Poverty is one of the most difficult challenges that the world is facing today. According to the World Bank Organization, poverty is many things; it can be hunger, not being able to access education due to lack of school fees, lack of medication, lack of shelter, living hand to mouth or being jobless. However, poverty is the state of having inadequate resources and income, a factor that causes people to lack basic needs and luxuries. Notably, poverty is the root cause of criminal activities. Although poverty plays an imperative role in activating criminal activities, one cannot say with clarity that it is exclusively the main reason why people indulge in such vices. It is imperative to note that there is a rich lot that engages in criminal activities. Weatherburn (2001) argues that crime could be blamed on poor parental upbringing skills, self-esteem issues, drug abuse and alcohol, hormones, and peer pressure among many other causes.

However, in countries and regions where majority of the people are poor, the levels of crime are high. They engage in crime for purposes of having better living standards. For example, the residents of ghettos and city slums have low incomes, lack jobs, and often live from hand to mouth. This is as a result of their low socioeconomic status. They lack serious funding for education. This situation makes it difficult for such children to access better jobs, as they lack the required qualifications for the jobs (Nwaokoro, Marshall, & Mittal, 2013).

For survival, these children are prompted to turn to crime. They could turn to drug trafficking, gangs, prostitution, hijacking, rape, kidnapping, money laundry, and other criminal activities for survival. Crime does not start from poor regions. However, poverty is elicits people to engage in criminal activities. Most importantly, the more a child spends time in school, the less he/she is likely to engage in crime. Learning institutions will not just teach you about history or math, they impact morals and values on how to live and interact in society. In addition, poverty causes frustration. If the desire to live a good life and acquire the good things in life is not met, many people become frustrated. Poverty prevents people from meeting their basic needs. In turn, these frustrations cause bitterness, which often leads people to crime.

Moreover, poverty can make people desperate. Many researchers have associated desperation with women. They argue that women, who commit crime, do so out of desperation for survival as a result of poverty. Women with children relying on them for food, shelter, clothing and other basic needs may see crime as the only alternative for survival (Nwaokoro et al, 2013). In addition, acts of desperation causes many women to lack solutions to their problems and needs. According to a research study on “Crimes of Desperation,” in 1999, “the most common charge for women in Canada was theft under $5,000. Women charged with this crime lamented that they were stealing for themselves and their children; they needed basic things such as food, clothing, and their makeup, but were not able to purchase them (Milaney, 2008). Further, this study states that “the rates of stealing rise in August and is highest in December, the seasons associated with festivities.”

In conclusion, poverty and crime are correlated. However, one cannot generalize this argument. As much as crime is greatly linked to poverty, some poor people are decent and as such, live a straightforward life. Most poor people engage in crime in search of happiness and contentment in life, which is the sole desire for everyone. They are bitter and think they are denied their rights for better living. This way, they opt for shortcuts to acquire wealth. Crime is associated with poverty because the poor would like to have better living standards. On the other hand, the rich commit crimes in fear of being poor. It is imperative to note that the key objective of these two groups is to avoid poverty.

References
Milaney, K. (2008). Crimes of desperation: The truth about poverty-related crime. Retrieved Apr 15, 2018 from http://www.calgaryunitedway.org/images/uwca/our-work/communities/public-policy-research/Crimes%20of%20%20Desperation%20Final%20mar08.pdf
Nwaokoro, A. N., Marshall, C., & Mittal, S. (2013). Exploratory study of the relationship between poverty and crimes in Albany/Dougherty, Georgia. Journal of Business & Economics Research (Online),  11(6), 277. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1418707101?accountid=45049
Weatherburn, D. (2001). Contemporary issues in crime and justice. Crime and justice bulletin.