-
The Impact Of Unemployment On Criminal Activities
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Crime
is one major problem, and a burning issue in which every society
particularly a developing one is faced with. Nigeria as a developing
country faces her own share of social, political, economic and cultural
problems at different regions which have in no small measure affected
the well-being of the populace. One major cause universally agreed is
the rising or increasing nature of unemployment.
It is commonly
observed for most countries that unemployment and crime rates are
positively correlated, but it is much more unclear whether the
relationship means that unemployment causes crime, crime causes
unemployment, or other factors cause either or both. In other words, the
sign of the correlation is clear but the direction of the causality is
not. One direction of the causality, unemployment affects crime, has
received wide attention in the literature, but the reverse one has been
largely neglected (Calro – Armengo and Yves Zenous, 2003).
The
theoretical underpinning of the causality notion was developed some
thirty years ago by Becker (1968), Stigler (1970) and Ehrlich (1973)
among others. In Ehrlich’s model, individuals divide their time between
legal activities and risky illegal activities. If legal income
opportunities become scarce relative to potentials gains from crime, the
model predicts that crime will become more frequent. Increased
unemployment could be such factor.
Government the world over try to
curb crime rates and if possible, eradicate crime. Similarly,
unemployment, an economic disease, is a problem which government tries
to reduce. It is noteworthy that wherever there is unemployment,
especially at a high rate, there is a tendency for crime rate to
increase dramatically this is because people are easily lured or
compelled to criminal tendencies in the face of frustrations, poverty
and loss of hope in earning a decent living (Egunjobi, 2003). According
to Becker’s economic theory of crime, unemployed people are deprived of
legal income and thus, they tend to derive some income from illegal
activities. Many models of crime suggest that the unemployed and
individuals with low wages face strong urge to commit crime.
The
Niger Delta region particularly Cross River State is severely hit by
criminal activities and unemployment despite the abundant human and
natural resources available in the region, a situation World Bank
describes as unemployment in the midst of plenty (World Bank, 1996). The
rise in criminal activities among youths in the Niger Delta region has
been fuelled by extreme poverty and underdevelopment, discontent with
the international oil companies, oil spillage, environmental damage and
corruption by government officials which ensure little development
reaches the host communities. Unemployment on the other hand is evident
in the Niger Delta as Eboh (2009) opined that over 60% of the youths in
the region are unemployed. The streets are littered with youth hawkers
who ordinarily would have found gainful employment in some enterprises
(Okafor, 2011).
It is upon this background that this research work is intended to ask the following questions:
To what extent does unemployment affect criminal activities in Niger Delta region particularly Cross River State?
How can the government reduce unemployment rate in the region with eventual reduction in criminal activities in the region?
How can the vast natural resources of the Niger Delta region be managed to fully benefit the communities.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This research work is centered on the impact of unemployment on criminal activities in Niger Delta region of Nigeria using Cross River State as a case study. The study adopted the survey research design. A total of 450 research subjects were drawn from the target population using the stratified and random sampling technique. Frequency counts, simple percentage and chi-square methods were used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Findings from the research showed that unemployment has a s ... Continue reading---
