|
From a purely "rational choice" theory point of view, you have 3 key factors: payoff, opportunity, and penalty. This does explain a lot of the crime and points to why more unequal societies do face a lot more crime. But that is a partial explanation at best and does not explain how certain very unequal societies do not have much crime.
So there are structural/cultural factors that also apply. As strain theory posits, frustrations that arise out of unmet expectations also lead to an increase in crime. That is, as expectations of equal opportunity, meritocracy and freedom are not met, people lash out at society. I.e., an Indian of a lower caste when castes were more relevant was poor and had no expectations of social mobility. But an American teen who grows up expecting opportunity and reward for hard work might lash out when they notice that his opportunities are limited.
Of course, these are over simplifications, but I do think they capture the gist of it.
|