Poverty and inequality not key reasons for law breaking
OPINION:CRIME HAS fallen sharply since the economy crashed.
There are three likely explanations for less lawlessness: more
jailing, fewer youths and lower consumption of intoxicants.
Before looking at the likely causes of falling crime, it is
worth debunking the notion that recession, poverty and
inequality make people break laws. Reported crime rates in
Europe and North America rose sharply in the three decades from
the 1950s, despite the advent of mass prosperity. In most
European countries more recently, crime rates have continued to
rise or stabilised. Recessions have had no discernible effect.
Nor has poverty. Worldwide homicide rates illustrate this. They
show a link between income levels and killings is non-existent.
Russia, a middle-income country, has a very high murder rate.
India has more people living on less than $1 a day than any
other country, but its murder rate is a fraction of Russia’s.
Colombians are richer than Bolivians but are five