City Demographics and Crime Profile in New York City - Essay Example

City Demographics and Crime Profile in New York City Introduction Numerous theoretical perspectives and approaches have been established to explain criminal tendencies and rates among communities. One of these theories is the social structure theory, which postulates that neighborhoods that are marked by poverty and other forms of economic deprivation are more likely to experience higher crime rates than less poverty-stricken communities. The high poverty rate communities also experience high population turnover, which further translates into population heterogeneity and the establishment of informal social structures (Siegel, 2008). Consequent to the emergence of these informal social structures, it becomes quite difficult to achieve any form of social order in such neighborhoods. Crime rates in major world cities such as New York and other communities have been found to be correlated to disorder, poverty, and signs of a deteriorated community such as abandoned buildings and factories. In addition, cities such as New York are inhabited by people from all over the world attracted by the American dream of equal opportunity, freedom, and prosperity. Those who fail to achieve these dreams, in many instances, resort to criminal activities. The reality is that the socioeconomic structure of the society is so unequal that some people fail to prosper, prompting them to turn to illegal and criminal methods to try to realize their dreams (Siegel, 2008). This drop out or retreat from the daily struggles lead some citizens into gangs, violence, and drug use among other crimes. This paper explores the relationship between the City of New York’s demographics and the role of socioeconomic status and values in criminological theories. Demographics of New York City To understand the crime rates and trends in New York City, it is imperative that the city’s social and intellectual context is thoroughly analyzed. Although some would state that everyone in New York City is driving after money like all the rest, there is actually an intellectual class in the City, which promotes a culture of literacy and intellect. The objective of this class of citizens is to ensure that the city remains at par with the intellectual levels of other world cities where criminal and other anti-social activities are discouraged. Instead, this class promotes the positive use of intellect to achieve individual and communal objectives. This intellectual class encompasses men of letters, businessmen, academicians, politicians, professionals, clubs, and other types of organizations. The emergence of this intellectual class could be traced to after World War I during which an academic culture was modeled in most cities in the U.S. Consequently, a pluralistic society has been established in New York City, making it an international capital of world cultures and change. New York City has since developed intellectually, particularly in the last two or three decades during which it has flourished as a center for culture, arts, new ideas, and creativity. The intellectual ascendancy that New York City has experienced has resulted into a lot of social, economic, and political interactions within and without the boarders of the city, shaping the intellectual lives and perceptions of its citizens. It has thus been established that the social and intellectual demographics of major world cities and other types of communities have direct relationship with the nature, trend, rate, and severity of crimes in the said communities. For instance, there are numerous sources of information not only on the demographics of New York City but also on the interconnection of the City’s socioeconomic status indicated in the statistics and its crime rate. Demographics, crime statistics, and census information are thus some of the useful sources of crime rate information that law enforcement agencies and personnel use in preventing and fighting crime. Among the socioeconomic factors that influence crime rate in the City of New York are per capita income, family and individual income, and real estate value. The table below shows some of the demographic information about New York City that is available in the databases of various government departments at the end of 2010 (United States Census Bureau, 2010). Population 8,175,133 Persons under 18 years 28.3% Persons over 65 years 13.5% White persons 65.7% Black persons, 15.9% Living in same house 1 year & over 88.3% High school graduates 83.8% Bachelor's degree or higher 31.8% Homeownership rate per year 55.7% New York, the largest city in the United Sates of America is a rather ethnically diverse city according to the 2010 Census, following the long years of immigration it has experienced. A distinction should however be made between the New York City and New York State whose total human population is about 19 million. Besides its population density, the population diversity is the other prominent demographic feature of New York City. Perhaps, with its 26,403 people per square mile density, New York is the most densely populated area in the United States of America (United States Census Bureau, 2011). The income level in New York City is marred by widespread variations with areas such as Manhattan recording the highest variations. In Manhattan, while the highest income earners in the U.S take home $188,697, the lowest income households earn about $9,000.Among the reasons cited for these variations is rapid wage growth for those in the high income bracket (United States Census Bureau, 2011). The city’s crime statistics show clear evidence on the existence of a correlation between the demographics and crime. The Role of Socioeconomic Status and Values in Criminological Theory From the relationship between socioeconomic status and crime type and rate in the City of New York, it may be asserted without fear of contradiction that the socioeconomic status of a population has far-reaching effects on the crime trends in the community. Theories have consequently been postulated to explain crime rates and trends on the basis of a community’s socioeconomic status (Roberts, 2007). These theoretical models of explaining criminology emphasize the central role played the social structure and economic status and structure of a community such as race, gender, ethnicity, and religion on criminology (Roberts, 2007). That is, the above variables have always been identified to greatly influence or correlate with crime or delinquency. They are thus vital control variables that the relevant authorities may use in preventing and controlling crimes within their areas of jurisdiction. Second, these variables are important considerations in the assessment of the association between neighborhoods identified with particular socioeconomic status and delinquency rates. While race may be measured using white as the reference point, gender is measured as male or female and age is considered a rather continuous measure of demographics, just like socioeconomic status (Roberts, 2007). The socioeconomic status of a community, as relates to criminology is often measured using household income, education level of spouses, and the income of caregivers. In other words, socioeconomic status is also a continuous measure in which high scores depict high family socioeconomic status (Yang, 2003). The social and economic-structural theories of criminology therefore argue that a person’s social and economic position in the society plays a central role in his/her involvement in criminal activities (Yang, 2003). That is, a person’s position may act as a constraint towards his/her indulging in criminal activities by defining and restricting his/her behavior and perceptions. Although the same code of morals applies across the society, some people, owing to their position in the society, are more apt in adhering to these codes than others. For quite some time, the socioeconomic status and it the resultant strain in the lower class status have been the focus of social-structural theorists who emphasize that crime is an adaptation to the restrictions that a social position places on an individual’s behavior (Yang, 2003). Conclusion Like in many other world cities or regions, the socioeconomic status of New York City’s population plays a somewhat central role in determining its crime types, rates, and trends. Many theories such as the Strain theory (social class), Sub-cultural theory, and the Social disorganization theories are some of the theories that underline the role of a community’s or an individual’s socioeconomic status on its propensity to commit a crime. In the United States, the promise of opportunities, prosperity, and equality, which serve as the driving force behind its citizens to achieve better lives, has led many failed citizens to resorts to illegal or criminal activities since the socioeconomic stratification of the society does not allow for expected equality. References Roberts, S. (2007). In Surge in Manhattan Toddlers, Rich White Families Lead Way. The New York Times. Retrieved on October 21, 2011 from http://2010.census.gov/2010census/. Siegel, L. J. (2008). Criminology: theories, patterns, and typologies, tenth edition. Wadsworth Publishing. United States Census Bureau. (2011). U.S. Census Bureau Delivers New York's 2010 Census Population Totals. Retrieved from www.census.gov/newsroom/.../2010_census/cb11 on October 21, 2011. Yang, Y. (2003). Measuring socioeconomic status and its effects at individual and collective levels: a cross-country comparison (Goteborg studies in educational sciences). Goteborgs University. Read More