CCJS 461 6980

Bryan McAllister
Project 2: Literature Review

October 20, 2014 “Poverty refers to a situation which the basic resources to maintain an average standard of living within a specific geographic region are lacking.” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, p. 31) It is known that there is a definite connection between poverty and criminal activity. The connection leaves little doubt that poverty is a legitimate risk factor and those who are forced to survive in impoverished conditions are more likely to engage in criminal activity. “There is little doubt that poverty has a strong connection to persistent, violent offending, as measured by official, victimization and self-report data on both adult and juvenile offenders.” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, p. 32) Treatment of those who reside in impoverished areas by law enforcement is much different than individuals who reside in more affluent neighborhoods. “In many communities, children from the lower socioeconomic class are targeted by law enforcement practices more than are children of the middle and upper classes” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, p. 33) Impoverished environments also connect the individuals who reside in them to other issues which make the risk factor of poverty even more complex. According to the text (Bartol & Bartol, 2014) attending inadequate schools, not completing school, being unemployed, carrying a firearm, being victimized, along with being a witness to violent crimes are more likely to occur when an individual lives in poverty. The articles “Public housing, concentrated poverty, and crime” (Hartley, 2014) and “”Aboriginal street gangs a product of poverty and neglect” (Comack, Deane, Morrisette, & Silver, 2013) both describe in detail the connection between the risk factor poverty and criminal activity. Public housing and criminal activity have long been inseparable