NCJ Number
91050
Date Published
1983
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Unemployment and other labor market variables are connected with crime, but the linkage is not well-defined or clearly quantifiable.
Abstract
The crime rate has a cyclical pattern, with crime rising over the cycle with unemployment, but the relationship is weak. Changes in crime rates are dominated by other factors. In addition, empirical evidence shows that criminals have poorer work records than noncriminals, but only limited evidence exists to support the view that once a person embarks on crime, moderate changes in these market opportunities will cause a choice of legitimate means of earning money. A loose link exists between the widely different crime rates of various cities and labor market conditions. In studies that include measures of criminal sanctions and labor market factors, sanctions tend to have a greater impact on criminal behavior than do market factors. Thus, job creation is unlikely to have a major effect on persons who have already started a career of crime. However, research should focus on the possibility that labor market forces can affect the behavior of young people who have not yet engaged in crime. (Author summary modified)