Poverty As A Cause Of Crime Essay

Poverty remains a critical social problem that needs to be addressed. Philippines’ poverty line marks a per capita income of 16,841 pesos a year. According to the data from the national statistical coordination board, more than one-quarter (27.9%) of the population fell below the poverty line the first semester of 2012, an approximate 1 per cent increase since 2009. This figure is a much lower figure as compared to the 33.1% in 1991. The unevenness of the decline of poverty has been attributed to a large range of income brackets across regions and sectors, and unmanaged population growth. The Philippines poverty rate is roughly the same level as Haiti. The government planned to eradicate poverty as stated in the Philippines development plan 2011-2016 (PDP). The PDP for those six years are an annual economic growth of 7-8% and the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGS). Under the MDGS, Philippines committed itself to having extreme poverty from a 33.1% in 1991 t o 16.6% by 2015. see more:essays on crimes Poverty reduction has not kept up with GDP growth rates, largely due to the high unemployment rate, high inflation rate and wide income inequality. The official rate of unemployment for 2012 in the Philippines was 6.8 per cent. Crime, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law. In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law. Poverty and crime have a very intimate relationship that has been described by experts from all fields, from sociologists to economists. The UN and the World Bank both rank crime high on the list of obstacles to a country’s development. This means that governments trying to deal with poverty often also have to face the issue of crime as they try to develop their country’s economy and society. In the countries where social discrimination factor isn’t very strong, results have shown that less education meant more criminal offenses ranging from property to casual theft and drug-related offenses. It appears  that in fact, poverty itself more tied with violence, criminal damage and also drug use- as a catalyst to violence. There are huge consequences of this kind of research for public policy and the positive impact of keeping children in school and reducing poverty.