Question: The divided city and public policy responses. Drumchapel is a working-class area located in the most north westerly suburb of Glasgow, known for its vast housing estate which was erected in the 1950s as a solution to overcrowding in Glasgow. With a population of around 13,000 people, most residents are of working age i.e. between 16 and 64 years old with 35.8% of those people claiming benefits. The percentage of ethnic minorities living in Drumchapel is low with 95% of residents being white British. The standard of life is below average with 47.9% of children living in poverty, (Gowellonline.com, 2018). A survey carried out in 2011 showed that 75% of residents felt part of their community and 78% felt satisfied with their neighbourhood …show more content…
The quality of the housing was poor. Too many people were housed in these schemes where little resources were available, no adequate shopping centres to tend to the needs of the locals, leaving many having to travel to the city centre to pay rent or to buy essentials, (Anon, 2018). The 1970s recession also created high unemployment and social deprivation. This had a huge impact in Drumchapel, as most of the residents were employed by factories nearby such as the Goodyear tyre …show more content…
This could be a factor generated by the lack of opportunities that the neighbourhood offers. Poverty is a vicious cycle and can have damaging effects to those experiencing it. A study from ‘Edinburgh Youth Transitions and Crime’ shows that, “Young people living in a family where the head of the household was unemployed were also more likely to participate in criminal behaviour,” (The Borgen Project, 2018). This suggests that poverty influences everyone living in and around it. Having explored the area of Drumchapel one came across an old ‘youth centre’ however, this was closed, run down and covered in graffiti. This undoubtedly has a negative impact on the youth as there is nowhere for them to socialise and escape the real life of poverty that most of them are accustomed
There are many reasons why people become homeless; cases range from people who choose that way of life to people who have no option, the latter being more common. Supporting teenagers and tackling personal and social problems at schools and colleges will definitely have a positive impact and give teenagers the support, advice and awareness that they need. Financial support and advice have proven to have had a massive positive impact, giving adults and families the chance to highlight, solve and take control of financial problems before the situation gets out of hand. So many cases in the UK have seen families being evicted from their houses because mortgages and bills cannot be paid. The most significant step that needs to be taken is the building of new homes across the country to accommodate the rising population figures. Free government housing should be given to adults, families and old age pensioners who fall into the category of low income and for those who cannot work due to disabilities or lack of jobs. However, strict rules must be implemented, because if these rules of low income, disability allowance and unemployment didn’t apply, there would be many cases of people taking advantage of the system and simply thinking they can be provided a free home. Although there
The connection between poor living conditions, low income families, and inequality of varying groups go hand in hand when dealing with poverty as discussed in Evicted by Matthew Desmond. These issues are often swept under the rug for those not immersed in the situation and can even be unknown. There is gender inequality which can affect every aspect of life, including dwelling. There is also racial inequality which also renders the quality of life. Both themes have a deeper meaning and are connected at the source of poor education and job discrimination.
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
a slum and becoming successful. Teens in these areas are more likely to sell drugs and perform
When a child is growing up he is frequently asked what he is going to do for money when he gets older. The more this question is asked to them, the more they feel like they have to have money to be happy in life. After many tries of trying to make a stable life at a low paying job, a criminal life maybe more appealing to them at they may start living life under the gun. As stated by William Wilson in When Work Disappears, “Neighborhoods plagued by high levels of joblessness are more likely to experience low levels of social organization, they go hand in hand.” In Chicago for instance, in 1990 there was only one in three in the twelve ghetto communities that had held a job in a typical workweek of the year. When there are high rates of joblessness bigger problems surface such as violent crime, gang violence, and drug trafficking. (Wilson P356-362)
Children are very easy to influence, they want someone to look up to and be a leader for them. If a child is growing up in an unstable household where the parents are always out working and trying to make ends meet, they might get involved in gang activities since there 's no on at home to tell them the difference between right and wrong.
As stated before, a neighborhood plays an important factor in the upbringing of children and youths. Living in a poverty stricken neighborhood has negative consequences such as a lower educational achievement and a higher chance of committing crimes. The wealth concentrated in affluent neighborhoods stays in the neighborhood and are rarely spreaded to areas in poverty. Children growing up in poorer neighborhoods are not given the same opportunities as children growing up in well-of neighborthoods to gain a higher education because of the resources that are offered. As a result, poor socioeconomic areas remain the same over time because of the lack of resources introduced into the area.
There are millions of homeless youth in America. On any given night, you can find these children ducking into abandoned buildings, crammed up against alley dumpsters, curled inside the big yellow slide of a local playground. I imagine they are thankful for sleep, wary of a new day, but thankful nonetheless. Homelessness at such a young age if left alone, leads to increased rates of conflict. The more homeless youths now, the more our country as a whole will have to deal with divorce, mental illness, and the need for government assistance.
One might believe that if an individual is more educated and hold an adequate job, this person would have a lot to lose if involved with crime. This makes education and employment a type of deterrent to crime.The community is the „other parent‟ for children. They are going to follow what the community around them does. If there is violence, drugs, and weapons frequenting the streets, they are more likely to participate in it. Alcohol and drugs is a complex issue relating to crime. Looking at newspapers, most of the crimes committed involved were from people under the influence of alcohol or
Many studies have shown that adolescents residing in low income or high crime neighborhoods are more likely to get involved with deviant behavior or committing criminal acts. (Deutsch, 2012) There are several neighborhood factors that affect the crime rates of the neighborhood such as overcrowding, low economic status, the neighborhood’s reputation and its residential instability. These may create a disorganized community, leading to distrust and cynicism among residents in the community. As a result, there would be a higher rate of opportunities for crimes and delinquency. (Kurlychek, 2011) Thus high rates of crimes and violence are more likely to occur at these areas.
This theory however as some have argued has emerged from social disorganisation theory, which sees the causes of crime as a matter of macro level disadvantage. Macro level disadvantage are the following: low socioeconomic status, ethnic or racial heterogeneity, these things they believe are the reasons for crime due to the knock on effect these factors have on the community network and schools. Consequently, if th...
Neglected communities with high crime and a lack of resources force young females to turn to
In the 70s and 80s, Castle Vale experienced a serious downfall in all aspects of a good neighbourhood – through economic and social status as well as the living environment.
One of the reasons young people join street gangs is because of neighborhood disadvantages. A theory that can contribute to why young people might join street gangs is Social Disorganization Theory. Social Disorganization theory assumes that “delinquency emerges in neighborhoods where neighborhood relation and social institutions have broken down and can no longer maintain effective social controls (Bell, 2007).” Social Disorganization contributes to residential instability and poverty, which affects interpersonal relationships within the community and opens opportunities for crimes to be committed. The break down of neighborhood relation and social institutions create a higher likely hood that young people will affiliate with deviant peers and get involved in gangs. When there is lack of social controls within a neighborhood the opportunity to commit deviance increases and the exposure to deviant groups such as street gangs increase. Which causes an increase in the chances of young people joining street gangs. If social controls are strong remain strong within a neighborhood and/or community the chances of young people committing crime and joining gangs decreases.
Key reasons why some of these inner cities are more prone to drug use is the fact that these people don’t want to stop using or even if they had the opportunity to get out of that state, they still end up in the same place. Half the time people who are in poverty are there because of drug use, they have a hard time of letting go of the drug so they end up in the same predicament