Poverty as the Main Cause of Crime: the Vicious Cycle

Bjerk, David J. – The Correlation Between Redlining and Crime Rates

In this article, Bjerk argues that segregation caused by redlining seems to lead to increases in crime rates, such as robbery within communities. He also claims that while the segregation caused by redlining has a correlation between crimes such as larceny and theft, he says that there is very little evidence that a greater amount of segregation increases rates of vehicle theft. However, he also states that strongly segregated communities increase very violent criminal activity.

Bjerk says that decreasing segregation in communities will not completely decrease rates of segregation in those communities, but given the conditions of most of those neighborhoods, he claims that any reduction in any crime would be a vast improvement upon the residents of very segregated communities. The article was very useful to my research because it provided a deeper insight into the connection between the number of segregated areas caused by redlining and the types of crime committed in those areas. David J. Bjerk is a very reliable person, he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at McMaster University, and his research is mostly aimed toward discrimination and crime.

Chang, Alvin – The Persistent Effects of Redlining on Modern Communities

January 2019. In this article, Chang talks about the origins of redlining, which, according to him, helped to create two divergent Americas. His main thesis is that areas with a history of redlining usually stay segregated, isolated, and denied the proper healthcare and insurance the community may need. He claims that the previously redlined areas filled with a majority population of minorities can lead to poverty, higher rates of dropping out of schools, and higher rates of criminal activity within communities. He argues how these poor neighborhoods can affect and shape the lives of the children who live in them. He also made a point as to how living in these poor. Segregated neighborhoods can cause a sense of hopelessness, which often means that the residents are unhappy. This source is most useful to my research question, and my only complaint towards this source would have been that the author could have elaborated more on redlining’s effects on an individual or their families. The author, Alvin Chang, was a data journalist for the Boston Globe, ESPN, and Connecticut Mirror and also had a master’s degree from NYU’s Telecommunications Program. Overall, I agree with what Chang had to say about the effects of redlining on poor communities.

Jan, Tracy – The Lingering Impact of Redlining on Minorities

The author of this article talks about the issues that arose from the long-term effects of redlining. In the article, Jan argues how racial discrimination in mortgage lending from more than 50 years ago helped to shape the number of neighborhoods living in poverty or unhealthy conditions and how it led to the uprise of crime and the gentrification of some neighborhoods. She mentions how neighborhoods that were once deemed “hazardous” in the 1930s are now populated with minorities and how redlining still continues in 61 metro areas, and how it caused credit risks. The article is also quite reliable since it originates from The Washington Post, which is generally viewed as a reliable source and is on the same level as other sources, such as Huffington Post and The New York Times. The web page mentions how Tracy Jan covers the intersection of race and the economy for The Washington Post and how she previously was a national political reporter for The Boston Globe. The intended audience for this article is generally people or families of color and minorities. It is meant to show that minorities still live in relatively negative conditions even many years after redlining was banned from real estate practices, and the evidence supports my hypothesis about the impacts of redlining on minorities. It includes details such as how redlining still occurs and how it shapes the lives of children growing up in poor areas of gentrification and poverty. I agree with the author that redlining is causing issues and that upper-class whites are pushing back minority groups, causing economic inequality.

Krivo, Lauren J., Peterson, Ruth D., Kuhl, Danielle C. – Segregation and the Racial Structure of Crime

In this article, Krivo, Peterson, and Kuhl argue that segregation by racial discrimination in real estate and the social structure of communities are the direct cause of the uprise in crime levels in minority neighborhoods. They also claim that blacks and Latinos reside in disadvantaged areas while white people live in areas that are more advantaged and that higher levels of crime are caused by higher rates of segregation among communities. They observed patterns of crime among several communities to determine why and where the areas of crime are more prominent. Along with horrible conditions in neighborhoods, minorities are more likely to be targeted by figures of authority. They found that rising segregation levels in white neighborhoods do not increase white disadvantages, whereas rising segregation levels in minority neighborhoods cause more disadvantages and poverty rates to rise. This source is a very reliable source, and it helped me to understand the link between the effects of redlining affecting crime rates within communities. Lauren J. Krivo is a professor of sociology at Ohio State University and also a professor in the Criminal Justice Program. Ruth D. Peterson is also an American sociologist and criminologist at Ohio State University and is also a professor of sociology. Danielle C. Kuhl has a Ph.D. in sociology and is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Bowling Green State University. The intended audience of this article is directed towards researchers or people who study crime rates within colored neighborhoods. The article provides a lot of useful information about my topic, and I agree with the statistics and graphs shown in the articles.

Shihadeh, Edward S., Flynn, Nicole – Black Social Isolation and Urban Violence

In this text, Shihadeh and Flynn explain how redlining has caused the segregation of blacks, leading to an increase in crime rates and poverty in those areas of segregation. Their main argument is that crime rates in redlined areas are influenced by economic factors, social isolation, and spatial unevenness in neighborhoods. They argue that despite racial discrimination being illegal in the real estate business, black people were discouraged from moving into areas that were already mostly populated with white people. As a result of this, white people began abandoning neighborhoods where the population of black people was increasing. Another possible explanation for the increase in crime rates was black social isolation. When communication between black people and white people was low, the black population began to decrease in white areas, and were denied mortgages, insurance, or loans or were threatened by white people. Black isolation not only isolated blacks but also the negative connotations of black urban life, such as poverty and joblessness, which can lead to deprivation in culture and politics in predominantly black communities. The source is a very reliable source and written by very reliable people. Edward Shihadeh is an American sociologist, criminologist, professor, chair, and coordinator of The Crime and Policy Evaluation Research Group at Louisiana State University, along with Nicole Flynn, who is a Ph.D. alumnus at Louisiana State University. The work’s intended audience is researchers or possibly even people looking to buy homes and look into what might be the cause of high crime rates in certain areas. This article provided a lot of useful information on my topic and helped me understand what may cause high crime rates or poverty in black neighborhoods, and I agree with the information and statistics that were provided in the article.

Vock, Daniel C., Charles, Brian J., Maciag, Mike – Racial Disparities in Housing Policies

In the beginning, the authors talk about how Illinois still persists in being racially discriminatory towards people of color moving into new homes. They talk about a woman named Lekiesha Hightower, a black woman who moved to Illinois looking for a better life but found herself in an apartment that was in poor condition, along with most of the other black population in the same area as Hightower. Their main argument is that segregation in certain areas creates not only a divide between races but also between resources. Black people and white people both moved away from urban areas in the 70s, but they took two different paths. When white people moved, new homes sprung up, more job opportunities came, and other various luxuries followed them. However, wherever black people moved, they were confined to the same or similar areas that were redlined in the past and moved closer to other black neighborhoods. The source is very reliable and helped me understand the research question more. Daniel C. Vock used to be a reporter for the Chicago Daily and for Stateline. He also has a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois. J. Brian Charles was an opinion editor for The Hill newspaper, where he published his opinions on race, criminal justice, and education. Mike Maciag worked at many local newspapers in Erie, Pa., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Atlanta prior to his job at Governing. He also has a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University.

Collins, John N. – Redlining: A Comprehensive Overview

In this article, Collins talks about the different effects that redlining had over the years. His main argument is that redlining causes segregation, neighborhood decay, and low mortgage lending. He explains that neighborhoods go through decay and deterioration if homeowners cannot remortgage or are unable to maintain their homes or invest any funds to maintain homes. He also mentions that realtors may refuse to give out mortgages, insurance, or loans. His studies show that minorities or racially mixed communities receive lower mortgage loans than white neighborhoods. He gives out possible solutions to help those neighborhoods meet their credit needs, such as donating $10,000 annually to the local NHS, holding regular meetings with community groups, and much more. This is a very useful source and showed me some possible solutions to redlining or previously redlined areas. John N. Collins is the director of the Center of Policy Studies and Program Evaluation at Sangamon State University, Springfield.

Works Cited

1. Bjerk, David J. “The Effect of Segregation on Crime Rates.” The Berkeley Electronic Press, 2006, Accessed 1 February 2019.
2. Chang, Alvin. “Living in a poor neighborhood changes everything about your life.” Vox, 4 April 2018
3. Jan, Tracy. “Redlining was banned 50 years ago. It’s still hurting minorities today.” The Washington Post, 28 March 2018,
4. Krivo, Lauren J., Peterson, Ruth D., Kuhl, Danielle C. “Segregation, Racial Structure, and Neighborhood Violent Crime.” The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
5. Shihadeh, Edward S., Flynn, Nicole. “Segregation and Crime: The Effect of Black Social Isolation on the Rates of Black Urban Violence.” Oxford University Press. 2009.
6. "Vock, Daniel C., Charles, Brian J., Maciag, Mike. “How Housing Policies Keep White Neighborhoods So White (and Black Neighborhoods So Black).” Governing, 23 January 2019.
7. Collins, John N., “Redlining: A black and white issue?” Illinois Periodicals Online, July 1979,

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