The relationship between economic conditions and crime is based on two different assumptions. Forced by circumstance and necessity, the poor often resort to criminality to overcome their helpless situation marked by disease, illiteracy, hunger, misfortune and anger. Those who are wealthy constitute the “elites” while the poor are looked down upon. ĭue to rapid industrial and technological advancement and the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, the world is as materialistic as it could ever be. In fact, it is the lust for materialistic gain rather than poverty which makes a man criminal.” It is also the view of Donald Taft that crime has been a mere phenomenon of prosperity rather than adversity. As per Elbert Hubburd, “criminal is a man who does by illegal means what all the rest of us do legally. Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that crimes originate from poverty as they are committed not only for meeting the necessities of life but also for acquiring superfluous things. Legal philosophers of all ages have accepted that economic conditions have a direct bearing on crime. And on this basis, dropouts can be expected to be over-represented among criminals. For example, a school dropout will have relatively poor opportunities to earn a legitimate living, but lack of schooling is no barrier to larceny or robbery. The choice of whether to commit crime is driven by the consequences, which vary depending on the opportunities available to individuals. While it is impossible to divorce character completely from crime, criminal activity represents a choice or set of choices that is available to everyone. The economic model of crime shifts the focus from character to the choices available to individuals. The history of the wars fought by nations reveals that international peace could not be achieved without economic cooperation.Ĭrime is commonly underpinned in the concept of good and evil where the population consists of “good citizens” who are law abiding, as opposed to the “bad citizens” who commit crimes unless they are incapacitated. The early exponents found crime in the conflicts of behavioural norms and saw crime as being rooted in “poverty, misery and depravity.” As societies developed and money gained importance, it is safe to say that money became the sole determinant of a person’s social status in modern society. In early societies, when resources were limited, the law of nature was based on survival of the fittest.
0 kommentar(er)
