Crime and Poverty, the US Government Accountability Office - Essay Example

?Crime and Poverty There has been a study released in by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that showed that those living in areas where poverty is abundant do not have many options in life. People who live in poverty-stricken areas had more chance of having adverse health issues caused by unaffordable health care, risky behavior and the lack of proper education. Those who live in poverty are more likely to suffer from health conditions because they usually live close to freeways and industrial buildings which are not wanted in more wealthy areas.  The severity of poverty often equals the amount of crimes committed. Money is often reinvested from the open market to the black one to bring about high yet risky return in urban areas. This kinds od risks are even higher when this activity is controlled by mobs and gangs who make money on the account of others. The children who live in these areas do not have realistic role models, which results in them looking up to those people who get rich through those experiencing poverty. There are some theories that suggest that people are to blame for ending up in poverty themselves. It is true that today’s neighborhoods infested with gangs often invest in their own downfall by earning money through crime. However, the misfortune of America has much to do with the actions in the Civil War. There are speculations among some communities that suggest that slaves were turned loose after the Civil War not having proper education, nor a fair chance to provide for themselves or their families in a legal way. Along with the already lowered perception of these slaves, this caused a long term severance in social and economic standards of equality and education, as well as of opportunities. Many politicians through history tried to solve the problems of poverty, but nothing this serious and of this magnitude can be solved overnight. It may take a long time to improve means of wealth distribution and a society-wide commitment to solving this problem of poverty as well as the crime, but it is worth every minute spent. “It has been said that a civilized society is best measured by how it treats the poor. If such is the case, we Americans are abject failures. Nationwide over 20% of our children live in poverty. In Los Angeles 30% of all children are poor.”(Carl C. Holmes) These impoverished children are 2.7 times more likely to suffer stunted growth, and twice as likely is the chance for them to suffer serious physical or mental disabilities. Poor children score much lower on achievement tests and the level of illiteracy among the poor is too large and disgraceful. If we could call poverty a disease, we could say that it is a most devastating disease that people can suffer. The poor do not suffer just economically, but also suffer lack of opportunity, education, health care, as well as much more violence, disease rates and imprisonment at much higher rates than those who are in better conditions in the community. They are often executed for capital crimes for which regular people wouldn’t be executed. It was thought of poverty to be the most noticeable cause of crime. However, this had an influence on many people to decide to form voluntary associations to help the poor and prevent them from committing a crime and ending up in prison. The way they saw it was that the poor need what others have and to get those things they turn to crime. This connection seems solid on the surface, but more closely, it is not the best perspective for viewing this situation. Certain voluntary organizations have the effect on a large portion of the battle between crime and poverty. These organizations had a goal to see that the criminals were treated fairly and to prevent crime by cutting it in the bud. They also try to help reform free convicts and by doing that also to improve the society. One of these associations was the Prison Discipline Society whose goal it was to ensure that the prisoners were treated fairly and kept in livable conditions. The theory which suggests that crime is a direct result of poverty is not very reliable. What is the cause of poverty is the question we should be ask ourselves, and furthermore, what is the cause of crime is a question to be answered, too. There is one argument which suggests that crime creates poverty, and even though this statement seems improbable, it seems to have some sense. Sometimes crimes are not committed to satisfy the most basic needs but luxurious wants of people who just feed their expensive habits through damaging others. With stolen money or goods these people would buy alcohol or cigarettes staying in the same financial position as before, not changing their financial status or wealth because all the money is spent on satisfying their vices. Furthermore, they would also often be caught in crime and end up in jail without possibility to return the stolen money for they would already have spent it. Therefore, the victims slowly begin to lose their wealth, and the merchants become wealthier and wealthier by selling these goods that feed the addictions of the criminals. All in all, crime is simply a wealth distribution from the rich and middle to the poorer merchant class. Caused by whatever source, poverty causes many effects of different kinds which stay as a problem in the community long even after the economic problems are solved. Alcoholism can be a big problem in a society and it usually leads to the creation of many voluntary associations to make progress towards temperance. Alcoholism can cause, besides crime, many other problems (for example health issues or psychological disturbances), including poverty and cases of domestic violence, as well as aggression towards law enforcement officials. Public drunkenness is not an exception when it comes to the problems caused by alcoholism and together with all mentioned, this problem leads to imprisonment. Many voluntary associations are created to help in encouraging temperance for intemperance was identified and defined as a huge contribution to crime. The voluntary associations that try to determine the causes of crime and prevent crime, as well as reform citizens that have committed crime play a huge part in making the citizens better and helping them feel safe. Many of these voluntary associations contributed to helping the suffering black population of Boston. These associations extended their aid to the black population and many allowed membership to black citizens. These groups all participated and helped in the process of liberating black people and helping them to integrate into the society. People are not turned into criminals by poverty over night. That is a long process that can be seen as a disease that manifests over time, spreading and eating away at a community’s strength and slowly replacing it with desperation and hopelessness. The gang violence that dominates the streets seems to be a symptom of this disease. Gangs do not crop up overnight, and they're not going to go away and start acting morally and legally if the economy suddenly gets better. Crime and poverty are like any social problem more complex than they look and if we want to solve any of them we must not be short-sighted. To sum up, we can say that poverty is somewhat like a black hole which turns the entire areas into a large pool of violence and crime, followed by degradation and desperation, all of which are problems that are hardly reversible, for people then chose to live that way, illegally, as it is an easier way to earn money even when the area is regenerated and more legal jobs are available. . References Ryan Morse, “The Relationship Between Crime and Poverty in Black Antebelum Boston.”, retrieved from http://www.primaryresearch.org/bh/research/morse/index.php on April 9 2011 Carl C. Holmes, “Crime and Poverty”, retrieved from http://www.pubdef.ocgov.com/poverty.htm on April 9 2011 Megan Cottrell, “Crime down, poverty up doesn't mean the two aren't connected” , retrieved from http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-muckrakers/2010/09/crime-down-poverty-up-doesnt-mean-the-two-arent-connected.html on April 9 2011 Read More