If crime is caused by poverty, how does one explain the strange case of Michael Pickens? Cornwall, Connecticut police arrested Michael Pickens, son of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, for burglary after finding him hiding inside a fishing store and a cache of store items outside the shop. People are poorer in New Dehli than New York and were poorer during the Great Depression than during the 1970s. The crime rate is higher in New York than New Dehli and the crime rate was higher during the 1970s than during the Great Depression. Poverty is not the cause of crime, though crime can be the cause of poverty.

"There are crimes of which the motive is want; and for these Phaleas expects to find a cure in the equalization of property, which will take away from a man the temptation to be a highwayman, because he is hungry or cold. But want is not the sole incentive to crime; men also wish to enjoy themselves and not to be in a state of desire- they wish to cure some desire, going beyond the necessities of life, which preys upon them; nay, this is not the only reason- they may desire superfluities in order to enjoy pleasures unaccompanied with pain, and therefore they +commit crimes.

Now what is the cure of these three disorders? Of the first, moderate possessions and occupation; of the second, habits of temperance; as to the third, if any desire pleasures which depend on themselves, they will find the satisfaction of their desires nowhere but in philosophy; for all other pleasures we are dependent on others.

The fact is that the greatest crimes are caused by excess and not by necessity. Men do not become tyrants in order that they may not suffer cold; and hence great is the honor bestowed, not on him who kills a thief, but on him who kills a tyrant. Thus we see that the institutions of Phaleas avail only against petty crimes."

The breakdown of the family is the root cause of crime. Directionless offspring. Thus, even the rich guy's kid perpetrates senseless crime.

"Poverty is not a crime."
- Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Poverty is a crime! it is a dehumanizing lifestyle. The kid mentioned in this post was just a spoiled brat who has nothing to loose cause his daddy would probobly do anything for him anyways or get him out of any type of trouble so he has nothing to loose by trying to steal a few fishing rods. Poverty causes serious crime. WHy do you think people get into selling crack and other drugs? for fun? no way, because thats what one must do to pay the bills. Its survival. WHere then do you suggest crime stems from? are some people just simply bad people? and if so where do you draw the line? who many people out there have never done anything that is considered illegal? Poverty perpetuates criminal activity.