Does Poverty Cause Crime?

Is it possible that the obvious high crime rates in urban areas suggest that a poor[er] environment invokes the indigenous citizens to lead a life of crime, in other words does poverty cause crime? One could argue that being in a state of desperation for a certain period of time may influence an individual to commit a crime, such as larceny, grand theft auto, and/or homicide, in order to have the means (though obtained through illegal/unethical ways) to survive. However, not all those that come from poor backgrounds result to a life of crime.

Being that my father was enlisted in the United States Army for over 20 years, I have had the privilege to witness the wonders of many cities both inside and outside of the States. Throughout the various cities I have seen one constant existed, the more “urban” the city became (inner city), the higher the crime rate became. In addition to being able to live in many unique places, another benefit I received from my father was his experiences throughout his life; my father grew up in Washington DC during the early 1970’s with only his mother and a low source of income, he always instilled in me that no matter how rough a situation may be, that in the end it is your own character that determines the choices you make.

In my position as an observer and I can easily say “they [those who choose to commit crimes] are just making excuses for not being able to find work, go to school, etc.” but to view an individual more in depth, to see how what that one individual could potentially do to or for society alters my way of thinking. If I had a family and was recently laid off, as many other Americans have lately, and finding work was eventually becoming impossible after a few weeks, and my relatives were not able to give me any aid financially, and unemployment was not enough to get by, that desperation might lead me to possibly steal food or even rob someone; unfortunately, this scenario is abundant in many of America’s inner cities.

In addition, I believe that growing up, a child’s biggest influence is his/her mom and/or dad; if a child witnesses his guardian[s] struggle to make ends meet and out of desperation, that guardian decides to commit a crime to make up for the insufficient funds, the child might live a similar life and make similar choices. Another likely scenario would be if a role model of a child, be it a relative and/or friend, may live a life of crime (as he/she is acting as a product of his/her environment) and this would very likely make a life a crime appeal to the child, thus creating a vicious cycle.

In order to decipher whether poverty causes crime, it is important to note that not everyone who is going through a state of poverty commits crimes; thus leading me to conclude that desperation as a result of poverty may influence someone to commit a crime, however because it is up to an individual’s own free will to commit a crime (regardless of income level) and the fact that not everyone who is considered “poor” commits a crime, poverty does not cause crime, but instead poor, misguided choices.