Curbing Crime with Employment

Well-designed, pro-employment policies can go some way in addressing the root causes of crime.It might seem obvious that unemployment and crime are related and that one causes the other. Yet the literature on this topic shows that the relationship is much more complex and nuanced than it might seem at first. It is essential that policymakers understand these nuances as they develop both economic and criminal justice policy.We examine three major theoretical frameworks:Economic choice theory argues that crime and unemployment are causally linked because employment, particularly high-paid employment, acts as a potential opportunity cost that an individual must weigh in the decision to carry out a crime.