in most cases is the burden of the people that lack the benefits that the majority people have (Short, 1997). Normally, it is possible to hide wealth but it is never possible to hide a condition of poverty. There are two arguments regarding whether poverty is the aspect responsible for crime and whether crime can cause poverty. The families that go without the basic necessities in most cases could resort to theft. Therefore, I strongly hold that even though crime could have many causes, poverty is the largest of its causes.