Is poverty the mother of crime?

Question

I believe that Marcus Aurelius uttered this statement: "Poverty is the mother of crime." Was he correct?

Marcus Aurelius

(Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus), 121—180, Roman emperor, named originally Marcus Annius Verus. He was a nephew of Faustina, the wife of Antoninus Pius, who adopted him. Marcus married Antoninus' daughter, another Faustina. From youth he was a diligent student and a zealous Stoic. With his adoptive brother, Lucius Verus, as colleague, Marcus succeeded Antoninus in 161. Verus allowed him to dominate, and from 169 Marcus was sole emperor. His reign was spent defending the empire against Parthians, Germans, and Britons. He won a victory over the Marcomanni (167—168), which was commemorated by the Antonine column (Piazza Colonna, Rome), erected by his son and successor, Commodus. Devoted to his duty and humanitarian in his conception of it, Marcus Aurelius was concerned with improving living conditions for the poor, particularly minors.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry/MarcusAu

Answer 1

I don't think you can point to any one thing and say that it is the "mother of crime." Different people have different motivations for committing the same crime, and one person may commit different crimes with different motivations. Poverty is one motivation for "crime" in that in the face of a lack of other ways to be able to eat, most people will steal. On the other hand alcohol, drugs, passionate rage, and greed are all common motives. Many minor crimes are even committed by accident, for example speeding, selling alcohol to a minor, or bringing fruit across a border when it is forbidden. In these cases, people just aren't paying attention.

That said, I believe that your question is on a deeper level, you want to know whether poverty will always produce crime. Not that every poor person is a criminal, but whether a person's poverty level can be a reliable predictor of criminal activity, or whether there is a strong correlation between criminal activity and poverty level. I think that poverty does encourage people to commit certain kinds of crimes. A sense of hopelessness leads people into drug abuse for example, and many homeless people find that laws target them, so they are charged with trespassing and unlawful as a result of their search for a place to stay dry over night.

However, many other crimes are committed almost exclusively by rich people, and these crimes are perhaps less often brought into the open and prosecuted. Many people already answering this question have cited Enron as an example. Martha Stewart is another well known case of "white collar crime" as it is called. However, much more common are the people who cheat on their taxes, who violate wage labor laws, who hire undocumented immigrants, or children who are too young to work and pay them less than the minimum wage. Poor people rarely are computer hackers, nor are they usually responsible for the newest computer virus that makes us afraid to open e-mails. All of these crimes are very common, but generally committed in the privacy of ones own home, and often gotten clean away with.

Therefore, I believe that there is a positive correlation between poverty levels and criminal convictions, at least inside of the United States, however not necessarily between poverty and crime levels.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Marcus Aurelius said that. And its partially true. People will commit crimes so long as the benefit outweigh the costs. So a rich person will commit a crime if the perceived benefit exceeds the cost. However, since rich people are well off. The benefit would have to be pretty big to justify the cost since they have such high standards for living. Its like buying a rich girl a new car. Her father already bought her a new car. So that wont impress her much.

However for poor folks. They are easy to bid on. If they are poor enough. They will do it for food.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZUrj_D13_Y

Answer 4

That is wrong. If that is true then all poor people would have committed crime. But the fact is different; more crimes are done by educated and wealthy people only. For few, poverty may be a triggering factor but that cannot be the only one factor.

Please note that at least 1/2 of the world population is poor. And do you expect me to believe that all these poor people are criminals. Those who say so are more criminals.

Answer 5

not all the time. some poor people are really good people. and in some countries, there are more poverty stricken people than the elites. we can't say that they are criminals already. Sometimes, the criminals are in the elites and have a really good way in hiding ones. It's called GREED. they have much already yet they want more...

on the other hand, the statement is partially true for the case:

poverty might lead to the need of money or release of poverty pressure by taking drugs- then doing things that are beyond sane like criminal activies...

Answer 6

Surely not. Crime has six mothers
They are 1)infatuation 2) Anger 3)covetousness 4) Lust
5) Pride - and 6) jealousy.
Desire is the father.

Answer 7

Yes Poverty is the mother of crime....... but this statement is not applied in developed countries coz there if a person is jobless the government pay him/her some alounces but in thirdworld countries there is no such things like this and most of the people are poor so to look after them selves and there families they commit crimes...

Answer 8

Nope, it's greed. Although I think that poverty is the mother of foolish crimes. You know, the ones you can get caught for and go directly to jail. Not like the Enron guys who have to have a lengthy investigation and trial before they finally go down. Of course, with those guys, only maybe one in ten will go down. You can't say they were or are now poor, though.

Answer 9

Who is this Marcus Aurelius tell me all about him. He is absolutely right.

Being poor is the saddest thing to be in a world with people who flaunt being rich


.... sometimes being poor makes you desperate.. and depressed... angry and sometimes being poor makes one full of hate and feel unjust...


so sometimes poor people turn to a life a crime

Answer 10

In a way yes. Not oonly material poverty, but also a poverty of respect. Look at many of the successful crime-prevention programs and what they do, they try to build a sense of self-respect and self-worth.