Relationship Between Crime And Low Income: An Evaluation

The importance of investigating the relationship between crime and low income

Question:

Discuss about the Relationship between Low Income and Crime.

Low income and crime is observed to increased percentage among adult males behind bars. It is also indicated that people gets involved in crime once they determine the likely advantages that outweigh the cost along with consequences of conducting the same (Armstrong et al. 2015). The paper will intend to evaluate the relationship among crime and low income. For the reason it is a topic that is explainable and for such reasons in order to motivate people for committing a crime. Several researchers have researched this topic and generated an argument in accordance with crime and low income.

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between crime and low income. For attaining such objective several literatures work associated with the research subject will be evaluated. By means of several literatures, a detailed knowledge of the topic can be generated. Data presented within literature regarding the research will also facilitate in attaining a conclusion along with attaining the research objective (Bracy et al. 2014).

There is a great scope of the current research as through the completion of this project the relationship among low income and crime might be evaluated whether lower income is among the reasons that motivates people in committing any crime. The findings of the research might be used by other researchers in future (Cain, Frank and King 2014). Moreover, government along with other companies like the welfare along with non-profit companies that might conduct certain actions for facilitating people in attaining enough income along with motivating them in carrying out certain productive work devoid of doing any crime or illegal conducts.

Burraston, McCutcheon and Watts (2017) stated that poverty is a vital concern of the world and for such reasons word crime is also deemed to be a major concern. In addition, previous researches also made sure that poverty is among the reasons that causes crime and is explored for several years till date and no decisive answer is found. Enamorado et al. (2016) explained poverty as a situation in which a person’s resources are not that sufficient to explain their least needs that can also includes social involvement. Poverty can also be explained through several definitions and can be grounded in consideration to material conditions. Generally poverty can be explained through full deficiency of necessary material sources that is not alike as inequality, social mobility and well-being. 

Hitchens, Carr and Clampet-Lundquist (2017) elucidated crime as a law-breaking situation or crime that can be deemed as desecration of criminal law that is maintained within a specific jurisdiction at a particular time even if the criminal law is properly stabled after being formed. This is the reason where crime generates a host of social and economic costs repeatedly with long term impressions on victims. The incarceration rates and crime greatly impacts minority community along with low income and results in social and economic marginalization of poor. Ludwig et al. (2013) signified that in consideration of criminological literature, the association among poverty and crime remains indefinable and reasons for such factors remain apparent. It can also be evaluated that from distinct researches that if a person is focused on paying his own bills and is not sure that from where his mea is coming then they are highly anticipated to be incarcerated. When a person falls within that phase, it is not that simple to break out. Swisher and Dennison (2016) gathered that an economy that is passing through a weak situation results in more jobless and underemployed people that might look for certain criminal opportunities as substitutes to non-extent or deprived work. A person that has decreased income might shift towards criminal conducts like murder, assault, theft and many more. Pare and Felson (2014) indicated that for the pressure and the distress within individuals those have decreased level income might perhaps be increased and due to certain circumstances they gets motivated to practice criminal or illegal conducts.

The different definitions of poverty and its impact on crime

According to Pearson and Breetzke (2014) the lower income aspect is associated with socio-economic factors as such status of a person, family and community can result in several aspects and crime is deemed to be among them. This status might affect the environment and the facilities that can result in several things. For the reason that education and neighborhood has a positive impact on them along with motivating them to conduct something productive in legal manner, decreased socio-economic neighborhood might deprive of resources that are of benefit to families. For instance, enough sources for child care, recreation activities, and good schools for certain reasons that increased funds are not present with such neighborhoods for such resources (Cain, Frank and King 2014).

Reasons Demonstrating Low Income Leads to Crime

Indicated that there are several reasons that indicate low income or poverty results in crime and these are explained below:

• African-American those are deemed as low income communities have an increased fraction of adult males they are behind the bars. This factor is also focused on mentors, grandfathers along with fathers of young men to get better. In absence of study father figure, the young people are anticipated to trail the guidance of their father (Cain, Frank and King 2014).
• The “war on drugs” concept has decreased people conventionally those have decreased income
• Prospects for employment of person are employed to be decreased on his or her criminal record and for such reasons these are highly prospected to lead on the direction of crime (Cain, Frank and King 2014).
• The goals and values of the neighbourhood are returned to the level of crime that occurs

Research Gap

Previous research failed to explain that the criminal activities might be dealt with through increasing income level of individuals for this factor can decrease crime rate leading to safer, peaceful and an organized community (Bracy et al. 2014). Addressing this research gap it can be stated that for intruding the crime phase within communities those have decreased income and the peers of youth drastically distressed through their acquaintances to violence, it is necessary to carry out certain actions more than the enactment of laws in avoiding crimes. The current research will also explain that programs and activities for funding needs to intervene for assisting people to prevent crimes along with offering effective alternatives for criminal behavior (Cain, Frank and King 2014).

Primary Question

The primary question set in this paper is:

What is the relationship between low income and crime?

Secondary Questions

The secondary questions set in this research are explained below:

Whether lower income is among the reasons that motivate people in committing any crime?

Why people gets involved in crime once they determine the likely advantages that outweigh the cost along with consequences of conducting the same?

Qualitative research

Data Collection Method

Qualitative data will be collected from books, journals and articles those are available online or from library regarding the research topic “impact of low income on crime”. This type of data is gathered for the reason that it might be evaluated for data analysis for attaining research findings (Bracy et al. 2014).

Reliability and Validity

The researcher will gather secondary data from reliable sources. All the sources will contain data of current date and data will be collected from reliable and suitable sources for attaining desirable research findings (Cain, Frank and King 2014).

Quantitative research

Quantitative Research Design Process

Quantitative research design will be employed in this research for it is a formal, systematic and objective form of attaining quantifiable data all through the world (Bracy et al. 2014). The collected data will be presented in a numerical manner and is evaluated through systematic use of statistics along with relationships among events for testing relationships.

The criminal conduct and its impact on society and economy

Research Instrument

Questionnaire data collection instrument is employed in this research in which systematically structured questions will be presented to its respondents of the research. It might be self administered and presented in an interview format (Cain, Frank and King 2014).

Quantitative Data Analysis Process

Data collected will be analyzed through employing the analytical processes. Data will also be analyzed through employing correlation and regression analysis.

Sampling and Simple Size

Sampling can be defined as a process in which the selected survey respondents are gathered from a big population (Bracy et al. 2014). Sampling process supports the researchers in choosing vital secondary data source for collecting information which is associated with the research aim and objectives. Non-probability sampling process will be selected in this research and sample size of 51 respondents including 20 employed and 31 unemployed will be selected in the research.

Interviewing and Questionnaire Design

Interview will be conducted of the respondents those are unemployed or attain low income in their respective workplaces. These respondents are selected in order to attain relevant findings regarding the relationship among low income and crime. Structure of the questionnaire will contain factual, behavioral and attitudinal questions (Cain, Frank and King 2014).

Reliability and Validity of Data

Selecting suitable data analysis techniques will facilitate the researcher in sustaining transparency along with collected data interpretation. To make the data highly reliable, data gathered will be represented by means of tables and graphs for simplifying data analysis process of gathered data (Bracy et al. 2014).

Variables Specifications

Dependent variable of the research will be crime and the independent variables in the research will be low income along with unemployment.

Despite of having several implications of the research, there are certain limitations of this research. First limitation is that the research is focused on officially reported data of crime. Differences among figures those are reported by police recording processes that makes cross-jurisdictions comparisons highly difficult (Armstrong et al. 2015). Another limitation is that these research faces the difficulty of properly controlling certain unabsorbed characteristics of jurisdictions which is controlled for certain unabsorbed jurisdictions characterizes which is correlated with the crime rates along with income variables. These concerns might be addressed partially by implementation of panel data (Bracy et al. 2014). Moreover, there are other concerns those are not that alleviated by implementation of panel data that includes high degree of correlation among several income measures along with certain socioeconomic variables.

Conclusion

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between crime and low income. For attaining such objective several literatures work associated with the research subject will be evaluated. It is gathered that there is a great scope of the current research as through the completion of this project the relationship among low income and crime might be evaluated whether lower income is among the reasons that motivates people in committing any crime. The findings of the research might be used by other researchers in future.

References

Armstrong, T.A., Katz, C.M. and Schnebly, S.M., 2015. The relationship between citizen perceptions of collective efficacy and neighborhood violent crime. Crime & Delinquency, 61(1), pp.121-142.

Bracy, N.L., Millstein, R.A., Carlson, J.A., Conway, T.L., Sallis, J.F., Saelens, B.E., Kerr, J., Cain, K.L., Frank, L.D. and King, A.C., 2014. Is the relationship between the built environment and physical activity moderated by perceptions of crime and safety?. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(1), p.24.

Burraston, B., McCutcheon, J.C. and Watts, S.J., 2017. Relative and Absolute Deprivation’s Relationship With Violent Crime in the United States: Testing an Interaction Effect Between Income Inequality and Disadvantage. Crime & Delinquency, p.0011128717709246.

Enamorado, T., López-Calva, L.F., Rodríguez-Castelán, C. and Winkler, H., 2016. Income inequality and violent crime: Evidence from Mexico’s drug war. Journal of Development Economics, 120, pp.128-143.

Hitchens, B.K., Carr, P.J. and Clampet-Lundquist, S., 2017. The Context for Legal Cynicism: Urban Young Women’s Experiences With Policing in Low-Income, High-Crime Neighborhoods. Race and Justice, p.2153368717724506.

Ludwig, J., Duncan, G.J., Gennetian, L.A., Katz, L.F., Kessler, R.C., Kling, J.R. and Sanbonmatsu, L., 2013. Long-term neighborhood effects on low-income families: Evidence from Moving to Opportunity. The American Economic Review, 103(3), pp.226-231.

Pare, P.P. and Felson, R., 2014. Income inequality, poverty and crime across nations. The British journal of sociology, 65(3), pp.434-458.

Payne, A.A. and Welch, K., 2015. 15 How School and Education Impact the Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior. In The Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior (pp. 237-251). Springer International Publishing.

Pearson, A.L. and Breetzke, G.D., 2014. The association between the fear of crime, and mental and physical wellbeing in New Zealand. Social Indicators Research, 119(1), pp.281-294.

Swisher, R.R. and Dennison, C.R., 2016. Educational Pathways and Change in Crime Between Adolescence and Early Adulthood. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 53(6), pp.840-871.

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