Ethnography, Inequality, and Crime in the Low-Income Community (From Crime and Inequality, P 80-94, 1995, John Hagan and Ruth D. Peterson, eds. - See NCJ-157570)

• NCJ Number: 157574
• Author(s): M S Jankowski
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Stanford University Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter uses data drawn from an ethnographic gang study conducted from 1977 through 1988 to discuss to discuss contributions of ethnography to understanding the dynamics between conditions of inequality and criminality.

Abstract

The data presented here indicate that the crimes an individual is more likely to commit are related to the level of inequality that person has experienced. The experience of status deprivation influences whether an individual will commit a crime, what type of crime will be committed, and the individual's rate of criminal participation. The data also suggest an indirect relationship between inequality and violent crimes, which is often concealed by the seemingly more direct effects of frustration, resentment, and jealousy. Finally, the data show a relationship between inequality and criminality only under certain circumstances, and only affecting a small number of people.