Poverty and Crime (Sociology)
Ashley Duran
Sociology 1101
August 9, 2010
Poverty and Crime
A social issue that has always intrigued me was crime (petty crime, violent crime, etc) in impoverished urban areas and the social and economic impact that crime causes in these areas. Before conducting my research into this topic, I have always pondered why crime and poverty are so closely related. Are these two so closely linked solely because of the lack of income in the area? Or are there some other unknown or unexplained reasons that influence crime in impoverished urban areas? Does family structure influence crime and an individual’s participation in crime? Does the lack of community organization and structure, such as neighborhood watch programs, after school activities, knowing your neighborhood police patrolmen, etc, influence and allow for crime to occur in these communities? Does living in a suburban setting affect a child’s developmental pattern differently when compared to a child reared in an urban setting? What creates poverty and crime? These are just a few of the questions that have intrigued me as a researcher to look into this topic of crime and poverty.
. For years, researchers that have studied urban sociology have often wondered why crime rates in poor urban communities remain higher than their normal suburban or more affluent counterparts. Apart from the obvious lack of education (from the parents to the failures of the public school systems) and money, researchers have scrambled to gain insight of what other things will effect and decrease crime in these areas. Researchers and policy makers have looked to create extracurricular activities, after school programs, providing broad educational programs to community residents, etc. All of these have been to no avail. The conduction of this kind of research would have many important implications. This research can assist policy makers in revising their approach to fighting crime and
Sociology 1101
August 9, 2010
Poverty and Crime
A social issue that has always intrigued me was crime (petty crime, violent crime, etc) in impoverished urban areas and the social and economic impact that crime causes in these areas. Before conducting my research into this topic, I have always pondered why crime and poverty are so closely related. Are these two so closely linked solely because of the lack of income in the area? Or are there some other unknown or unexplained reasons that influence crime in impoverished urban areas? Does family structure influence crime and an individual’s participation in crime? Does the lack of community organization and structure, such as neighborhood watch programs, after school activities, knowing your neighborhood police patrolmen, etc, influence and allow for crime to occur in these communities? Does living in a suburban setting affect a child’s developmental pattern differently when compared to a child reared in an urban setting? What creates poverty and crime? These are just a few of the questions that have intrigued me as a researcher to look into this topic of crime and poverty.
. For years, researchers that have studied urban sociology have often wondered why crime rates in poor urban communities remain higher than their normal suburban or more affluent counterparts. Apart from the obvious lack of education (from the parents to the failures of the public school systems) and money, researchers have scrambled to gain insight of what other things will effect and decrease crime in these areas. Researchers and policy makers have looked to create extracurricular activities, after school programs, providing broad educational programs to community residents, etc. All of these have been to no avail. The conduction of this kind of research would have many important implications. This research can assist policy makers in revising their approach to fighting crime and
References: 1. Pattillo, Mary E. 1998. Sweet mothers and Gangbangers: Managing Crime in black Middle- Class neighborhoods. Social Forces. 76(3), 747-753. 2. Kennedy, Bruce P. and Vanita Gupta. 1998. Social Capital, Income Inequality, and Firearm Violent Crime. Social Sciences and Medicine. 47(1), 7-17. 3. Sampson, Robert J. and John H Luab. 1994. Urban Poverty and the Family Context of Delinquency: A New Look at Structure and Process in a Classic Study. Child development. 65, 523-540. 4. Blau, Judith R. and Peter M. Blau. 1982. The Cost of Inequality: Metropolitan Structure and Violent Crime. American Sociological Review. 47, 114-129.