Criminality and economic conditionsBonger, Willem Adriaan
General
Criminality and economic conditions
Bonger, Willem Adriaan
Crime -- Economic aspects
After having called attention to the fact that the average wage of the
Italian workman is lower than in other industrial countries, the author
gives the following results of his researches: the influence of the
fluctuation of wages upon crime in general is less than, and almost
always subordinated to, that of the fluctuation of food-prices.
However, it must not be forgotten here that wages do not always
represent exactly the condition of the majority of the proletariat.
With some few exceptions, all crimes against property decrease when
wages rise (in combination with the price of grain). This influence is
not noted in commercial crimes and counterfeiting. Crimes against
persons increase a little when wages rise; but when this rise coincides
with a low price of wine, they increase considerably.
The influence of strikes is exclusively limited to the crime of
rebellion.
From the investigation into criminality and commercial occurrences we
learn that fraudulent bankruptcy, and also forgery in great measure,
are almost entirely independent of economic occurrences; and the
fluctuations of the number of commercial crimes, in so far as they are
not influenced by other economic facts, are explained in great part by
commercial occurrences.
Financial occurrences (credit and deposits) do not make themselves felt
in criminality in general, but in crimes against property and
commercial crimes.
The author concludes finally from the increase shown by private
fortunes and the rise in wages, that there is a correlation of these
phenomena with a decrease of certain serious forms of crime.
The results of the study are summarized in the following table:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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