MCJ 5135
Unit V Research Paper
Columbia Southern University
MCJ 5135: Theory of Crime and Criminology
Unit V Research Paper
Overview
The theory that I have chosen as the topic of my research paper is the economic theory.
This theory has been around since the 1800s with two main theorists, Karl Marx, and William
Bogner. This theory attributes capitalism and the disparity of the rich and the poor to the main
causes of crime (Daigle & Hagan, 2020). The United States treats capitalism as an undeniable
part of our government; this has created a direct cycle between poverty, crime, and recidivism.
Changing the economic system could cause a positive change to the criminal justice system and
crime rates through the lens of the economic theory.
There is evidence to show that the criminal justice system acts under the assumptions of
the economic theory. Through my research, I have determined that law enforcement agencies and
officers work under the assumption that poverty creates crime. Agencies tend to place more offi-
cers within low-income neighborhoods, specifically, majority-minority neighborhoods. More of-
ficers in these neighborhoods lead to more documented crime creating a cycle of policing
(Dwivedi et al., 2017). After the accused are arrested by law enforcement they then have to navi-
gate the judiciary system. The economic theory is directly confirmed by the methods in which
our criminal justice system uses cash bail. The accused are often required to pay cash bail before
they are ever placed on trial (Boggs & Brock, 2020). This directly contradicts our other judiciary
laws such as trial by jury or innocent until proven guilty. Since the United States leans so heavily
on capitalism, our government and economy have created the prison industrial complex. This has
led to private prisons and inhumane practices that only strive to make a profit for the stakehold-
Unit V Research Paper
Columbia Southern University
MCJ 5135: Theory of Crime and Criminology
Unit V Research Paper
Overview
The theory that I have chosen as the topic of my research paper is the economic theory.
This theory has been around since the 1800s with two main theorists, Karl Marx, and William
Bogner. This theory attributes capitalism and the disparity of the rich and the poor to the main
causes of crime (Daigle & Hagan, 2020). The United States treats capitalism as an undeniable
part of our government; this has created a direct cycle between poverty, crime, and recidivism.
Changing the economic system could cause a positive change to the criminal justice system and
crime rates through the lens of the economic theory.
There is evidence to show that the criminal justice system acts under the assumptions of
the economic theory. Through my research, I have determined that law enforcement agencies and
officers work under the assumption that poverty creates crime. Agencies tend to place more offi-
cers within low-income neighborhoods, specifically, majority-minority neighborhoods. More of-
ficers in these neighborhoods lead to more documented crime creating a cycle of policing
(Dwivedi et al., 2017). After the accused are arrested by law enforcement they then have to navi-
gate the judiciary system. The economic theory is directly confirmed by the methods in which
our criminal justice system uses cash bail. The accused are often required to pay cash bail before
they are ever placed on trial (Boggs & Brock, 2020). This directly contradicts our other judiciary
laws such as trial by jury or innocent until proven guilty. Since the United States leans so heavily
on capitalism, our government and economy have created the prison industrial complex. This has
led to private prisons and inhumane practices that only strive to make a profit for the stakehold-
