Table of Contents

CHAPTER

PAGE

1) Acknowledgements

3
2) Introduction

4
3) Literature Review

6
4) Data Collection Sources

9
5) Presentation and Analysis of Data

10
6) Discussion of Findings

16
7) Conclusion

18
8) Limitations

19
9) Recommendations

21
10) Bibliography

22
11) Appendix

23

1
Acknowledgements
Apart from the efforts of myself, the success of any project depends largely on the

encouragement and guidelines of many others. I take this opportunity to express

my gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful

completion of this research project.

First and foremost, thanks be to God for blessing me with the patience and

understanding needed to complete this Caribbean Studies Internal Assessment.

I would also like to show my greatest appreciation to Mrs. Edlin Rochford. Thank you

for the continuous help and support during the obstacles I faced in doing this paper

and for clearly outlining what was required of me to successfully complete this IA.

Sincerest thanks to my family and Caribbean Studies classmates at Holy Faith

Convent, Couva, for the love and support and all help they gave in doing this

project.

If it werent for all of you, the successful completion of this SBA would not have

been possible.

2
Introduction
Problem Statement

An investigation to determine the extent to which the level of crime in Calcutta

Road #2, Freeport is a result of the prevalence of poverty among the youths of the

area.

Statement of the Problem

Criminal activity by youth is on the rise globally. In the United Kingdom

approximately one tenth of the population are under the age of eighteen (18), but

are responsible for 23% of all crimes committed there. Poverty seems to be one of

the leading causes of youth crime. Living in a country where over 20% of the

population live below the poverty line and crime being a major issue, this research

paper focuses on the relationship between crime and poverty amongst youths in

Calcutta Road #2, Freeport.

3
Main Research Question

The primary research question presented in this research project is:

How does the existence high poverty rates impact crime among the youths
living in Calcutta Road #2, Freeport?
Supporting Research Questions

Is poverty an issue in this community?

Do residents see a trend in the prevalence of crime among young people in

the community?
What other factors lead to crime in the area?
What measures can be taken to reduce this occurrence in this community?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to both highlight the issue of criminal activity by youths

being linked to poverty among them as well as to suggest measures to eliminate

this issue.

Value of the Study

This study is aimed to highlight the issue of youth crime being connected to poverty

so that the relevant authorities can implement measures to prevent it from being a

more widespread issue. Reducing poverty among the youth population along with

other factors will ultimately steer them into directions other than crime and our

country will be a safer environment for the entire population and future generations.

This study would there be very beneficial to the authorities responsible for both

social ills presented and discussed as well as the youth of the country, to being

awareness to them so that they may hopefully deter from that path if they havent

yet done so.

4
Technical Terms

Juvenile delinquency- the habitual committing of criminal acts or offences by a

young person, especially one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution

is possible.

Poverty- Condition where people's basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are

not being met.

Crime- Harmful act or omission against the public which the State wishes to

prevent and which, upon conviction, is punishable by fine, imprisonment, and/or

death.

CSO- The Central Statistical Office is charged with the responsibility of taking

censuses in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Deviance- the fact or state of diverging from usual or accepted standards,

especially in social or sexual behaviour.

Literature Review
Poverty is the parent of crime (Aristotle). For this research project, a number of

local, regional and international sources were used in order to obtain information on

the relationship between crime and poverty through newspaper articles, case

studies, books and studies conducted by various professionals in the field.

According to Oxford University Press, juvenile delinquency is the habitual

committing of criminal acts or offences by a young person, especially one below the

age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible.

5
The impact of poverty on crime, an article published by the Trinidad Express on

August 4th 2012, gives an intimate expos on a former convict and his views on

why poverty is at the root of this countys burdening crime rate. Using the alias

Jay, the 25 year old speaks of his experience as a juvenile delinquent. The father of

two reminisces on the hardships faced by him and his siblings after being

abandoned by their father. He states, "After my father left us, things was tight; we

had no food, they cut the lights and I just wanted to help my mother, and these

fellas I met said it was easy, and I would make more money than working in the

supermarket packing boxes.

After two years stealing cables and making over $100,000 which was used to pay

bills, buy food and send his younger siblings to school, Jay was caught and spent 7

months in prison. He said that he never envisioned living a life of crime but he

believes that he had no choice. "I went to school, you know; I have my CXC

(Caribbean Examinations Council), and I took a truck-driving course a few years

ago, but I can't find a decent job. Is like they want people to rob and thief out here

'cause at this rate, that's all I have," he said.

Sheila Stuart, a social affairs officer at the Economic Commission for Latin America

and the Caribbeans sub-regional office for the Caribbean in Port of Spain,

corroborates Jays opinion. According to Stuart, its typical of a reoccurring cycle of

poverty.

She believes that poverty can have a negative effect on peoples quality of life,

opportunities available to them, and on their ability to participate fully in society.

According to Stuart, although there were people living in poverty, particularly

people living in urban settings, their pride often prevented them from reaching out

6
for social welfare or public assistance. When asked why these people would most

likely turn to crime, Stuart said one of the reasons could be that they prefer to try

and make ends meet on their own when compared to people living in a rural

setting. According to Ms. Stuart, it can be difficult to break out of the cycle of

poverty "as poor children are more likely to become poor adults."

In a research study, commissioned by the Association of Chief Officers of Probation

in the UK (February 14th 1993), it was found that young offenders 'are invariably

poor, often destitute and . . . barely able to muster significant resources to subsist'.

The sample comprised 1,389 youths on probation schemes, with the majority of

repeat offenders being between the ages of 12 and 15. The researchers concluded

that there was a 'real link between poverty and crime'.'The message is clear. A

significant group of people in our society, part of our investment in the future, are

complete outsiders,' says the ACOP. It was deduced that almost two-thirds of the

sample were unemployed and only 10 percent had an income of more than 100

pounds per week. Seventy two percent were in poverty and more than two thirds of

the 17 year olds surveyed had 'no reliable source of income whatsoever'. The

children interviewed also lacked educational qualifications with 98 percent of the

group having left school as early as age16. It was also noted that alcohol and drugs

played a critical role in turning these young children to crime.

However, research conducted by Amir Sariaslan et al of the Karolinska Institute, in

Stockholm, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, disagrees with the link

between poverty and crime in terms of the occurrence of violent crime and misuse

of drugs.

7
Through information about citizens, provided by the Scandinavian governments,

they were able to study more than half a million Swedish children born between

1989 and 1993. The records they consulted provided information about these

citizens such as their educational attainments, annual family incomes and criminal

convictions, as well as their siblings.

In Sweden, the age of criminal responsibility is 15, so the researchers tracked the

citizens from their 15th birthdays onwards, for approximately 3 and half years.

Unsurprisingly, they found that teenagers who grew up in families whose earnings

were among the bottom fifth were 7 times more likely to be convicted of violent

crimes and twice as likely to be convicted of drug offences, as those whose family

incomes were in the top fifth.

What surprised the team was that when they looked at families that started poor

and got richer, the younger children were just as likely to misbehave when they

were teenagers as their elder siblings had been. Family income was not the

determining factor.

Their study concluded two theories; a familys culture, once established, is

stickythat you can, to put it crudely, take the kid out of the neighbourhood, but

not the neighbourhood out of the kid. The other is that genes which predispose to

criminal behavior are more common at the bottom of society than at the top;

perhaps because the lack of impulse-control they engender also tends to reduce

someones earning capacity.

8
Data Collection Sources
In the investigation of the social issues of crime and poverty, it is necessary to use

both primary and secondary data. This is because primary data presents the

researcher with raw information, from direct persons to whom the problem pertains

and secondary data is essential for the purpose of comparison.

For this research project, the researcher used a questionnaire, comprising 15

multiple choice questions and 5 free response questions, as the method of primary

data collection.

A questionnaire proves to be both an effective and efficient data collection tool as it

is both cost and time efficient. The questionnaire was distributed to 20 households

at Calcutta Road #2 on the 25th of January, 2016. All the house numbers were

noted on slips of paper as all households had adult members as well as teenagers

who could be included in the sample. The numbers were placed in a bag and 20

numbers were randomly selected, and supplied with questionnaires.

Secondary sources utilized include newspaper articles, case studies, books and

research studies conducted by various professionals in the field. Despite using both

foreign and local sources, the local sources gave the most relevant viewpoint on this

topic. The newspaper article published by the Trinidad Express (2012) provided

useful information through an interview with a young ex convict who suffered at the

hands of poverty. This interview intermingled with the expert opinion of Sheila

Stuart, who is familiar with the statistics and the day to day hardships faced by

those living in poverty. The Association of Chief Officers of Probation in the UK also

conducted a research study that provided very useful information on the correlation

9
between crime and poverty. The research study conducted by Sariaslan et al, gave

an opposing view to the issue. Although differing in opinion from the findings of the

ACOP and Stuart the opposing view did point out some alternative causes for youth

crime.

Presentation and Analysis

of Data
This section contains various media through which the findings of the research
conducted are illustrated.

QUESTION 6
Figure 1

Bar Chart Illustrating Monthly Household Income of Respondents

Above $10000

$5000-$10000

$1000-$5000

Below $1000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Male Female

10
QUESTION 7
Figure 2

A Clustured Column Chart Illustrating the Amount of Respondents that have Committed Crimes
12

10

0
Male Females

Yes No

QUESTION 8
Table 1

Table Showing the Crimes Committed by Respondents

Crime Male Respondents Female Respondents

Burglary

Larceny

11
Robbery

Sale of Illegal Drugs

Possession of Illegal Drugs

QUESTION 9
Figure 3

Bar Chart Showing the Number of Respondents who know of the Occurance of Crime Among Youths

No

Yes

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Male Female

Question 14
Table 2

Table Showing Factors that Lead Youth to Committing Crime.

Question Responses
What factors do you think can lead No education, peer pressure, Idleness

young people to committing crimes?

12
QUESTION 3
Figure 4

Bar Chart Illustrating the Highest Level of Education Attained by Respondents

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Primary Secondary Tertiary

Female Male

QUESTION 10
Figure 5

13
Reason for Committing Theft Crimes

No Source of Finance Food/ Household Needed

QUESTIONS 11 & 12
Textual Response to Question 11

Question: Have you ever been a victim of crime committed by a young person?
Yes: 1 Respondent
Description: I have a garden with fruits and vegetables and different provisions. A
young man from right down the street steals my produce regularly.

QUESTION 15

14
Figure 6

Line Graph Showing Respondents View on the Correlation between Crime and Poverty
25

20

15

10

0
Yes No

The graphs above were produced from the questions that are relevant to the

research questions. In attempting to deduce whether poverty is a problem in the

community, Figure 1 shows that of the 20 respondents, 11 female and 9 male, 25%

(3 males and 2 females) earn below $1000 each month, 10% (1 male and 1 female)

earn a salary between $1000 and $5000 each month, 40% (3 males and 5 female)

earn a salary between $5000 and $10000 each month and 25% earn a salary above

$10000 each month.

The investigation also sought to find out about the trend of youth crime in the area.

According to Figure 2, a total of 30% of the respondents admitted to committing

crimes in the area. When investigated further, as seen in Table 1, the crimes

committed by these respondents included burglary, larceny, robbery, sale of

15
narcotics and possession of illegal drugs. 75% of the respondents also admitted to

knowing of youths in the area who have committed crimes, as seen in Figure 3.

Another area investigated was the factors that lead to crime among youths. Table 2

showed that respondents believe that factors such as a lack of education, peer

pressure and idleness may lead young persons to committing crimes. As for

education, when further investigated, Figure 4 shows that of the 20 respondents,

20% (2 male and 2 female) completed their primary level of education, 70% (8

female and 6 male) completed their secondary level, while only 10% (1 male and 1

female) completed their tertiary level of education. The factors leading to youth

crime are further shown in Figure 5 where all respondents said that they believe

that no source of finance and the need for food or household items are what

primarily led them or others that they know to commit crimes. Furthermore, to

question 11, 1 respondent said that he has been a victim of youth crime. Question

11s respondent stated that a young person has been caught on numerous

occasions stealing the respondents crops from his garden.

The investigation also sought to gather information on the correlation between

crime and poverty. The question was asked, Is there a correlation between crime

and poverty? As seen in Figure 6, all 20 respondents said yes.

Discussion of Findings
After analyzing the data gathered from research and the information obtained from

previous literature done on the correlation between crime and poverty, the following

was deduced:

16
In the newspaper article published by the Trinidad Express on August 4th, 2012, a

former convict spoke of his challenges with poverty which drove him to a life of

crime and subsequently led to his arrest. His article coincides with the views of the

sample that poverty does in fact correlate with crime, especially among young

people. In the article, Jay (the former convict) spoke of not having enough money

for school, food or other household items; the latter being one of the motives

identified by the sample for youths committing crime. A social affairs officer at the

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbeans sub-regional office for

the Caribbean in Port of Spain, Ms. Sheila Stuart agreed with this opinion. Stuart

also said that she believes poverty negatively impacts peoples quality of life, the

opportunities available to them, as well as their ability to participate fully in society.

She further said that poverty is a never ending cycle as those born into poverty may

most like be poor as adults, one reason being that their pride gets in the way of

them accepting public assistance and they attempt to make ends meet on their

own.

In the research study conducted in the UK by the Association of Chief Officers of

Probation, it was concluded that the youths arrested for crimes were extremely poor

and destitute. It was seen that most of them lacked educational qualifications as

they never went back to school after age 16, they were unemployed and often

victims of abuse. The sample also corroborated the findings of this study as it was

also deduced from the present study that persons who committed crimes didnt

obtain a higher education. The study conducted by the ACOP also showed that more

than 2/3 of the children investigated had no reliable source of income. In the current

study, 25% of the respondents generate a monthly income that is less than $1000,

possibly earning below the poverty line of $665 monthly. Even those attaining above

17
this amount, realistically, any salary less than $5000 is insufficient to satisfy the

needs of the average household which consists of two parents and two children. The

sample shows that a total of 355 of the persons interviewed earn less than that

amount.

Amir Sariaslan and his colleagues at the Karolina Institute in Stockholm disagreed

however with the opinion that poverty leads to crime. Their study deduced two

theories for why young people commit crimes; a familys culture, once established,

is stickythat you can, to put it crudely, take the kid out of the neighbourhood,

but not the neighbourhood out of the kid and genes which predispose to criminal

behavior are more common at the bottom of society than at the top, perhaps

because the lack of impulse-control they engender also tends to reduce someones

earning capacity. This opposes the view of the current study as the sample believes

that poverty, along with factors such as peer pressure and a lack of education is

what often motivates a young person to commit crimes.

18
Conclusion
All crime is, by definition, deviant behavior, but not all forms of deviance are
criminal.

Various opinions on the correlation between crime and poverty were revealed in this

investigation. The entire sample is of the opinion that poverty is the major factor

that leads to youth crime, which corroborated the ideas of most pieces of literature

that investigated this topic. With 35% of the sample earning less than $5000

monthly and a possibility that 25% earn below the poverty line of $665, and 30% of

the sample having committed crimes in the past, it can be deduced that there is the

possibility of their low income rates leading to them committing crimes. It was also

admitted by the sample that the respondents who committed crimes as well as

young people that they know who has also partaken in criminal activity often

choose to do so because of a lack of finances as well as the need for food and

household items. It can also be concluded that other factors such as a persons

lack of educational qualifications, peer pressure and even idleness are also factors

that motivate young people to commit crimes.

19
Limitations
The biggest limitation in conducting this study was the sample size. It was difficult

to get persons to be willing to participate in the study so the sample was initially

very small. However, the researcher found persons that were willing to cooperate in

the study.

The time restriction was also a limitation as having an extensive time period to

conduct this research may have allowed for further observations to be made in

order to deduce more accurate results.

Additionally, in using this questionnaire, some persons might have not been entirely

truthful due to a fear or shame of giving their personal information such as income

level, education level or stating whether or not they have committed crimes thus

making data collected inaccurate.

20
Recommendations
John Harding, chief probation officer for Inner London, said that in order to tackle

crime 'there must be a coherent policy aimed at improving the social circumstances

which lead individuals to commit offences'.

Asked whether the Home Office accepted that there was a link between poverty and

crime, a spokesperson said: 'There is no causal link, and that is all we can say on it.'

Using the information received, it can be recommended that residents of the area

get together and assist those who may not be earning enough monthly income to

purchase necessities. Also, the government can see to it, that all persons attend

school at least until the form five level so that they may attain qualifications that

can provide them with a job that provides a salary that is sustainable. Also,

unemployment programs should be revamped so that those who really need it can

benefit from it.

21
Bibliography
Haralambos, M., & Holborn, M. (2008). Poverty and Social Exclusion. In Sociology:
Themes and perspectives (5th ed.). London: Collins.

The Impact of Poverty on Crime. (2012, August 8). Trinidad Express

Newspaper [Port of Spain].

Juvenile Delinquency - Robert Agnew; Timothy Brezina - Oxford University Press.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://global.oup.com/academic/product/juvenile-

delinquency-9780199828142?cc=us&lang=en&

Poverty 'pushing young into crime' | UK | News | The Independent. (1993, February

14). Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poverty-pushing-

young-into-crime-1473256.html

Sariaslan et al, A. (2013). Childhood family income, adolescent violent criminality

and substance misuse: quasi-experimental total population study. Retrieved

22
 from British Journal of Psychiatry website:

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/early/2014/08/14/bjp.bp.113.136200

Appendix
Caribbean Studies Questionnaire

1. What is your sex?

o Male
o Female

2. How old are you?

o 12-15
o 16-20
o 21 & over

3. What is your highest level of education?

o Primary
o Secondary
o Tertiary

4. Are you a resident of Calcutta Road #2 Freeport?

23
o Yes
o No

5. If no, are you friends with or a relative of a resident of the area?

o Yes
o No

6. What is your monthly income?

o Below $1,000
o $1,000- $5,000
o $5,000- $10,000
o Above $10,000

7. Have you ever committed a crime?

o Yes
o No

8. If yes, please indicate what it was.

(Example: Burglary, larceny, robbery, sale of illegal narcotics etc.)
______________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you know anyone (younger than age 25) who has committed a crime?
o Yes
o No

10.What was the motive behind you or this person committing the crime?
o No source of finance
o Food/ household items were needed
o Other
(If other, please indicate)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

11.Have you ever been a victim of crime committed by a young person?

o Yes
o No

12.If yes, please describe.

24
 ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

13.Do you think poverty (if not stated above) can lead someone towards illegal
activity? If yes/ no please state why.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

14.What other factors do you think can lead young persons towards committing
crimes?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

15.Do you agree that there is a correlation between poverty and crime among
the young persons living in this area?
o Yes

o No

25