Crime and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime and Poverty - Essay Example Money is often reinvested from the open market to the black one to bring about high yet risky return in urban areas. This kinds od risks are even higher when this activity is controlled by mobs and gangs who make money on the account of others. The children who live in these areas do not have realistic role models, which results in them looking up to those people who get rich through those experiencing poverty. There are some theories that suggest that people are to blame for ending up in poverty themselves. It is true that today’s neighborhoods infested with gangs often invest in their own downfall by earning money through crime. However, the misfortune of America has much to do with the actions in the Civil War. There are speculations among some communities that suggest that slaves were turned loose after the Civil War not having proper education, nor a fair chance to provide for themselves or their families in a legal way. Along with the already lowered perception of these slaves, this caused a long term severance in social and economic standards of equality and education, as well as of opportunities. Many politicians through history tried to solve the problems of poverty, but nothing this serious and of this magnitude can be solved overnight. It may take a long time to improve means of wealth distribution and a society-wide commitment to solving this problem of poverty as well as the crime, but it is worth every minute spent. â€Å"It has been said that a civilized society is best measured by how it treats the poor. If such is the case, we Americans are abject failures. Nationwide over 20% of our children live in poverty. In Los Angeles 30% of all children are poor.†(Carl C. Holmes) These impoverished children are 2.7 times more likely to suffer stunted growth, and twice as likely is the chance for them to suffer serious physical or mental disabilities. Poor children score much lower on achievement tests and the level of illiteracy among the p oor is too large and disgraceful. If we could call poverty a disease, we could say that it is a most devastating disease that people can suffer. The poor do not suffer just economically, but also suffer lack of opportunity, education, health care, as well as much more violence, disease rates and imprisonment at much higher rates than those who are in better conditions in the community. They are often executed for capital crimes for which regular people wouldn’t be executed. It was thought of poverty to be the most noticeable cause of crime. However, this had an influence on many people to decide to form voluntary associations to help the poor and prevent them from committing a crime and ending up in prison. The way they saw it was that the poor need what others have and to get those things they turn to crime. This connection seems solid on the surface, but more closely, it is not the best perspective for viewing this situation. Certain voluntary organizations have the effect on a large portion of the battle between crime and poverty. These organizations had a goal to see that the criminals were treated fairly and to prevent crime by cutting it in the bud. They also try to help reform free convicts and by doing that also to improve the society. One of these associations was the Prison Discipline Society whose goal it was to ensure that the prisoners were treated fairly and kept in livable conditions. The theory which suggests that crime