The Effects Of Poverty On Crime

722 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How poverty affects crime sociology

When the City of Atlanta is mentioned, individuals automatically associate the city with its positive attributes, such as, the beautiful lights, family activities and tourist attractions. The crime that occurs often goes unmentioned; however it is increasingly becoming an issue. Forbes ranked Atlanta as the sixth dangerous city in the US with a violent crime rate of 1,433 per 100,000 residents. The city’s crime rate correlates with its poverty levels and low education rates along with Beccaria’s ideas of punishment being swift, severe and certain. Poverty has a direct effect on crime. You can associate the two topics in several ways beginning with the frame of mind individuals have. Those who are impoverished, often come from single …show more content…

When parents are inattentive to their children because they are working in an effort to provide for their household or simply because of bad parenting, the environment is left to raise the child. It is extremely important to provide positive guidance to adolescences as a deterrent because deviance eventually results to involvement in criminal behaviors. In 2013, property crime and larceny-theft were the highest index of crimes. These two categories show that theft was both a reoccurring crime and major issue in Atlanta. According to a study conducted by Adam Atler of New York University, the feeling of being financially deprived causes individuals to steal. In my opinion, that mentality is very juvenile yet it occurs within the city on the daily basis. People often feel destitute when they compare themselves to others who appear to have more money or material things. The crime statistics also correlate with deviancy of those individuals who were 16 and under and between the ages of 17-21 who were arrested for larceny in the State of Georgia during 2013. The …show more content…

The Classical School of criminology states that punishment should be severe, certain and swift with certainty being the most crucial category. Within cities all over the country, the three strike rules are very prevalent. Individuals can be sentenced to life imprisonment for committing a crime that falls within the guidelines of being a serious felony if it is their third offense. However, the law has no substantial effect on decreasing crime. In the city of Atlanta, 105 rapes occurred which is defined as unlawful sexual intercourse. There was also a significant amount of aggravated assault with 2,965 total offenses in 2013. The three-strike-your-out-laws lack Beccaria’s most important aspect of punishment certainty. An individual knowing that they are permitted to be prosecuted of two crimes before they receive certain punishment does not deter crime; it enables crime to continue to

Show More
Related

  • Problems with the "Three Strikes" Laws

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most controversial laws in the efforts to reduce crime has been the "three-strikes" laws that have been enacted. This law, which is already in twenty-seven states, requires that offenders convicted of three violent crimes be sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. The law is based on the idea that the majority of felonies are committed by about 6% of hard core criminals and that crime can be eliminated by getting these criminals off the streets. Unfortunately, the law fails to take into account its own flaws and how it is implemented.

    Read More

  • The City of Columbus to Save Its Youth

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Recently, there has been a rise in criminal activity amongst the youth in Columbus Georgia. The percentage of juvenile criminals increased by almost 9.5% in the year 2012-2013(Chattahoochee Valley Struggles with Black on Black Crime). Many of the crimes committed involved adolescents as young as fifteen, and have become increasingly more violent. In 2012 a sixteen year old woman was shot and killed by her eighteen year old boyfriend, a few months later a nineteen year old boy was shot while walking to his home. (Chattahoochee Valley Struggles with Black on Black Crime). Due to the overwhelmin...

    Read More

  • The Washington State Three-Strikes Law

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    The driving force behind "three-strikes" legislation in Washington, were politicians wanting to "get tough on crime". The reasoning behind the law was to reduce recidivism and get violent offenders off the street. I think that the legislation was merely a response to public outcry rather than a well thought out strategy to actually reduce crime. Advocates say that after "three-strikes" laws were adopted across the country there was a drastic reduction in crime in general. They also argue that once a person has committed a his second "strike" and knows that he faces a life sentence if convicted again will think twice before committing another crime. These arguments are fallacies. Finally what supporters fail to point out is that these three-strike laws target minorities over whites in a severely disproportionate amount.

    Read More

  • The California Three-Stike Law

    2817 Words  | 6 Pages

    Some unusual scenarios have come about due to these laws, particularly in California; some defendants have been given sentences of 25 years to life for such petty crimes as shoplifting golf clubs or stealing a slice of pizza from a child on the beach or a double sentence of 50 years to life for stealing nine video tapes from two different stores while child molesters, rapists and murderers serve only a few years. As a result of some of these scenarios the three strikes sentences have prompted harsh criticism not only within the United States but from outside the country as well (Campbell). Many questions have now arisen concerning the “three strikes” laws such as alternatives to incarceration for non-heinous crimes, what would happen if the state got rid of “strikes” and guaranteed that those convicted of a serious crime serve their full sentence? It is imperative to compare the benefits and the costs and the alternatives to incarceration when de...

    Read More

  • Sense and Nonsense about Crime and Drugs by Samuel Walker

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Samuel Walker conducted very thorough research on the propositions he presented to us in his book. His twentieth proposition read as follows; " 'Three strikes and you're out' laws are a terrible crime policy" (Walker, 1998: 140). Walker justifies his claim by asking and then explaining three questions. The first question is whether the law would actually be implemented.

    Read More

  • The Flaws of Incarceration in America

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    The majority of prisoners incarcerated in America are non-violent offenders. This is due mainly to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which is a method of prosecution that gives offenders a set amount of prison time for a crime they commit if it falls under one of these laws, regardless of their individual case analysis. These laws began in the 1980s, when the use of illegal drugs was hitting an all time high (Conyers 379). The United States began enacting legislature that called for minimum sentencing in an effort to combat this “war on drugs.” Many of these laws give long sentences to first time offenders (Conyers). The “three strikes” law states that people convicted of drug crimes on three separate occasions can face life in prison. These laws were passed for political gain, as the American public was swept into the belief that the laws would do nothing other than help end the rampant drug crimes in the country. The laws are still in effect today, and have not succeeded to discourage people from using drugs. Almost fifty percent...

    Read More

  • Factor Affecting the Presence of Crime in Inner Cities of America

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    The presence of crime in the inner cities of America is the result of many different factors. Although it is impossible to explain the issue with one single theory, it is possible to recognize the characteristics within society that have traditionally been associated with crime. These include poor neighborhoods, weak family structures and high rates of unemployment. However, they cannot be used to explain overarching mechanisms of extremely high rates of American urban crime today. Social structures as well as cultural conditions play strong explanatory roles in describing the causes of crime in American cities. Some prominent social structural theories include social disorganization theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance theory.

    Read More

  • Merton's Strain Theory: The Relation Between Poverty And Crime

    326 Words  | 1 Pages

    Saying “poverty breeds crime” is taking a broad approach to a problem without looking into the real causes of poverty or crime. Depending on the theory followed, it can be argued poor people have no drive or initiative to do well and as such breed generation after generation of stereotypical negative behavior. Whereas, if you believe society has created the problem of poverty by lack of economic solutions, i.e. education, access to jobs, higher minimum wages, then crime could be reduced by providing solutions. Considering crime, for instance white-collar crime, is not always poverty driven leads to yet another debate.

    Read More

  • Three Strikes Law

    2022 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today there is a growing awareness of repeat offenders among society in reference to crime. Starting around 1980 there was noticeable increase in crime rates in the U.S.. In many of these cases it was noted that these individuals were in fact repeat offenders. So, on March 7, 1994 California enacted the Three-Strikes and You’re Out Law. This laws and other laws like it are currently being utilized today all around the Untied States. This law was first backed by victim’s rights advocates in the state to target habitual offenders. The reason California holds the most importance on this law is due to the fact that it has the largest criminal justice system in America, and it has the most controversy surrounding this law in particular.(Auerhahn, p.55)

    Read More

  • Poverty and Crime in America

    3673 Words  | 8 Pages

    Crime in this country is an everyday thing. Some people believe that crime is unnecessary. That people do it out of ignorance and that it really can be prevented. Honestly, since we live in a country where there is poverty, people living in the streets, or with people barely getting by, there will always be crime. Whether the crime is robbing food, money, or even hurting the people you love, your family. You will soon read about how being a criminal starts or even stops, where it begins, with whom it begins with and why crime seems to be the only way out sometimes for the poor.

    Read More

  • Violent Crime

    1987 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Males and Brown article, the primary cause for the youth to get involved in crime is poverty and lack of success. The statistics from California Criminal Justice and Census Poverty for 2010 refers that the lift in economic deprivation and the lack of success or jobs indulge the youth or teenagers more into the life of violent offenses. The news and article exacerbate the rate violent crime and over-represented the young age in violent crime. The peak age for crime means that the young people involved more in crime than older people. The Brown article suggests that the age-crime relationship means that the violent crime rise in young age and then decline with the age. The child who gets involved in crime at an early age becomes the chronic offenders. The teens who have less relationship with their parents, labelled as antisocial by parents, teachers, neighbors and society get more involved in crime.

    Read More

  • Crime and Social Inequality

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crime and criminalization are dependent on social inequality Social inequality there are four major forms of inequality, class gender race and age, all of which influence crime. In looking at social classes and relationship to crime, studies have shown that citizens of the lower class are more likely to commit crimes of property and violence than upper-class citizens: who generally commit political and economic crimes. In 2007 the National Crime Victimization Survey showed that families with an income of $15000 or less had a greater chance of being victimized; recalling that lower classes commit a majority of those crimes. We can conclude that crime generally happens within classes.

    Read More

  • Economic Deprivation And Homicide Rate

    282 Words  | 1 Pages

    homicide rates. The authors in this study, did a cross selection from Census Data and Homicides

    Read More

  • Poverty: Education, Child Development, And Crime

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty is everywhere In the world and that is a subject that is talked about In the news. poverty is a subject that no one likes to talk about because is hard to understand that there are kids that don't have money to buy food and their way of style is not as the lives that people have In other places. but poverty happens and they're always so much that people can do, but only for and extend. The three most important effects of poverty are; Education, Child Development, and Crime. these are the reasons why everybody talks about poverty In different parts of the world.

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Unemployment and Crime

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    Desperate times lead to desperate measures. A man loses his job and has no money to feed his family. One might assume left with no other means the man might resort to stealing. The United States is currently in the midst of a recession so severe some speculate will last longer than the Great Depression. Various indicators of the economic health such as the unemployment rate and home foreclosures have reached their worst records in decades over the last several months. Given the state of the financial crisis law enforcement agencies have warned of increased criminal activity. Despite the economic turmoil and high levels of unemployment, crime rates have fallen significantly across the United States.

    Read More

More about The Effects Of Poverty On Crime

Open Document