Title: How Income Inequality Affects Crime Rates - Financesonline.com
Headings: How Income Inequality Affects Crime Rates
How Income Inequality Affects Crime Rates
Income Inequality as Determinant of Crime Rate
Wealth Gaps and Crime Rate
The Role of Income Inequality Reduction
By Allan Jay

Content: While property crimes generally decreased, violent crimes have increased but on a lesser pace. The highest homicide levels are found in the Americas and Africa region, with the lowest homicide levels generally in countries in Europe. Majority of countries that provided trend data show decreasing or stable homicide rates. However, the Latin Americas show high and increasing rates, and these are linked to prevalence of organized crime, gang activities, and drug trafficking. The U.S. reports a continuous decrease in crime rates in the last 4 years for violent crimes (murder, homicide, rape, robbery) and 8 years for property crimes (burglary, theft, arson). Nationwide in 2010, there were an estimated 1,246,248 violent crimes, with robbery accounting for 29.4 percent of this category, costing $532 million in total, or an average loss of $1,258 per victim. Property crime numbered at 9,082,887. Homicide. The same UNODC report showed that the 2012 worldwide rate for intentional homicide, or the unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person, was at 6.9, or 7 out of every 100,000 population. There is low homicide levels in countries from Europe, Asia, and North America, which correspond to these regions’ criminal justice and public health data.