Crime and Proverty

Ebony Spivey
History
February 4, 2011
Today nearly 16 million Americans live in "deep or severe poverty." There has been a direct link between poverty and crime. Americans have yet to realize how important a balanced economy is for inner city and urban areas. The U.S. Government Accountability office released a study in 2007 proving that those in areas where poverty is ramped have fewer options in life. These poverty-stricken areas were more likely to have health issues due to inability to afford health care, risky behavior, and lack of education or advise. The severity of poverty often goes hand in hand with the amount of crimes committed. Mob-type organizations and gangs facilitate risky business in urban areas, capitalizing on the poverty of others. Drug and gang infested neighborhoods of today often invest in their own downfall by discouraging new growth. Many believe this exists because after the Civil War slaves were freed without education and fair opportunity to provide for themselves or their families. Along with the perception of freed slaves, this caused a long discontent in social and economic standards in equality, education, and opportunity. Although crime is often committed by those who are impoverished, not all who are poor commit crimes. Poor people make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars as 53% of them only earned less than 10,000 yearly before incarceration. One theory of crime assumes people weigh the consequences of committing crime. They resort to crime only if the cost or consequence does not outweigh potential benefits. People living in poverty are far more likely to commit property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or theft. In an environment of extreme poverty, system failures overflow. For example, Detroit, Michigan's (the poorest large city in America) public schools graduate only 25%-40% of its students. Low education rates are linked to high crime rate. Ironically, as the numbers of those in extreme poverty increases...