Poverty and Homicide

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Recommended: Differences between the strain theory and social disorganization theory

Hypothesis In this study, I will examine the relationship between poverty and homicide. I anticipate that there will be a significant association between the increase of poverty rates and the increase of homicide rates. The null hypothesis states that there is no significance relationship between poverty and homicide. The alternative hypothesis states that there will be a significant relationship between poverty and homicide. The two theories I found to explain the increase of poverty and homicide rates in the urban community are Merton’s strain theory and Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory. Merton’s strain theory states that social structures limits access to the goal of success through legitimate means (Lilly et al., 1995, p. 53). Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory states that the weakened family and communal tie that bound people together affects the social control of a community (Lilly et al., 1995, p. 53). Research Design and Sample The research design used for this study is an exploratory, cross-sectional, quantitative design. The exploratory design attempts to examine a correlation or connection that has not yet been explained clearly. The cross-sectional design will studied issues or research questions at one specific point in time (Senese, 1997). The independent variable (poverty) and dependent variable (homicide) were studied during 2009. The quantitative design is an empirical investigation that measures the relationship between poverty and homicide. To obtain data for my research I used three different sources to analysis were Federal Investigation Bureau’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR), Economic Research Service (ERS), and United State Census Bureau. Secondary data analysis is research ... ... middle of paper ... ...logical theory: Context and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication, Inc. Senese, J. D. (1997). Applied research methods in criminal justice. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, Inc. Walker, J. T., & Madden, S. (2005). Statistics in criminology and criminal justice analysis and interpretation. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. U.S. Census Bureau. (2010, September 16). Poverty. Retrieved on April 10, 2011, from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/methods/definitions.html United States Department of Agriculture. (2010, September 10). Economic research service. Retrieved on April 10, 2011, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/ U.S. Department of Justice. (2010, September). Crime in the United States 2009. Retrieved on April 10, 2011, from http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/expand_information/homicide.html

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