Connections Between Poverty and Adolescent Crime

Research Question:

Does the socioeconomic status induce illegal activities in adolescents? The independent variable is the money. The dependent variable is the amount teenagers partake in illegal activities.

Hypothesis:

The more poverty an adolescent individual is facing the more likely they are to take part in illegal activities. Independent variable is the poverty adolescent individuals are facing. Dependent variable is the amount of adolescence taking part in illegal activities.

Literature Review:

Poverty, the state of an individual or individuals that have insufficient or no money, goods, or means of support. Humans strive to acquire money from the moment they are introduced to society. Children tend schools to receive a proper education in order to be successful and be financially stable. Yet, some children aren’t able to be victorious through the traditional education system and are hurled into to the lower class to cling to their lives and survive. When young people view the lower class one would often see illegal activities such as drugs being sold & robberies due to the fact crime rate is higher in lower class areas. Thus, the poverty an adolescent individual is facing, the more likely they are to take part in illegal activities depending upon the severity of poverty, personality, and situation.

Firstly, children are all born innocent in to earth therefore, no child has the view in which family or class he/she is born into. Poverty is correlated with crimes by adolescence due to the negative factors that arrive by poverty. While in poverty adolescence in and out of families are easily subjective to mental illnesses, deprivation, and sorrow. Furthermore, mental illnesses are commonly seen in the poor rather than the rich. This can be caused by many factors such as the lack of money, food, housing problems, etc. Although, it is proven that many poor households with youth have mental disorders which commonly are depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. These illnesses can affect adolescence by clouding their thought and perception which later pushes them to be involve in illegal activities. According to Wright (2013), “Teens are invovlved in drugs and illegal activity not only because of stress and family problems, but mainly because of their family’s financial problems. In other words, poverty.” In addition, deprivation is a constant factor in the crimes that adolescence commit from low income households. When a young adult is deprived of money and food and other items they try in whatever means to receive it which leads to crimes.