Question by John Lennon: Why does America have so much abundance, but poverty and crime too?
America is seemingly the most abundant nation on Earth, with some of the most proud corporations found anywhere. And it has been ranked the richest nation on Earth. But this is most certainly not a fair designation. Per capita, America lags behind other “developed” countries in terms of wealth and opportunity. Millions of children in the USA (of all races/backgrounds) have had dreams and goals and visions ranging from the reasonable to the more ambitious. The only thing really standing in their way is senseless and arbitrary “poverty”. This “poverty” is not even true poverty, but is a result of the choice to do drugs, sell drugs, booze it up, beat up the kids for no reason, and live for violence and death by whatever “parents” these children happen to be stuck with. But the real question is, what in our culture would lead these people to choose a life of crime? I believe in compassion, and there is a reason some of our prison programs (but not enough of them) have wisely chosen to focus on “rehabilitation” rather than punishment. What is the reason why this “culture of death” exists? Why do millions of people have to inherit nothing but trouble? And what is no secret is that minorities suffer the most in the land where “all men are created equal”. African Americans, immigrants, and gays are obvious examples. Even women in general are mistreated in too many cases. And the South is on average poorer than other regions.

Best answer:

Answer by radish
there are different answers depending on the kinds of sociology you use

1.Sub cultural perspective:
your answer fits the ‘sub cultural’ perspective ie it’s the fault of the poor themselves because their sets of values create their problems for them

2. Conflict theory
see the work of C W Mills (ref below) for this
In summary the research questions posed here are those that link the problems of individuals with the
-broader social structures (eg structures of corporate power)
-set of values of the powerful ie their ideology
c)and the contradictions in these broader factors
eg that we ask questions about the conflicts between the superficial values of ‘freedom of individuals’ with the actual control over the employment and financial structures which have seen the rise of ‘rust bucket towns’ in the USA with the increasing globalisation of the labour market
and the increasing impoverishment of those who only have their labour to sell

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Catch22’s work to reduce offending in HMP Doncaster – Prisoners, Catch22 staff and Director John Biggin talk about reducing reoffending and payment by results at Doncaster prison, run by Serco. Catch22 are involved in a four-year scheme, developed with Serco and Turning Point, which aims to reduce reoffending rates among former prisoners. The payment by results scheme at HMP Doncaster will deliver rehabilitation services both within the prison and, for the first time, ‘through the gate’ in the community. Catch22 will provide ‘Case Managers’ to support prisoners during their sentence and on release. Find out more about the scheme: catch-22.org.uk Film by Sunday Publishing and Shoot The Company for Serco