Crime and Economic Development

Economic development in a society will affect the crime rate in different ways. Theorists today believe criminal behavior is caused more by social factors than by biological ones. Barbaric crimes, such as maiming, will drop when a society becomes industrialized, while, at the same time, other crimes such as property crimes will rise. Non-industrialized countries have a bigger problem with major human rights offenses than economically developed societies. Industrialized and non- industrialized societies have their own unique problems that lead to criminal activity.

Emile Durkheim, a social theorist, “demonstrated that much human behavior, including criminal behavior, is caused by social factors rather than biological or psychological factors” (Curran & Renzetti, 2001 p. 110). Durkheim coined the term anomie, which “during periods of rapid social change, traditional norms may be viewed as no longer applicable to behavior, leaving people free to pursue any ends by any means” (Curran & Renzetti, 2001 p. 490). Durkheim was the first theorist to explore this, but today theorists see this as the dominate way of explaining crime.

A later theorist, Robert Merton used the theories of Durkheim to analyze developed societies using the United States as an example. Society in the United States is a very status and materialistic driven culture. Merton saw the United States as having an inherent problem with people consistently having legitimate means to reach their goals. In the United States there is an unequal distribution of opportunities to succeed. Depending on where a person comes from such things as a college education may be impossible or nearly impossible to achieve, whereas for others it is simply a given. This disparity in opportunities leads some people to resort to other, illegal activities, such as property crimes and drugs to obtain the status and material goods they desire. In some cases the urge to commit a crime comes from simple expectations. People in a developed society are expected to achieve certain things, and when they cannot they are tempted to resort to crime to gain what they feel they need to be accepted by society. “The justice literature argues that the failure to achieve such expectations may lead to such emotions as anger, resentment, rage, dissatisfactions, disappointment, and unhappiness-that is, all the emotions associated with strain in criminology” (Cullen & Agnew, 2003 p. 210).

While many violent crimes remain in an industrialized society, many of the more brutal and barbaric crimes of non-industrialized societies are drastically reduced. Many countries and societies that are not economically developed suffer from many human rights violations. Since 1996, in Pakistan, “approximately three thousand and five hundred cases of women burning though acid and Kerosene oil have appeared, according to Tehmina Durrani, the founder of NGO Smileagain Pakistan Chapter working for the rehabilitation and treatment of acid” (“Violence,” 2003). Such brutal crimes are certainly not seen as often in an industrialized country such as the United States. Violent crimes do occur in the United States, however, for example, homicide and rape, but as a society the United States suffers from fewer brutal crimes than a non-industrialized country.

Property crimes are the most increased type of crime when a society becomes more economically developed. A persons interest goes from being socially centered to being self-centered. Rather than focus on what is good for the society as a whole the person starts to think only of what is good for them. This may create a low moral code in a person and lead them to a life of crime in order to obtain the material goods that they feel they deserve. “Some groups in society find the institutionalization means blocked or closed to them” (Curran & Renzetti, 2001 p. 115). The changing economy in the United States leads to varying crime rates as it falls. “Crime in Denver climbed 4.6 percent from 2001 to 2002; an increase police said is a symptom of the poor economy” (Fong, 2003). It only stands to reason that the more the economy struggles in an industrialized society, the higher the crime rate will rise. However, studies have also shown crime rates to rise in a strong society. Durkheim dealt with this concept in his book Le Suicide. “In analyzing suicide rates, he noticed that suicides not only go up during periods of economic depression, but also during periods of sharp economic growth” (Curran & Renzetti, 2001 p. 112). He felt the harp economic growth let to “confusion about social norm” (Curran & Renzetti, 2001 p. 112). Any drastic change in a society’s economy may lead to an increase in crime.

Another factor that has an effect on a society’s crime rate is when a society turns to status and material items that society tends to turns away from family and other traditional institutions. “The other major institutions in the United States-the family, school, and political system-are all subservient to economic institutions” (Cullen & Agnew, 2003 p. 172). If a person does not feel strong family ties they may be more likely to commit a criminal act. “Adolescent with conventional social supports, then, should be better able to respond to objective strains in a non-delinquent manner” (Cullen & Agnew, 2003 p. 216), without social supports such as family, it is harder for a juvenile to resist delinquent activities, especially if they are being carried out by his peer group. “For example, it is more difficult for parents to effectively socialize and supervise their children when parents must devote the bulk of their time and energy to work” (Cullen & Agnew, 2003 p. 172). With little or no supervision from parents, the juvenile gets more and more detached from family. These non-economic institutions give way to the pursuit of money and status. Also, if a person in an economically developed society finds gaining the status they need difficult, turning to illegitimate means to gain what they want maybe become easier and easier, especially with no supervision or social controls to hold them back from engaging in criminal activity. With each delinquent act, a person will find less and less morally wrong with achieving what they desire by whatever means necessary.

Both industrialized and non-industrialized societies suffer with crime. Each type of society struggles to control differing types of crime. Crime rates will rise in an industrialized society, especially property related crimes. While an industrialized society is able to, mostly, get away from brutal crimes such as maiming, such a society is not immune from violent crime: rape and murder still occur far too frequently.

References:

Cullen, F.T., & Agnew, R. (2003). Criminological Theory Past to Present. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury.
Curren, D>, & Renzetti, C. (2001). Theories of Crime. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Fong, T. (2003, June 19). Rough Times Spur Jump in Denver Crime; Rate Increase 4.6% in ’02; Violent Crime Rises 2.5%. Rocky Mountain News. P. 6A.
Violence-(3500 women burnt by acid, kerosene since 1996). (2003, October 1). The Pakistan Newswire.