The public seems largely unaware that economics effects crime. Is the public uneducated? Certainly not. All a person has to do is turn on the news or pick up a newspaper for daily reports of shoplifting, petty theft, embezzling, or murder. These crimes can possibly be traced to a mother who shoplifts diapers because she cannot afford them; a man cashes a fraudulent check to be able to buy propane for his home; a young accountant tries to unsuspectingly “borrow” thousands of dollars from the company to pay off credit cards; or a person hires someone to kill a spouse in order to have a debt free life.
Much of the crime in urban USA is committed by young male adults who dropped out of school or who have not furthered his education beyond a high school diploma or GED. This targeted population is usually unemployed or has a job paying minimum wage. The young males between ages 15-24 want more from life than $6.55 an hour but they come from such oppressed social conditions they have no motivation to further their education in order to get a better paying job. So they turn to a life of crime.
Researchers of the national crime rates show over the past 30 years an increase in crime during periods of falling wages and rising unemployment among men without college educations. These researchers found a link between falling wages and property crime, such as burglary. There was also a correlation between falling wages and some violent crimes such as assault and robbery in which money is often the motive. The crimes that did not show much correlation with falling wages were murder and rape. Because these two crimes usually have no monetary gain, it is a good conclusion that many criminals turn to crime because of poor economic conditions.
From the late 1970’s to 1990, crime increased because unskilled men received a pitiful wage. In mid 1990’s, when minimum wage increased and unskilled jobs were abundant, crime decreased. The conclusion is economic conditions have an impact on crime. Is crime only committed by uneducated young males in urban communities? You only have to turn on the news or pick up a newspaper to know crime does not distinguish from sex, age, or social status. Everyday there is news of a young mother shoplifting, a man trying to cash a fraudulent check, a young accountant embezzling from the company, and a person being arrested for hiring someone to kill his/her spouse.
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