 Determining the State of Poverty by: Tonita Clark GSPN Editorial Supervisor and Staff Writer Joseph Williams, Christian Association for Prison Aftercare stated that, "an anrticles by McClatchy Newspapers, released in March finds that the ranks of the severely impoverished are rapidly escalating. The study found that the percentage of poor Americans who are living in extreme povery has reached a 32-year high. Today nearly 16 million Americans live in “deep or severe poverty.” This is defined as individuals living at half of the federal poverty line. This drastic rise in the level of poverty extends beyond the traditional ghetto and reaches to suburban and rural communities." The relationship between poverty and crime has been a controversial subject over the years. Many scholars argue that poverty does not have a causal relationship to crime because there are countries in which poverty is very high but the crime rate is relatively low. I would say that in this country it would be hard to argue that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty. Poor people make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars as 53% of those in prison earned less than $10,000 per year before incarceration. McClatchy Newspapers Sociologist and criminal justice scholars have found a direct correlation between poverty and crime. One economic theory of crime assumes that people weigh the consequences of committing crime. They resort to crime only if the cost or consequences are outweighed by the potential benefits to be gained. The logical conclusion to this theory is that people living in poverty are far more likely to commit property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or theft. McClatchy Newspapers SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY Over the few past centuries, the sociological theory of poverty had developed along four theoretical tracts. The one theory that I will focus this correlation of crime and poverty on is the theory of Structural Poverty. Structural theories view poverty as a natural by-product of social structure and its economic institutions. “Free market competition”, capitalism, and pursuit of wealth tend to promote economic disparity and inequality (social stratification). This results in poverty, marginalization of the poor outside the economic mainstream and dependence on or the need for welfare services to survive. This is another way of saying that “our” society may be constructed in ways that its economic institutions create the wealthy and the poor (Argosy, 2009). The city I’ve decided to use for my analysis is the City of East St. Louis, Illinois, which is a stone’s throw away from where I live, St. Louis, Missouri. As a witness to this city’s fall from economic opportunity due to crime and violence, the closing of schools due to the lack of funding, and failed community growth and business to the area; I have to say that crime and poverty go hand and hand for this unfortunate population. Keep in mind what the structural theory of poverty postulates and I’ll try to provide you a correlation of crime with the troubling statistics of this community. POVERTY – is defined as the scarcity of basic, survival needs such as food, clothing, housing and health care (Argosy, 2009). East St. Louis has population of 31, 542 people and the estimated “median” income as of 2007 was $25, 293 (Citydata, 2008). • High school or higher: 66.3% • Bachelor's degree or higher: 9.1% • Graduate or professional degree: 2.8% • Unemployed: 17.0% • Unemployment in May 2009: Here: 13.5% Illinois: 9.9% Most common occupation for males: • Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (10%) • Laborers and material movers, hand (7%) • Cooks and food preparation workers (6%) • Other production occupations including supervisors (5%) • Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (4%) • Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (4%) • Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (4%) (Citydata, 2008). Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This city: 5.7% Whole state: 4.8% Residents with income below the poverty level in 2007: This city: 35.1% Whole state: 10.7% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2007: This city: 18.3% Whole state: 5.1% Children below poverty level: East St. Louis, Illinois: 53.0% State: 16.3% Poor families by family types: • Married-couple family (11.6%) • Male, no wife present (6.3%) • Female, no husband present (82.2%) most female headed households are below the poverty level (Citydata, 2008). Troubling educational statistics: Poverty rate among high school graduates not in families: East St. Louis: 40.6% Illinois: 16.2% Poverty rate among people who did not graduate high school not in families: East St. Louis: 56.9% Illinois: 37.3% Analysis of data relating to poverty. Taking a look at the above statistics which are for the year 2007, you can see that the amount of individuals below the poverty line for this city is astronomical. Most jobs available to most men are menial labor, blue collar jobs in the service arena and at present due to recent layoffs of the recession, even those jobs are non-existent. Taking a look at education, there aren’t many professionals (2.8%) and very few individuals with high school diplomas. The unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country and for residents with an income below the poverty level there are 18.3% in need of the basic necessities (Citydata, 2008). The social structure genre provides the purest sociological explanation of crime and delinquency. It links the key troubles of individuals to the social structural origins of these difficulties (Brown, Esbensen & Geis, 2007, p. 279). Structural features that contribute to poverty, unemployment, poor education, and racism are viewed as indirect or root causes of high crime rates among members of socially deprived groups (Brown et. al., 2007). East St. Louis lacks all forms of opportunity for poor individuals especially since the recent recession, where much needed programs, funds and assistance has been cut due to economic hard times of the entire country. Which leads us to the repercussions of poverty, crime? CRIME The blockage of legitimate goal attainment is said to encourage deviant solutions. Stress, frustration or strain generally a product of failed aspiration, increase the prospects for norm violation (Brown et. al., 2007). Taking a look at the types of crime and the crime rates for East St. Louis should give readers a clearer picture of the poverty situation and the crimes related to having little if no means of survival. (Per 100,000 is the % listed) Murder (30) – 101.9% Assaults (1762) – 5983.4% Auto thefts (709) - 2407.6% Rape (77) – 261.5% Burglaries (657) – 2231.1% Arson (62) – 210.5% Robbery (387) – 1314.2% Thefts (808) – 2743.8%. These numbers speak volumes, not to mention that the highest percentages are crimes of material gain. Social Structural Theory of Crime Robert K. Merton (Anomie) Merton presented an explanation that seemed enlightening: social conditions place pressure on people differentially throughout the class structure and people react individually to the conditions (Brown, et. al, 2007). Merton postulated that all societies have cultural system that denotes socially approved values and goals that details acceptable norms or institutionalized means for achieving these goals. That institutionalized means for pursuing wealth and status are clearly set forth in American society but these means are not feasible for most of those at the bottom of the social structure (Brown, et. al, 2007, p. 285). Merton pointed out that members of upper class have greater access to education, important interpersonal contacts that will enhance their opportunities and socialization that prepares them for competition in the struggle to achieve wealth and status, but members of the lower-class experience greater stress or strain in their attempts to make money legitimately. Also, that it is an inequitable social structure, evaluating success similarity at all social levels, that produce lower-class strain and that ultimately leads to crime and delinquency (Brown, et. al, 2007). This presents “many” important questions: “Are the means made available to the lower-class inadequate for goals to which society leads the lower class to aspire?” YES! “Are some persons so severely handicapped by being reared in poverty, slums and other disadvantaged environments that they do not have, or do not perceive themselves as having, reasonable opportunities to become well educated, to develop talents, and to acquire rewarding jobs?” YES! “Can cultural background block people from effectively competing for the common symbols of success of which Merton mentions?” YES! In closing, “Anomie” refers to a state or a condition in society in which the norms are no longer effective in regulating behavior and it is also the result of a disjunction between people’s aspirations and their ability to achieve these goals (Brown, et. al., 2007, p. 283). References Argosy University (2009). Culture of Poverty: “Eternally Broke”. Retrieved on July 21, 2009, from http://myeclassonline.com. Brown, E. S., Esbensen, F-A., Geis, G. (2007). (The Book), "Criminology: explaining crime and its context (6th Ed.)." Newark, NJ: Matthew Bender, Inc. City Data.com (2008). East St. Louis, Illinois. Retrieved on July 27, 2009, from http://www.city-data.com/city/East-St.-Louis-Illinois.html. Williams, J. (2007). Poverty and Crime. Retrieved on July 27, 2009, from http://capaassociation.org/newsletter_N009/Articles/PovertyCrime.htm |
