Crime has existed throughout history for thousands of years, and people to this day are still trying to find the main factors that contribute to crime. Crime is a very complex concept and its factors cannot be explained or understood with one factor but with a combination of factors. “Socioeconomic Status is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group and it is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation” (Saegert, pg. 5) By examining a person’s socioeconomic status, the justice system can obtain a better understanding of why the crime rates are as high as they are today. Learning about the effects education, income, and occupation has on an individual, can explain the likelihood that a person will commit a crime. For example, a person with little education, will mostly like get a minimum wage job, which will lead to a low …show more content…
When people are arrested for a crime, their socioeconomic class will determine what their punishment is, where they are sent, and how long they are required to serve. The punishment for people in the lower class would consist of rehabilitation, job and career help and educational opportunities. The wealthy will be required to serve long sentences for minor offenses and will serve a life sentence for their third offense. Our current system would flip entirely, the lower class would be let off with a warning or be required to attend a beneficial program and the middle/ upper class would be severely punished for the slightest infraction. Furthermore, more police resources will be deployed to wealth areas instead of the poorer regions. The justice system would shift from a traditional punishing system to a more accommodating system for those with a low socioeconomic