Answer a Question

Sarah Krise

The economy changes every year, sometimes it improves and other times it doesn’t, and the effect could change people’s lives. The economy could effect if some people can pay their bills, put food on the table, or even have a job. This could also have an effect on the way some people react to this situation. It could mean that some people turn to crime in different ways to get the money they are not getting from a job. Unemployment rates compare to crime rates to show if people do in fact react badly toward society when they don’t have, lose, or cannot find a job.

According to the Economic Review, the economy hasn’t been at a steady rate since before the Great Depression, and even before that, it changed yearly. Studies have been done to research if people turn to crime, as a result of unemployment. Research has been done all over the world to prove whether there is a negative, positive, or no effect at all between the unemployment and crime rates (Land, Phillips 682).In the Social Science Research, they speak of the argument of Cantor and Land. This argument argues that unemployment has a positive effect on crime in many ways, however some points are valid, others are opinion or such things could change over time, like the people that have jobs during a high unemployment time period are more likely to be unhappy because they feel pressured to stay and keep their current job, which could potentially result in them committing a crime (Dravig, Mustre-del-Rio, 27).  However, those individuals can still pay bills and have an income whereas someone without a job would be just as unhappy because they could be falling into debt and unable to provide for themselves or their families.

Many statistics show that certain years, when the unemployment rate raised, so did the crime rate. There were two different years that the unemployment rate raised drastically and so did the crime rate. Those years were from 1990-1991, and 2000-2001. In 1991 the unemployment rate took a spike and was higher than it ever has been since before the 1970’s, and the crime rate did the same thing. The crime rate spiked in 1991, right along with the unemployment rate, this then again happened in 2001, both of them being the highest they’ve been in years (Land, Phillips 686). This has happened many more times than just in those two years, but those were the spike years where they raised drastically. Not everybody acts the same in situations either. After losing their job some may become very anger which could drive them to want to commit crime, when others do it in order to help provide for their family by stealing or robbing or anything that could help them. Also, when the unemployment rate is high, more people are without a job, which means more people are out on the streets. This could mean more victim opportunities for the criminals already, plus the ones out on the streets could also commit more crimes. Therefore when the unemployment rate is low, and more people are working, they will not be out as much and are so wrapped up in work and all the other things they need to do because of work that they do not have as much time as someone who isn’t working.  However, Cantor and Land also argue that during the times that unemployment is high, there isn’t as much of an opportunity for crime because people don’t have as many valuable things or money to steal (Dravig, Mustre-del-Rio, 26).   This could potentially be true, but only over a matter of time. Most people do not lose all of their valuables the same month they lose their job. Some people do live paycheck to paycheck so that is possible, but also some people have saving and it may take awhile for them to completely lose everything. Regardless of the unemployment rate, there will always be wealthy people. During the Great Depression, that affected majority of the people, yet there were people that it didn’t affect also, so there will always be opportunity for crime just not maybe a bigger majority of victims.

When people are in need, most of us do whatever we can to get those needs satisfied. While some people steal and rob to get the things they need, there is also a possibility that other will work illegally for it, which also affects the crime rate. When the unemployment rate is high and it is hard to find a legal job in the economy, many people turn to illegal jobs in order to get money. This is when the prostitution, gambling, drug dealing, and many other things become more of an option to people than it would have if they had a job where no risk of getting arrested was involved. They turn to this to get quick easy money when they need it the most. When so many people lose their jobs it takes a toll on the economy and even society. The economy deteriorates and when there is no sign of improvement, survival instincts take over and people do whatever they have to in order to survive and regardless of the risks. Not everyone is a part of this, some lose their job and just live in debt and wait until jobs are available again but not everyone is willing to do that.

The crime rate and the unemployment rate compare psychologically and emotionally in many ways. Not only is it psychological where people commit crime and do it because they are upset and feel the need to provide for themselves and their families, but it is also an opportunity. People see that they need to turn to certain things in order to get the money they are not getting from a job. The crime is more of an option they chose when they don’t have anything else to turn to.

Works Cited

Land, Kenneth.  Julie Phillips. “The link between unemployment and crime rate fluctuations: An

Analysis  at the county, state, and national levels.” Social Science Research 41.3 (2012): 681-694.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2013             

Mustre-del-Rio, Jose. Troy Dravig. “ The Shadow Labor Supply and Its Implications for the

                Unemployment Rate.” Economic Review. (2013): 25-29. Academic Search Complete. Web.  

             30 Oct. 2013.