Poverty and Crime
Cjus 340
Craig Nelson
Liberty University
Abstract
This paper is to determine whether poverty or one’s income may be a factor in whether a person
is more susceptible to a criminal lifestyle than others or whether crime patterns fit those that are
in poverty. Crime patterns are what can be seen over time when crime rates are examined in
different locations. One fact is certain, and that there is less crime in crime in affluent
neighborhoods than less affluent. This the link between crime and poverty has been one that has
baffled many criminologists as there can be many factors as to why one gets into criminal
activity.
Poverty and Crime
Unemployment may be something that leads to crime, however it becomes complicated
when some research shows that the opposite results may occur. According to the text
book, research has shown mixed results when it comes to unemployment and crime.
High underemployment rates may rise due to the need to obtain resources and
frustration due to lack
of finances. However, other research shows, some reduction in crime due to parents
being able to be home with their youth thus giving them less time to be unsupervised
where they me tempted
to enter gangs (Siegel, 2016).
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Living in poverty can cause other correlating issues that can lead to criminal behavior.
For example, one could become depressed from lack of financial stability which could
lead to drug use. Drug use could then in turn lead to other crimes such as theft to be
able to fund such drug use.
Other factors that may be a cause for neighborhoods in poverty having a stronger
likelihood of crime is that when there are no jobs nor the necessary skills for jobs that
may lead to illegal activity to get by. A juvenile in a single parent home where his mother
is working two minimum wage jobs to survive may look out his or her window and see
the local drug dealers in what may appear to be expensive clothes or luxury cars. That
juvenile may see his way out of poverty by joining those drug dealers and partaking in
such activity. Those drug dealers to that juvenile may be the only real symbol of
economic success he will ever see living in that type of neighborhood. Due to these type
of situations, poor neighborhoods like this may fit well in the deviant place theory which
examines the risks involved in living in dangerous areas and the cultural expectations
associated with them (Siegel, 2016).
The poor tend to live in neighborhoods with failing or underfunded school which
can lead to a less quality education which may lower a person’s skill set later in life. This
may reduce the prospects of that person gaining a quality job and lowering many
opportunities which may lead that person to the streets or gangs (Ludwig, 2000).
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Other factors
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Most crime occur in poor urban areas and people living in households below the
federal poverty line have more than double the rates of violent victimization compared to
individuals in high-income households. In poor neighborhoods violence involving a fire
arm are at a rate of 3.5 per 1000 people. That is 0.8 per 1000 in middle income families
(Garner, 2003).
Recommendations
One way to reduce crimes in these poor neighborhoods is to invest in them. The
quality of schools and availability of jobs in poor neighborhoods is a large factor in how a
youth is brought up and his chances for engaging in crime. If more quality jobs were
brought to poor neighborhoods that would also change the quality of the neighborhood. If
you look at Detroit in the 60’s it had a large auto industry present and a thriving middle
class. Once the auto industry left Detroit became a poverty-stricken city and created a
large crime rate. Education and opportunity are the best thing for crime reduction in
these types of neighborhoods.
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