Poverty and Crime Essay Example for Free

Poverty and Crime Essay â€Å"A study found that Americans who are living in extreme poverty has reached a 32-year high. This rise in poverty extends beyond ghettos and reaches to suburbs and rural communities. Poverty and crime has been a controversial subject over the years. Scholars argue that poverty does not have a relationship to crime because there are countries where poverty is very high but the crime rate is low. In the US it would be hard to argue that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty. The poor people make up an overwhelming majority of the people behind bars. Sociologist and criminal justice scholars have found a direct connection between poverty and crime. An economic theory of crime assumes that people weigh the consequences of committing crime. In an environment of extreme poverty, system failures abound. Establishing satisfying employment and economic well-being are important factors for successful reintegration from prison to the community. It will take all of us working together to make a real impact on this problem (capaassociation.org).† The Crime rates get higher as the poverty rates increase in America. But why do this happen, is it because people are getting desperate or is it just a consequence. A reason could be that people are running into conflicts. But another reason could be that some people look how others function and how they solve their problems. Or is it just how people label other people contributes the way they act in society. It is also possible that poverty is because of the culture of poverty. Conflict theories are the social, political or material inequalities of a social group, which detract from structural functionalism. People run in to conflicts in their life weather if there small or big, but the size of the problem is the individual’s decision. Some people resort to crime only if the cost or consequences are outweighed by the benefits to be gained. So if someone lost a job or needs money as fast as possible they are more likely to commit like burglary, mugging, larceny, or theft. Another conflict could be if someone finds out that a close friend is in trouble and they need money and they do what they have to help them out.