Poverty and Crime

By Joseph Williams,

A study by McClatchy Newspapers, released in March finds that the ranks of the severely impoverished are rapidly escalating.  The study found that the percentage of poor Americans who are living in extreme poverty has reached a 32-year high.  Today nearly 16 million Americans live in “deep or severe poverty.”  This is defined as individuals living at half of the federal poverty line.  This drastic rise in the level of poverty extends beyond the traditional ghetto and reaches to suburban and rural communities.

The relationship between poverty and crime has been a controversial subject over the years.  Many scholars argue that poverty does not have a causal relationship to crime because there are countries in which poverty is very high but the crime rate is relatively low.  I would say that in this country it would be hard to argue that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty.  Poor people make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars as 53% of those in prison earned less than $10,000 per year before incarceration.

Sociologist and criminal justice scholars have found a direct correlation between poverty and crime.    One economic theory of crime assumes that people weigh the consequences of committing crime.  They resort to crime only if the cost or consequences are outweighed by the potential benefits to be gained.   The logical conclusion to this theory is that people living in poverty are far more likely to commit property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or theft.

The rising levels of poverty, then, should alarm those of us engaged in ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.  It follows that as goes the poverty rates, so go the crime rates and subsequently the prison rates.  If the relationship between poverty rates and crime rates holds, and I suspect that it will, we can expect to be faced with the challenge of ministering to even higher numbers of inmates and former inmates.  Those of us who minister to men and women in transition from prison and the families of inmates can expect to have our meager resources taxed to the limit.

The city of Detroit, in which I live and work, is the poorest large city in America.  Michigan has the nation’s worst economy of any state.  Detroit has the poorest economy in Michigan.  The neighborhood in which this ministry is located is one of Detroit’s poorest.  I see first hand every day the effects of poverty and crime.  In an environment of extreme poverty, system failures abound.  For instance, Detroit Public Schools graduate only between 25-40% of its students depending on which report you believe.  Low education rates, by the way, are also linked to high crime rates.

Establishing satisfying employment and economic well-being are important factors for successful reintegration from prison to the community.  We who are engaged in this ministry are being forced to be more innovative than we ever have been in order to effectively minister to former prisoners and their families.  We must identify considerably more resources than ever.  We must reach out to a wider network of supporters than ever before to make our case for support.

Ironically, as the numbers of those in extreme poverty has increased so has the number of those who have become wealthy.  Bridges need to be formed between those who minister in cities and other impoverished areas with meager resources and those who possess significant financial resources.  Those who are interested in helping must adopt the attitude of teaching people how to fish instead of passing out fish sandwiches if persistent problems such as crime and poverty are to be effectively addressed.

All of society benefits when the least of these are helped to establish or regain dignity by elevation from poverty and crime to lives characterized by work and productivity.  It will take all of us working together to make a real impact on this daunting problem.

Does Poverty Cause Crime?

History has proven that there is in fact a direct link between poverty and crime. America, although full of good-hearted citizens, has yet to recognize the importance of balancing the economic makeup of its inner-city and urban areas with that of the money spent on imprisoning those who commit crimes.

History

A study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in 2007 showed that those who are in areas where poverty is abundant had fewer options in life. People who were in poverty-stricken areas were more likely to have adverse health issues due to unaffordable healthcare, risky behavior and the lack of proper education. Those who experience poverty are more likely to suffer from health conditions due to being closer to freeways and industrial buildings that are not usually welcome in higher-income areas. There is also a notable historical rise in property damage that parallels the unemployment rate throughout American history (see Resources below).

Considerations

The severity of poverty often goes hand in hand with the amount of crimes committed. Money is often reinvested from the open market to the black market to bring about high yet risky return in urban areas. Risks such as these are even higher when this activity is controlled by violent mob-type organizations and gangs, whose existences are structured around capitalizing on the poverty of others. Realistic and reachable role models are far and few between, if any exist at all, which causes the children of those who live in these areas to look up to more unsavory figures who are living the high life through low living.

Theories/Speculation

Some theories suggest that those who are in poverty got that way merely of their own accord. It is true that drug- and gang-infested neighborhoods of today often do invest in their own downfall through discouraging new growth and an infusion of economic and social relief through unsavory acts of crime. However, many of the reasons why America’s downtrodden got that way has to do more with its historical dealings with the impoverished immediately after the Civil War than any other factor. Speculation among some communities suggests that after the Civil War, slaves were turned loose without education and fair opportunity to provide for themselves or their families. This, along with the already lowered perception of these freed slaves, caused a longtime rift in social and economic standards in equality, education and opportunity.

Misconceptions

Society on a whole has a general misconception of the link between poverty and crime. Although crime is often committed by those who are impoverished, all those who are poor do not commit crimes. Other misconceptions include that people of color are automatically more likely to commit crime because of the color of their skin rather than their surroundings and upbringing. Many of these misconceptions may lead to adverse effects of racism and bigotry in real-life meetings between those with and those without. Understanding and solving the root of the link between poverty and crime will inevitably cause citizens to take pride in their neighborhoods and become productive participants in the labor force.

Time Frame

Obliterating poverty has been the goal of many politicians throughout history, but nothing of this magnitude will be solved overnight. Improved means of wealth distribution, better economic policies and a society-wide commitment to solving the problem, eradicating poverty–and therefore some of the crime that goes with it–may take decades or longer, but it is certainly a worthy and noble cause.

 

Credit: By K. T. Logan, eHow Contributing Writer