Overpopulation and It's Effect on Crime Rates.
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Overpopulation is the most urgent problem that we face now and in the future.
There are more people in America right now than there were in the whole world at the .
time of the birth of Christ, just two thousand years ago (Brown and Liu, 1999). Many of .
the world's problems such as poverty, crime, pollution and the destruction of our .
environment is linked to the unchecked growth of the human population.
It has been found that the less space people have to live in, the harder it is for .
them to get along. As people compete, not only for housing but also for food, jobs, and .
schooling, the more hostile their behavior becomes. Crime, and a lack of respect for .
other people, becomes more common as the space around you is reduced (Coleman,1990; .
Agnew,1992,1999). Violence is more prevalent in highly populated areas, as are other .
forms of criminal behavior. A possible explanation is due to aggression and anxiety .
brought on by an overpopulated environment.
Over the years, Sociologists and Criminologists have investigated factors related .
to crime rate. Social Disorganization Theory, Relative Deprivation and Subculture .
Deviance Theory, and General Strain Theory are several contending theories. These .
theories contend that community level variables, such as density and overcrowding, are .
among the factors directly or indirectly contributing to crime through reducing social .
control and/or increasing strain (Wirth, 1938; Coleman, 1990; Agnew, 1992, 1999). .
some studies found that population density, housing quality, and overcrowding are.
not predictors of crime and other problems of poor neighborhoods (Wilner, 1962; .
Burns, 1970; Choldin, 1978). Still others studies suggest that high density has harmful .
