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http://www.nationaldialoguenetwork.org/poverty-and-crime/
NEW COMMENTS RECEIVED : Is there a connection ?
(originally published Oct 12, 2013)
Poverty and crime have a very“intimate”relationship that has been described by experts from all fields, from sociologists to economists. The UN and the World Bank both rank crime high on the list of obstacles to a country's development. This means that governments trying to deal with poverty often also have to face the issue of crime as they try to develop their country's economy and society.
Crime prevents businesses from thriving by generating instability and uncertainty (at micro and macroeconomic levels). This is true in markets of all sizes, national, regional, municipal and even neighborhood-al (okay the word doesn't exist). Which is why having a business in a ghetto is rarely a good idea, is it?
The whole world also blames crime and corruption for putting at risk Africa's chances of development nowadays. The same goes for Latin America. Crime has this capacity to generate vicious cycles causing unemployment, economic downturns and instability. Poverty and crime combined together leave people with two choices: either take part in criminal activities or try to find legal but quite limited sources of income-when there are any available at all.
Unemployment=Poverty=Crime :
Starting from the 1970s, studies in the US pointed more and more at the link between unemployment, poverty and crime. After that other connections with income level, time spent at school, quality of neighborhood and education were revealed as well. Fresh research from the UK even indicates that economic cycles may affect variations in property and violent crimes.
But most importantly, what reveals the unmistakable connection between poverty and crime is that they're both geographically concentrated-in a strikingly consistent way. In other words, where you find poverty (minority neighborhoods) is also exactly where you find crime. Of course this doesn't include“softer”crimes such as corruption which causes massive damage to people's lives but in a more indirect type of violence.
In the 1990s, the“first wave” (of immigrants) has rarely shown such outburst of violence. In theory the main difference with the first generation of these immigrants' children is that they have spent much more time at school, as research has often concluded that education tends to reduce violent crime.
On average, the more time a youth spends at school the less violent he/she will become. Schools don't just teach you about history or maths, they teach you how to live in society. But the real problem is: are kids in poor urban areas even going to school at all? Are they learning any social skills when being systematically discriminated against? Research dating back to 1966—with the famous Coleman Report 1 —shows integration into society is key to better grades and successful education.
What is the right path ?
Why would anyone follow the“right path” (i. e. schools) if you see that your parents did so and are still jobless or at best exploited and humiliated? Or if your identity and your place in society are constantly questioned, often by the government itself? It certainly won't help you feel good at home.
Does poverty causes crime ?
In the countries where the social discrimination factor isn't very strong, results have shown that less education meant more criminal offenses ranging from property crime to“casual”theft and drug-related offenses (again, mostly theft). But not violence. It appears that in fact, poverty itself is more tied with violence, criminal damage and also drug use-as a catalyst for violence.
There are huge consequences of this kind of research for public policy and the positive impact of keeping children in school and reducing poverty. But for that we would need governments to actually read the research their universities produce! It shouldn't seem like too much of a stretch to argue that having kids actually graduate from school will in itself contribute to reduce poverty, no?
The effect of poverty and inequalities on mixed populations :
Another study across 20 cities in the US analyses how local inequalities and heterogeneous populations can influence crime rates. As ever more countries face problems related to immigration, policymakers should be aware that inequality, even within one ethnic group, is a major cause of crime.
It's also crucial to take into account how many ethnic groups live within a single neighborhood to understand local dynamics. Some are more likely to clash against others, depending on where they live. When inequalities are great, crime goes over the roof both within and between different ethnic populations. The more heterogeneous, the more jealousy, the more misunderstandings and the more crime there can be in a given place.
The spectacle of wealth
It is generally when people witness the starkest wealth differences in society that they can begin complaining about injustice. In fact, often time's crime is even worse within communities. Perhaps because it's easier, but maybe also because inequalities are felt all the more intensely when it happens between people living in the same group.
For example, in an Asian country some 90,000 demonstrations occur every year and what the media never mention is that the bulk of it it happens at the“border”between urban and rural areas, where poor farmers can see firsthand the massive inequalities between rich urban residents and themselves.
The Cost Benefit Analysis :
As of recent, it cost $123,400 to incarcerate a youth in a correctional facility in Ohio and only $19,800 to send the same youth to Ohio State University. Under this scenario, the state of Ohio could send every youth to college all the way up to their Master's degree in place of a single year in a juvenile facility.
But obviously, no tax payer is going to allow their hard earned money to provide a free education to an at-risk youth regardless of the $1,000,000 (return on investment) benefit to society that would follow after the youth completes his education and transitions successfully into the workforce. It is quite strange that communities never have to vote on some levy or special funds to keep paying for prison beds.
And finally, why does a state, county, or city (school district) have to be sued or forced to finally invest into the education of its youth, but rarely ever question building another prison to house the youth we know will be coming if we continue to not provide an adequate intervention to these youth at an early enough age to all collectively reap the benefits of supporting youth to become successful adults?
1. Coleman Report：科尔曼报告。1964年美国詹姆斯·科尔曼教授带领研究小组收集了美国各地4000所学校60万学生的数据，进行了美国教育领域最大规模的调研及分析。1966年，他向国会递交了《关于教育机会平等》报告，即美国社会学史和教育史上著名的科尔曼报告。
续表
have an intimate relationship 关系密切，关系紧密
rank…high on the list ……高挂榜单，……在榜单排名前列
at micro and macroeconomic levels 在微观和宏观经济层面
blame A for B 因为B责怪，怪罪A
the same goes for 同样适用于，也一样
vicious cycles 恶性循环
economic downturns 经济衰退
unmistakable connections 明白无误的联系，毫无疑问的联系
discriminated against（+sb.） 歧视（某人）
date back to 追溯到
integration into society 融入社会
social discrimination factor 社会歧视因素
casual theft 小偷小摸
a catalyst for violence 暴力的催化剂
in itself 实质上，本身，就其本身而言
heterogeneous populations 异构人口，异质群体
take…into account 把……考虑进去，重视，体谅，顾及
clash against 猛撞（某物），与……（意见）不协调，与……冲突
the starkest wealth differences 最显著的贫富差距
see firsthand… 眼睁睁看到……，直接看到……
under this scenario 如果是这样的话，在这种设想下
a correctional facility 矫正机构／教管所
a juvenile facility 青少年，未成年管教所
hard earned money 辛苦挣的钱
1. What are the negative impact of crime for a society?
2. What is the connection between poverty and crime? Explain.
3. What are the main causes of crime?
4. What can the government do to help reduce poverty?
5. What are the adverse effects of social inequality?
6. What is your understanding of“no tax payer is going to allow their hard earned money to provide a free education to an at-risk youth”in the last but one paragraph （倒数第二段）?
1. Personally, what would poverty lead to?
2. How can the government reduce crime?
3. Is free education for the youth worthwhile in a society?
4. What do you think of Social Darwinism （社会达尔文主义）, which claiming that human society is an evolutionary process in which the fittest—those who can make lots of money—are selected to dominate?
5. How can a society provide a safety net for its people?
But most importantly, what reveals the unmistakable connection between poverty and crime is that they're both geographically concentrated-in a strikingly consistent way. In other words, where you find poverty (minority neighborhoods) is also exactly where you find crime. Of course this doesn't include“softer”crimes such as corruption which causes massive damage to people's lives but in a more indirect type of violence.
1. 贫穷和犯罪有一种很“亲密”的关系。几乎所有领域的专家，无论是社会学家还是经济学家，都是如此描述。
2. 贫穷和犯罪组合在一起只给人们留下两个选择：要么参与犯罪活动，要么试图找到合法但相当有限的收入来源。
3. 事实上看来，贫穷本身与暴力、刑事损害及药物使用更加紧密，是暴力事件的催化剂。
4. 随着越来越多的国家面临与移民有关的问题，政策制定者应该意识到，不平等，哪怕只是同种族内的不平等，是犯罪的主要原因。在一个特定的地方越是异质化，越是相互嫉妒、相互误解，犯罪就更多。
A. incarcerate…in
B. tends to
C. ranging from…to
D. contribute to
E. pointed…at
F. take into account
G. generate vicious cycles
H. blames…for
I. rank…high on the list
J. casual theft
1. The whole world also_________crime and corruption_________putting at risk Africa's chances of development nowadays.
2. Crime has this capacity to__________causing unemployment, economic downturns and instability.
3. Starting from the 1970s, studies in the US__________more and more_________the link between unemployment, poverty and crime.
4. Some teenagers in neighborhood struck in poverty would commit crimes ranging from_________to drug-related offenses.
5. In theory the main difference with the first generation of these immigrants' children is that they have spent much more time at school, as research has often concluded that education_________reduce violent crime.
6. The UN and the World Bank both___________crime___________of obstacles to a country's development.
7. In job hunting, you should_________many related factors_________.
8. It shouldn't seem like too much of a stretch to argue that having kids actually graduate from school will in itself_________reduce poverty, no?
9. It's also crucial to__________how many ethnic groups live within a single neighborhood to understand local dynamics.
10. As of recent, it cost $123,400 to_________a youth__________a correctional facility in Ohio and only $19,800 to send the same youth to Ohio State University.