Crime rates of various countries reveal the correlation between employment and crime. Individuals without jobs and accommodations are forced to violate the law in order to survive. Thus, many people consider poverty as the main cause of crime worldwide.
However, it is hard to say whether unemployment is responsible for the crime in our country. The situation differs from area to area, making it impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion.
Different types of criminal activities are carried out, and not all can be directly linked to the lack of employment. Studies have shown that property crime can be connected to unemployment. Yet, violent crimes such as murder and rape are not strongly related to poverty. That is why the author tries to examine whether unemployment leads to crime in this essay.
In the 1990s, the rate of unemployment was low and so was the rate of property crime. In other studies, it shows that where the rate of unemployment is high, the rate of crime is like to be high too.
It is not easy to conclude this matter because there are different studies carried out which have given contradicting results. One may indicate that unemployment and crime are linked, whereas, another will suggest that the two are not connected (Rafael & Winter, 259).
Most people believe that the steady rise of unemployment leads to a relative increase in crime. An individual lacks a source of legitimate income when he/she is unemployed.
This occurs when people are laid off at the closure of a company or not able to be employed at all after training. Some people resolve to criminal activities such as burglary, drug peddling, and other crimes to make an income.
Unemployment is high among young people. People who have completed training and are ready for the job market stay unemployed. Another group of young people affected by unemployment is those who are laid off because of lack of college education. When young people are unemployed for a long time, they lose hope of getting employment (Weatherburn, 1).
Therefore, unemployment and crime affect people who are under the age of 40, and these are mostly young men. This is because most criminal activities are carried out by people; thus, unemployed people over 40 years are not likely to enter into criminal activities.
Research studies show that there is a link between young people who have been unemployed for more than one year and property crime. Most young people get involved in selling drugs such as heroin, marijuana and other dangerous drugs because they make quick money.
Economists and researchers believe that when the rate of unemployment is declining the rate of criminal activities is also falling. There are usually high rates of unemployment in areas where crimes are very high. The researchers argue that in these areas, the number of youth who have been out of work for more than one year is extremely high.
Another argument is that areas with high rates of poverty and child abuse and neglect increase the rate of crime. Poverty is caused by lack of employment which leads to children resolving to crime at an early age as a source of income.
The effects of the recession on companies and manufacturing industries cause people to be laid off. These people will spend some time waiting to be recalled, however, if the recession takes long, and the unemployed young people continue increasing, the rate of crime is likely to increase. If someone stays out of employment for a long time chances of getting a job are minimized, and they think of crime as a last resort (Weatherburn, 1).
Statistics show that between 1993 and 1997, the rates of criminal activities declined almost at the same rate as the rate of unemployment declined. The link in crime and unemployment rates shows that when people have a legal source of income, they do not commit criminal activities.
Unemployment results more in property crime than violent crime as research results show that most people who commit property crimes are unemployed. Crimes such as murder and rape are weakly connected to unemployment but can be related to other psychological problems such as alcohol and drug abuse.
When there is a minimal decrease in unemployment rates, the rate of property crimes falls significantly. This study has been conducted in different states, and the results have been stable. However, the rates are different in violent crimes such as robbery and assault which indicate that they are related to unemployment, whereas, murder and rape crimes do not show a relationship to unemployment (Rafael & Winter, 260).
In the case of rape and murder crimes, the study shows that when more people who are likely to be victims of crime are at work, the rate of these crimes decreases. Therefore, female employment helps to decrease the rate of crime in society. This is because most rape victims are usually women and the offenders are men.
In another study, men who lack college training are paid low wages; this makes them despair and turns to criminal activities. Between the year 1979 and 1997, crime increased significantly. At the same time, there was a steady increase in unemployment and the reduction of wages among young men. Therefore, employment directly affects the rate of crime and should not be ignored.
When people earn low wages, they are likely to resolve property crime such as burglary because they will make money even if it is illegitimate. Assault and robbery are also related to the high rates of unemployment because money is the primary motivator. Poverty and lack of financial resources escalate crime.
When the rate of wages goes down, the rate of a crime automatically rises. Thus, economic status has a direct impact on crime. Most research studies have concluded that crime is closely linked to a decrease in wages. In 1993 to 1997, the rate of crime decreased as a result of the increase in wages of the low-skilled employees.
Crime rates increase steadily in society, and the rate of crime is connected to unemployment and low wages. However, not all criminal activities can be directly linked to the crime. For example, murder and rape cannot be directly linked directly to unemployment but other social and psychological issues.
To control the rate of crime in society, the government and other stakeholders should initiate measures to deal with the issues that activate the rate of crime. For example, politicians should not focus on methods of fighting crime such as punishment and incarceration. These are short term solutions to a continuous problem; instead, we should focus on finding long term solution to these issues (Weatherbun, 1).
Since the research studies have indicated that unemployment causes a certain percentage of crime, then the problem of unemployment has to be resolved. The government has a significant role in controlling the rate of unemployment among the youth. Trained young men should be actively engaged in income generating projects which will occupy them and, at the same time, provide a source of income.
Job opportunities can be created for both the skilled and unskilled in society to prevent the high number of young men who can easily get involved in crime. The wages paid to young employees should be attractive so that they do not get tempted to join illegal activities such as selling dangerous drugs.
The government should focus on economic growth to eliminate unemployment issues. Once the economy grows at a significantly high rate, it corresponds directly to increasing jobs. The government should also consider changing the National Labour Act to control companies from paying low wages and unemployment.
The methods used in advertising vacancies should be regulated. The record of unemployed people and their skills should be readily available for companies and industries that are employing.
The young people should be given sufficient training and education to be able to fit in the labor market. They should also be equipped with more significant professional and practical skills that can benefit them after they have been laid off from a job. The government can also fund projects initiated by the youth because this is a way of creating jobs in the society.
Once the rate of unemployment has been resolved, the government and other social institutions like schools and colleges should inform the young people on the effects of crime in society.
Schools and colleges have a more significant opportunity to discuss matters of criminology to young people before they complete their education. This leaves them equipped and ready to face the challenges of employment and unemployment. The government should realize that unemployment has a direct impact on crime and find solutions to the problem.
References
Raphael, Steven & Winter-Ember Rudolf. Identifying the effect of unemployment on crime. Journal of Law and Economics, 44 (1) (2001): p.259.
Weatherburn, Don. A complex link between recession and crime. 2009. Web.