Introduction
The term sociological hypothesis refers to the hypotheses which are based on sociological topics. It can also be defined as a statement of a problem or question which is linked or connected to the human society. In this paper the author shall discuss the following sociological hypothesis. “There is a relationship between unemployment rate and the level of committing crime. This hypothesis is of interest to the author of this paper because currently many researches have discovered that where unemployment level is low then the rate of crime reported has always been high. .
Literature review
The term crime refers to an action or the omission which constitutes an offence which may be prosecuted by the state and also is punishable by law. Crime involves various illegal activities such as stealing, robbery among others. On the other hand, unemployment refers to a situation where an individual is willing, ready and able to work but he/she is unable to get a job. This review will provide relationship existing between the rate of unemployment and crime level..
It is prudent to note that historically, there have always been two major schools of thought as regards to the relationship between the rate of unemployment and the level of crime. The first school of thought focuses on the supply of the offenders while the second one focuses on the supply of the victims.
Economists have struggled to explain the economic behaviours of the potential offenders and how they are likely to react to the changes in economic conditions. Economists believe that for an individual to maintain certain standards of living during a period of unemployment, he/she is likely to engage in criminal activities.
Different sociologists have come up with different ways concerning the relationship between the rate of unemployment and the level of crime which may be experienced in a particular area. For instance, some sociologists believe that high unemployment levels in a given geographical locality may prompt an individual to engage in acts of crime in order to satisfy his/her basic needs such as food among others. People therefore engage in crime in order to satisfy their basic necessities which they could have acquired if in case they could have been in an employment position. This implies that for crime rate to be reduced in a given locality, it is prudent to ensure that employment opportunities are satisfactorily.
Conflict theories in sociology refer to the perspectives in this discipline which emphasizes the social, political or the material inequality of a given social group. This theory posits that always the social classes or groups compete with each other in order to acquire certain resources which the society believes that are important. This theory is strongly linked to communist theorist Karl Marx. Marx argued that economic inequality affects all the societies and therefore, conflict will arise when individuals with less attempts to take from the less fortunate. In this paper, the source of conflict is unemployment. Unemployment has created inequality in the society which in turn prompts an individual to engage in acts of crime so as to satisfy the day to day basic requirements. Therefore, according to some sociologists, crime is an individual act of desperation.
Functionalist theory
This is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology developed by Emile Durkheim. According to this theory, different parts of the society work together just like the parts of the body. For instance, education in the society helps to equip different individuals with knowledge and skills which are vital to acquire job opportunity and to prevent such an individual from engaging in acts of crime. This implies that if one system is interfered with in the society, then something is likely to emerge which may not be good both to the society and also the government. For instance, increased unemployment rates in the society are likely to lead to increased crime level in the society unemployment causes disharmony in the system.
Symbolic interaction
This theory analyzes the society through addressing some of the subjective meanings which different individuals impose on events, objects, behaviours among other things. According to this theory, different individuals behave depending on what they believe as opposed to what is objectively true. Therefore, the society is thought to be constructed through human interpretation known as the definition of the situation. For instance, why it is that most unemployed people engages in crime activities in the society yet they are all aware of the consequences. The answer to this question is on the definition of the situation which people create..
In conclusion, it is prudent to note that this paper have analysed a sociological hypothesis. (There is a relationship between unemployment rate and the level of committing crime). The paper has also looked at some of the sociological theories which can be used to analyze the hypothesis. Some of the theories which have been analysed include: the conflict theory, functionalist theory and the symbolic interaction theory.
Work Cited
Crutchfield, Robert D. Crime: Readings. U.S.A: Pine Forge Press, 2000.
Lott, John R. More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws. U.S.A: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
N, Jayapalan. Sociological Theories. U.S.A: Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2001.
