Do Burglaries Really Rise As The Economy Gets Worse?
The
relationship between burglaries and economic conditions is not as
simple as it might appear. It is a paradox of American
criminological theory that during the great depression in the 1930's,
when vast numbers of people were suffering financially, crime actually
went down. During the 1960's, when the U.S. economy was on the
rise, crime increased. Could this possibly be true? And do economic
conditions have a direct effect on the chance your home could be
burglarized?
In his book
"Confronting Crime", Elliott Currie disputes these controversial but
often accepted theories. He took a detailed look at available
literature on economic factors and crime of the 30's and 60's, and
cites a number of studies to support his argument that economic factors
are paramount in economic crimes like burglary. Writing in 1931,
Emily Winslow tracked crime against the business cycle and found that
burglary and other property crimes, including robbery and
housebreaking, did indeed peak in bad years and receded in good
years. And researchers Sampson and Castellano, writing in the
late 80's, found an 80 percent increase of theft in urban neighborhoods
with high unemployment rates as opposed to other neighborhoods with
lower rates.
"...when other funds are legitimately available, burglary is not the preferred method of earning an income".
All right, that might not surprise you, but this might:
Another factor that has a significant bearing on burglary statistics is the availability of welfare programs. In a recent study, James Short studied the business cycle in relation to crime and found that "although the murder and aggravated assault rates were not much affected by the availability of public welfare, rates of robbery and burglary were strongly influenced by it". Thus, when other funds are legitimately available, burglary is not the preferred method of earning an income.
So, while some argue against a social safety net for the "have-nots" in our society, in reality welfare programs benefit not only the poor, but all economic classes as well by reducing burglary rates. Unfortunately, there will always be those who take advantage of these social programs, but it appears that they are a small minority compared to those who have a legitimate need for temporary assistance. It is evident in countries around the world that as the economic gap between the rich and poor increases, property crime rates increase as well. Keep this in mind as you head for the voting booth.
Another factor that has a significant bearing on burglary statistics is the availability of welfare programs. In a recent study, James Short studied the business cycle in relation to crime and found that "although the murder and aggravated assault rates were not much affected by the availability of public welfare, rates of robbery and burglary were strongly influenced by it". Thus, when other funds are legitimately available, burglary is not the preferred method of earning an income.
So, while some argue against a social safety net for the "have-nots" in our society, in reality welfare programs benefit not only the poor, but all economic classes as well by reducing burglary rates. Unfortunately, there will always be those who take advantage of these social programs, but it appears that they are a small minority compared to those who have a legitimate need for temporary assistance. It is evident in countries around the world that as the economic gap between the rich and poor increases, property crime rates increase as well. Keep this in mind as you head for the voting booth.
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