The economics of crime in the urban ghetto

A central conclusion of this paper which explores the economic aspects of crime in the urban ghetto is that it is premature to conclude that an unambiguous relationship between employment opportunities and crime exists. This is not to be considered a repudiation of prior findings of a statistical association between unemployment rates, labor force participation rates, other economic variables, and crime. It is merely a statement of caution when viewing these findings within an analytical perspective devoid of a characterization of the institutional structure of crime and employment in urban ghettos.