Crime, Punishment and Poverty

Name

21 December 2015

Social Problems

SOC 203

Ramel Oliphant

Crime, Punishment and Poverty

Many people do not believe that crime and poverty go hand and hand, but both are a permanent fixture within our society. While reading this you will learn more about crime, punishment and poverty. Throughout this paper we will cover such topics as; criminal sanctions and victimization and how they work to form a system of disadvantage that continues the cycle of stratification and poverty; how families, neighborhoods and other racial groups become impacted by the criminal incarceration of any individual; the disproportionate rate at which African Americans are incarcerated at a greater rate than their Whites counterparts and how economic deprivation plays a factor in criminal punishment. Persons convicted of crimes are faced with another battle due to the criminal sanctions they will face once released. It is sad that factors such as racial, geographical and social status of both the criminal and victim are used to decide the punishment. Both the criminal and the victim face hardships in the future and they must both learn to overcome such injustices. Things such as financial, physical, emotional and mental stability will eventually have an impact of both the criminal and the victim at different times and different capacities. Studies has shown that quality education is not widely available to people living in poverty which ultimately leads to more criminal offenses, anything ranging from petty crimes all major criminal offenses. Inequality increases crime and the disadvantaged are more involved in crime. According to statistics; 38.2 percent of African Americans are living in poverty ("National poverty center," 2010), this fact could explain why men of African American decent face a greatest risk of being incarcerated.