Criminality and economic conditionsBonger, Willem Adriaan
General
Criminality and economic conditions
Bonger, Willem Adriaan
Crime -- Economic aspects
—I will not make any criticism of the preceding at this point, but wait
until I analyze the works themselves. The exposition of the work of Dr.
G. Mayr, for example, shows how superficial the observations made by
Professor Lombroso are. (See also the analysis of the work of Dr.
Müller, in which it is shown that now the industrial situation plays a
preponderating part in causing crime.) I would only call attention to
the naïve error involved in Professor Lombroso’s last remark, that
there are only a few articles stolen that could immediately provide for
pressing needs, and that this proves that poverty is not an important
factor in criminality. If society were not based upon exchange this
might be true, but the assertion has no basis in the present state of
things, when anything may be bought for money. The reason that more
money than food is stolen is to be found, in part, in the facts; first,
that money is less bulky, and consequently can be more easily taken and
concealed; and second, that money has more value than the same quantity
of provisions, so that more can be procured with the same effort. But
this proves nothing with regard to the influence of poverty upon crime.
[91]—
In the second part of the chapter Professor Lombroso tries to show that
the effect of hunger upon revolts is not very great. He cites a number
of cases where there were no revolts although prices were high and work
scarce. Thus, for example, in Strasburg from 1451 to 1500 and from 1601
to 1625, the price of beef rose 134% and that of pork 92%, and during
many years wages fell 10%; and yet there was no insurrection.
—I must vigorously protest against any such argument, which, in my
opinion, has no value. I will leave out of consideration the last
example, which proves but little, since during these periods the price
of bread may have been very low, neutralizing the effect of low wages
(it is quite problematical whether the poorer classes of the population
were great consumers of beef and pork!). But it is inaccurate to
conclude from the fact “that prices were high and there was no
insurrection” an absence of influence of the economic conditions. There
may have been a number of factors working in the opposite direction,
which prevented the manifestation of the economic factor. To cite but
one example, it may be that during those times an excessively severe
penal law was in force, threatening the least attempt at insurrection
with cruel death.—
We shall next sum up Chapter IX, “Influence of Economic
Conditions—Wealth.” After saying that it is difficult to estimate the
wealth of a country at all accurately, the author produces the
following data in the first section of the chapter. He divides the
provinces of Italy into three groups according to the total wealth
(estimated from taxes on consumption, direct taxes, and taxes on
business), and compares the figures thus gained with some of the
principal kinds of crimes, reaching the following results:
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