Synopsis Poverty

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ABSTRACT

Poverty in Pakistan is a growing concern. It is a fact that most of the crimes that occur

are due to poverty. The aim of the present study is to analyze the perceptions of rural

people about impact of poverty and other socio-psychological factors on crime in

District Faisalabad. Multistage sampling techniques will be used for the collection of

data. At the first stage Tehsil Faisalabad will be selected. At the second stage two

union counsels will be selected randomly. At the third stage four villages (two from

each UC) will be selected. A sample of 120 respondents (30 from each village) will

be selected. The data will be collected with the help of well designed interview

schedule, which will be analyzed through statistical techniques such as frequency

distribution and bivariate analysis alongiwth chi-square and gamma test. The results

will be presented in the form of Tables.


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INTRODUCTION

Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from

decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment. Between

2001-07, however, poverty levels decreased by 10%, as Islamabad steadily raised

development spending. Between 2004-07, GDP growth in the 5-8% range was spurred by

gains in the industrial and service sectors - despite severe electricity shortfalls - but

growth slowed in 2008-09 and unemployment rose. Inflation remains the top concern

among the public, climbing from 7.7% in 2007 to more than 13% in 2010. In addition,

the Pakistani rupee has depreciated since 2007 as a result of political and economic

instability. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby

Arrangement in November 2008 in response to a balance of payments crisis, but during

2009-10 its current account strengthened and foreign exchange reserves stabilized -

largely because of lower oil prices and record remittances from workers abroad. Record

floods in July-August 2010 lowered agricultural output and contributed to a jump in

inflation, and reconstruction costs will strain the limited resources of the government.

Textiles account for most of Pakistan's export earnings, but Pakistan's failure to expand aviable export base for other manufactures has left the country vulnerable to shifts in

world demand. Other long term challenges include expanding investment in education,

healthcare, and electricity production, and reducing dependence on foreign donors (CIA

World Factbook, 2011).

Poverty in Pakistan is a growing concern. Although the middle-class has grown in

Pakistan to 35 million, nearly one-quarter of the population is classified poor as of

October 2006. As of 2008, 17.2% of the total population lives below the poverty line,

which is the lowest figure in the history of Pakistan. The declining trend in poverty as

seen in the country during the 1970s and 1980s was reversed in the 1990s by poor federal

policies and rampant corruption. This phenomenon has been referred to as the poverty

bomb. government of Pakistan with help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund


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has prepared an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper that suggests guidelines to

reduce poverty in the country (Wikipedia, 2011).

Poverty, or poorness is the lack of income source to buy food. In some cases it is

not only the state of having income that is below the line of poverty but it is also the

inability to sustain a specified level of well being (Ali, 2008).

It is in fact that most of the crimes that occur are due to poverty, except for

countries where the minimum necessities of life are met. No matter how much moral the

person is, if the poverty threatens his or her life then he/she is likely to indulge into such

criminal acts and could try to attack the prevailing social structure. Some times honest

people who hate corruption from depth of their beings fail to keep their mental balance

and due to the pressure of poverty and resort to crimes just to maintain their existence. In

such circumstances the judge only looks at the crime committed instead of finding out the

cause that lead the committer to such an act. What happens is the person is sent to jail and

is labeled as a criminal and after his release he is further humiliated by the society and

therefore is forced to become a habitual thief (Ali, 2008).

Crime is the established cause and consequence of poverty. It ripples on in the

form of insecurity and underdevelopment. The application of ways to prevent crime andensure criminal justice primarily involves a thorough understanding of the relationship

between crime and poverty. Poverty only spells greater instability and enormous

suffering two basic factors that promote crime. This terrible relationship has resulted in

extensive social damage in Central and South America, Western Asia and Africa, not

leaving out certain regions in Europe. The developing and under developed nations are

most vulnerable to the crime and poverty trap. One results from the other and together

they have become an epidemic. Something beyond human comprehension and the only

solution probably lies in the total eradication of poverty, which is going to take us quite a

while (Borade, 2010)

Poverty is curse and it is said to be mother of crimes. It is in fact that most of the

crimes that occur are due to poverty. It is a multi-faceted phenomenon which


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become cause of crime in society. Other Major causes are unemployment and illiteracy

rate but there are some other factors too like lawlessness, fundamentalism, backwardness

and double standards prevailing in the society. People around the world always think of

Pakistanis as terrorists- we arent all like that. Yes, I agree that there is a high crime rate,

however, most Pakistanis in the lesser civilized areas of Pakistan suffer from extreme

depths of poverty, which is somewhat the main reason for high crime rates. What

Pakistani government is doing for the betterment of its nation is the question in minds of

every Pakistani. Pakistani nation is disappointed that the government is not going to

provide safety and security to any one the properties and lives are not protected.

Frustration and aggression among youth is also becoming the cause of crime in Pakistani

society youth could change the future of country but in Pakistan youth are not given any

rights nor there is security of their futures almost every Pakistani is in dept Pakistan is

facing a crucial financial crunch and it will remain the same. There are no jobs and if

some so there is no job safety people are disappointed and due to that they become

frustrated conduct crime like theft taking bribers and what not. In Pakistani society there

is no rule and regulation and due to lack of judiciary there is no fear of being punished so

this also contributes in increase in crime rate. What measures should be adopted by the

government to reduce the increasing crime rate some suggestion which I received from

Pakistani youth are (Nayyabs Block, 2010).

Objectives

1. To study the socio-economic characteristics of respondents.

2. To find out the perception of people towards impact of poverty and other

socio-psychological factors on crime.

3. To investigate the reasons behind the crimTo explain the effects of poverty on

crime

4. To suggest some policy measure towards poverty crime reduction


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REVIEW OF LITERTURE

Short (1997) stated that because of the manner in which population density

influences living conditions (ie: houses vs. apartment complexes), it was also likely to be

correlated with both poverty and crime. He found that more densely populated

neighborhoods tend to be poorer, have higher percentages of persons in the age range of

12 to 20, have larger concentrations of single-parent households, and larger nonwhite

populations. This study first examines how poverty affects crime. Then, controlling for

the aforementioned factors - race, unemployment, personal income, population density,

geographic location, and age distribution - it again examines the relationship between

crime and poverty and how this relationship is influenced when these factors are held

constant. It was concluded that the poverty is a cause of crime.

Ludwig et al. (2000) found that the crime exists everywhere in the United States

in rural and urban areas, in the East and West, and among all types of people. This had

led many government officials, especially those in urban areas, to focus largely on the

reduction of crime among their respective constituencies and has led others to speculate

on the factors that influence the amount of crime and how those factors could be

controlled. Povertys effects on crime could be explained through a variety of reasons.

There was a higher rate of mental illness in the poor than in the rich. Poverty could

lead to high levels of stress that in turn may lead individuals to commit theft, robbery, or

other violent acts. Moreover, poverty may lead to an actual or perceived inferior

education, which would cause youth to count on less access to quality schools, jobs, and

role models, decreasing the opportunity costs of crime and increasing the probability of

youth spending time on the street associating with gangs, etc. However, many other

factors influence crime and were correlated with poverty as well. Higher unemployment

would certainly increase poverty and at the same time lead to more crime due to

depression associated with being unemployed. Personal income per capita, which was

inversely correlated with the poverty level, still may increase crime since greater wealth

means greater benefits to thieves and robbers. Furthermore, because of social class gaps,

personal income per capita rates may not affect poverty to a great extent (the income may


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be concentrated in a small percentage of the population). It might even accentuate the

difference between the upper and lower classes, thereby inducing more crime.

Barr (2002) found that crime causing poverty. It was once a shibboleth that

poverty causes crime, but today I think it is clear that crime is causing poverty.

Businesses are driven from crime-ridden neighborhoods, taking jobs and opportunities

with them. Potential investors and would-be employers are scared away. Existing owners

are deterred from making improvements on their property, and as property values go

down, owners disinvest in their property. I know a small contractor who tried to

rehabilitate inner-city housing for low-income tenants. He had to give up because drug

addicts would break in, rip out his improvements, and sell them for drug money. They

would even come in regularly and take out all of the piping in the building and sell it forscrap. This contractor obviously couldn't continue like that, and like many others has just

stopped his efforts to rehabilitate housing.

William (2007) found that the relationship between poverty and crime had been a

controversial subject over the years. He argued that poverty did not have a causal

relationship to crime because there were countries in which poverty was very high but the

crime rate was relatively low. I would say that in this country it would be hard to argue

that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty. Poor people make up the

overwhelming majority of those behind bars as 53% of those in prison earned less than

$10,000 per year before incarceration. He stated that sociologist and criminal justice

scholars have found a direct correlation between poverty and crime. One economic

theory of crime assumed that people weigh the consequences of committing crime. They

resort to crime only if the cost or consequences are outweighed by the potential benefits

to be gained. The logical conclusion to this theory is that people living in poverty were

far more likely to commit property crimes such as burglary, larceny, or theft.

Wittrock (2007) demonstrated that children living in poverty were at a higher risk

for engaging in delinquent behavior. The family context plays an important role in child

outcomes. He argued that poverty affects delinquency by affecting family processes.

Research had shown that poverty increases family stress. Family stress, in turn, affects


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parent-child interactions. Public assistance programs were designed to buffer some the

negative effects of poverty; however, there has been little research examining how public

assistance receipt affects the relationship between poverty and delinquency. Specifically,

research has not examined whether or not public assistance receipt ameliorates some of

the negative effects of poverty on youths delinquent behavior. The results of this

research help to disentangle the effects of socio-economic status and family interaction

on delinquency, which has implications for both criminological theory and public policy.

Ahmad (2009) stated that in Pakistan this thing was common that who belongs to

a rich family could passes all the stages of life very easily no matter how difficult were

they but have we ever think about those who doesnt have a strong background ?who

doesnt belongs to a rich family? who doesnt have some one at there back who cansupport them ? and the simple answer of this difficult ans is NO. Research said that the

children who grow up in poor families with a low social status are prone to experiencing

unhealthy stress levels. He thought not more then 5% of this type of population could

build there image in this healthy and full of bribe environment and this happens because

there luck is in there way which helps them at the time of need but what about the other

95% of population what they do ?How they manage? How they Live? What are the

difficulties that they face? and at last what they do to overcome these all stress full

tensions and the answer was that most of them involved in doing crimes however they

starts from a low level but at the end they reach to a place where they become the sign of

danger for the others and even for the whole nation.

METHODOLOGY

Methodology is a discipline, studying the behavior of human beings in various

social settings. According to Nachmias and Nachmias (1992) the scientific methodology

is a system of explicit rules and procedures upon which research is based and against

which the claims for knowledge are evaluated.

The main objective of methodology is to explain various tools and techniques

employed for a data collection, analysis and interpretation of data related to research

problem. Multistage sampling techniques will be used for the collection of data. At the

first stage Tehsil Faisalabad will be selected. At the second stage two union counsils will


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be selected randomly. At the third stage four village (two from each UC) will be selected.

A sample of 120 respondents (30 from each village) will be selected.

The data will be collected with the help of well designed interview schedule

which will be analyzed through statistical analysis to draw conclusion and to formulate

suggestions for the improvement of the participation of female in decision making.

LITERATURE CITED

Ahmad, A. 2009. Poverty Vs Crime. Social Issues of Pakistan, Saturday, December 5,

2009.

Ali, S.F. 2008. Poverty the Mother of All Crimes. CN Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday March

9, 2008. Available at: http://citynoise.org/article/7879.

Available at: http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/pakistan/pakistan_economy.html.

Barr, W. 2002. Crime, Poverty and the Family. The Heritage Foundation. Available at:

http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/hl401nbsp-crime-poverty-and-

the-family

Borade, G. 2010. Crime and Poverty Prevention. Available at: H:\Poverty &

crime\Crime and Poverty Prevention.htm.

CIA World Factbook, 2011. Pakistan Economy 2011.

Geo News, 2011. Pakistan poverty is the mother of crime. Pakistan Geo Tv News Sindhi

News 2011. http://www.friendsmania.net/forum/pakistan-geo-tv-news-

sindhi-news-2011/75423.htm

Ludwig, J., J.D. Greg, and P. Hirschfield. 2000. Urban Poverty and Juvenile Crime:

Evidence From a Randomized Housing-Mobility Experiment. 20 April

2000. http://www.jcpr.org/wpfiles/duncan.ludwig.revise4-25.PDF>

Nachmias, D. and C. Nachmias. 1992. Research methods in the social sciences. 4th

Edition Martins press Inc. New York.

Nayyab Blog, 2010. Increase crime rate in Pakistan. Nayyabs Blog. Karachi Dairy,

World Press. http://nayyab.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/increasing-crime-

rate-in-pakistan/

Short, J.F. 1997. Poverty, Ethnicity, and Violent Crime. Boulder, CO: Westview Press,

1997.
http://citynoise.org/article/7879http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/pakistan/pakistan_economy.htmlhttp://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/hl401nbsp-crime-poverty-and-the-familyhttp://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/hl401nbsp-crime-poverty-and-the-familyhttp://nayyab.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/increasing-crime-rate-in-pakistan/http://nayyab.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/increasing-crime-rate-in-pakistan/http://citynoise.org/article/7879http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/pakistan/pakistan_economy.htmlhttp://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/hl401nbsp-crime-poverty-and-the-familyhttp://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/hl401nbsp-crime-poverty-and-the-familyhttp://nayyab.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/increasing-crime-rate-in-pakistan/http://nayyab.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/increasing-crime-rate-in-pakistan/


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Wikipedia, 2011. Poverty in Pakistan. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_Pakistan

William, J. 2007. Poverty and crime. Christian Association for Prison Aftercare.

Available at:

http://www.capaassociation.org/newsletter_N009/Articles/PovertyCrime.h

tm

Wittrock, S. 2007. ""Poverty and Crime: The Role of Public Assistance Receipt."" Paper

presented at the annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF

CRIMINOLOGY, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia.

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p201655_index.html
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