Economic Causes

• economic causes - poverty

  Poverty is major cause of crime. In areas of high deprivation

  there tends to be high rate of crime. Society attaches a lot of

  importance to material things such as having the right phone, the right house, clothes and lifestyle. For those who cannot afford these things as well as the basics to survive in life they may turn to crimes such as theft to provide what they can’t afford. For example, around 25% of all crimes of dishonesty are when people steal from shops items such as food and clothing.
• economic causes - greed

  Greed is when someone has the very selfish desire to get more and more of something and this is often money. People may turn to crime out of jealousy or to live a life that they cannot afford. For example, the former SNP MP Natalie McGarry was jailed for embezzling more than £25,000, including donations intended for a foodbank.
• economic causes - unemployment

  If someone doesn’t have the skills they need to get a job that

  pays enough to have a good life then they would be unemployed. This might mean that they have fewer options to make a living legally. For example, historically in areas like Glasgow’s Maryhill where unemployment is higher there is also a higher number of gangs with people being killed in gangland shootings while at traffic lights.