It is true that socio-economic factors do play a part in the incidence of crime. In the district where I presently live, one dosen't have to look to hard to see evidence of that - i.e. in the former forest industry towns of New Zealand's North Island, where once every unskilled worker was practically guaranteed a job in a forestry crew, thus keeping him out of mischief during the daylight hours Monday to Friday. Reforms in the industry that were implemented 30 years ago, though, have left consequences that you wouldn't want to know about!
However, caution has to be exercised here. It is all too easy to apportion blame to everybody and everything except the criminal himself.
As I recall it being reported in Time magazine, the noticeable reductions in crime which occurred in America during the early 1990s largely happened because the police returned focus onto their primary role - that of harassing the criminal element. Growing up during the late 1950s and through the 1960s, I lived in fear (bordering on mortal terror!) of the local policeman.
No doubt, there are those around who would direct a stream of tomatoes at me for saying this, but I do believe the community would be one hell of a lot safer if every one of us was absolutely $h#t-scared of the man (or woman) in a blue uniform.
