les, as the equal rights for males and females are slowly coming into effect.The level of poverty in an area can predict its crime rate and crime rates tend to be highest in the lower class slum areas. In the Social Structure and Criminal Victimization, Douglas Smith explains that, the social forces in a high risk, socially disorganized neighborhood-poverty, dilapidated housing, poor schools, broken families, drugs, and street gangs significantly increase the likelihood that residents will engage in criminality. Often, slum residents attract criminals who find the environment suitable for their criminal acts. Also, the police tend to patrol these are more often than they do to higher class areas, resulting in more arrests.As a result of the increasing crime rate, the United States now holds the highest number in the world in murders, rapes, and robberies. The murder rate in the United States is 4 times greater than Italys and 9 times greater than Englands. The rape rate is over 50 times greater than most countries in Europe. The robbery rate is 50 to 100 times greater than those in Europe. During the past few years, the United States have experienced more than 20,000 homicides.Many factors have caused the United States crime rate to increase during the past decade. The factors that have had a significant relationship to the crime rate are: the age, gender, and social class of the offender. Each of these factors have all been affected in a different way by society, which resulted in an increase of crime and arrests. As our society changes, the crime rate changes because it affects our lives and our behavior....
