Rise of Petty Crimes in the South West Due To the Recent Recession

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Aims and Objectives2

Problem Statement2

Research Questions3

Structure of the thesis3

LITERATURE REVIEW4

Society and Crime4

Unemployment and Crime6

METHODOLOGY8

Research Design8

Position of the Researcher9

Ethical Considerations9

REFERENCES11

INTRODUCTION

This chapter gives a background to the problem and explains why it is of research interest. It includes the purpose, aims and objectives, and the research questions. Finally, a brief paragraph about the significance of the research topic area is also provided. This chapter also includes the structure of the thesis, which will briefly explain the flow of the thesis and subject covered in every chapter.

Background of the Study

The relationship between unemployment and crime has occupied criminological researchers as much as any other topic during the twentieth century. Social research has shown the consequences of unemployment to be harmful psychologically, as well as monetarily, and it is a prime candidate for a determinant of crime (Chiricos 1987, 187). Almost every major theory of crime causation can be cited as making a prediction on some aspect of this topic. Yet despite these arguments, a large body of empirical research has failed to establish a consistent relationship between unemployment and criminal activity (Chiricos 1987, 187). This study will re-examine the relationship between inequality, unemployment and crime by focussing on the association between the national unemployment rate and the petty crimes of robbery, shoplifting, theft and disturbing the peace/public nuisance.

In September of 2010, a Research determined that the recession, which began in December of 2007 and ended in June of 2009, is the longest economic recession in post-World War II period. With the unemployment rate in the double digits for the first time since the recession of the 1980's and more than 8.4 million jobs lost, many wonder if the impact of the recession will ever cease. The unemployment rate in the Britain has doubled since then.

This paper attempts seeks to understand the causal relationship between the 2007/2008 economic recession and petty crimes, from 2005 to 2009 using the unemployment rate as a measure of economic health.

Aims and Objectives

The reason for conducting this research is to investigate whether the petty crimes in the south west have increased due to the recent recession, which has caused unemployment and inequality within the society. The research objectives are stated below:

To understand the causes and effects unemployment and inequality within the society.

To understand the relationship between unemployment, inequality and petty crimes within the society.

Problem Statement

Controlling the crime rate and maintaining the rule of law are fundamental goals of any administration. In 2008, at the heels of a period of increasing unemployment combined with escalating crime rate, the rate of petty crimes also increased. In an economic recession, the rise in the unemployment rate and the fall in real income create an untenable situation for thousands of unemployed individuals, who frequently must turn to illicit means to support their families. Several experts have studied the connection between the unemployment rate and crime over the years. Hence, the problem statement for the ...