Exploratory Study Of The Relationship Between Poverty And Crimes In Albany/Dougherty, Georgia

Abstract

Both the crime andpoverty rates in Albany/Dougherty County, Georgia, are substantially high. Therefore, the objective of this study is tohighlight the sources of the relationships between poverty and crimes in thisarea. The paper makes additionalcontributions by exploring the impact of non-market factors of segregation anddiscrimination on poverty in the remote Dougherty County that is also characterizedby both dualistic and restricted environments. The crimes seem to be driven by poverty that is characterized by otherfactors - the remoteness of the county, exit of some big establishments, decliningurban education, increasing unemployment rate, non-harmonized economic environments,and by the presence of teenage pregnancy. These prevailing adversities have cumulativelysuppressed the real average weekly wage rate, proxy of poverty. Crimes and poverty control measures areincluded in the study.