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South Texas College's Single Sign-On Page

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Pursuant to Texas Administrative Code 202: (1) Unauthorized use is prohibited; (2) Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; (3) Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; and (4) Users have no expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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South Texas College's Single Sign-On Page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pursuant to Texas Administrative Code 202: (1) Unauthorized use is prohibited; (2) Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; (3) Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; and (4) Users have no expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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Health and poverty are inextricably intertwined. Being able to breast-feed, attend school, work to grow food, earn a living or feed a family all depend on a baseline level of good health.

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(originally published Oct 12, 2013)
Poverty and crime have a very "intimate" relationship that has been described by experts from all fields, from sociologists to economists. The UN and the World Bank both rank crime high on the list of obstacles to a country's development. This means that governments trying to deal with poverty often also have to face the issue of crime as they try to develop their country's economy and society.

Crime prevents businesses from thriving by generating instability and uncertainty (at micro and macroeconomic levels). This is true in markets of all sizes, national, regional, municipal and even neighborhood-al (okay the word doesn't exist). Which is why having a business in a ghetto is rarely a good idea, is it?

The whole world also blames crime and corruption for putting at risk Africa's chances of development nowadays. The same goes for Latin America. Crime has this capacity to generate vicious cycles causing unemployment, economic downturns and instability. Poverty and crime combined together leave people with two choices: either take part in criminal activities or try to find legal but quite limited sources of income - when there are any available at all.

Unemployment = Poverty = Crime:

Starting from the 1970s, studies in the US pointed more and more at the link between unemployment, poverty and crime. After that other connections with income level, time spent at school, quality of neighborhood and education were revealed as well. Fresh research from the UK even indicates that economic cycles may affect variations in property and violent crimes.

But most importantly, what reveals the unmistakable connection between poverty and crime is that they're both geographically concentrated - in a strikingly consistent way. In other words, where you find poverty (minority neighborhoods) is also exactly where you find crime. Of course this doesn't include "softer" crimes such as corruption which causes massive damage to people's lives but in a more indirect type of violence.

In the 1990s, the "first wave" (of immigrants) has rarely shown such outburst of violence. In theory the main difference with the first generation of these immigrants' children is that they have spent much more time at school, as research has often concluded that education tends to reduce violent crime.

On average, the more time a youth spends at school the less violent he/she will become. Schools don't just teach you about history or maths, they teach you how to live in society. But the real problem is: are kids in poor urban areas even going to school at all? Are they learning any social skills when being systematically discriminated against? Research dating back to 1966 - with the famous Coleman Report - shows integration into society is key to better grades and successful education.

What is the right path?

Why would anyone follow the "right path" (i.e. schools) if you see that your parents did so and are still jobless or at best exploited and humiliated? Or if your identity and your place in society are constantly questioned, often by the government itself? It certainly won't help you feel good at home.

Does poverty causes crime?

In the countries where the social discrimination factor isn't very strong, results have shown that less education meant more criminal offenses ranging from property crime to "casual" theft and drug-related offenses (again, mostly theft). But not violence. It appears that in fact, poverty itself is more tied with violence, criminal damage and also drug use - as a catalyst for violence.

There are huge consequences of this kind of research for public policy and the positive impact of keeping children in school and reducing poverty. But for that we would need governments to actually read the research their universities produce! It shouldn't seem like too much of a stretch to argue that having kids actually graduate from school will in itself contribute to reduce poverty, no?

The effect of poverty and inequalities on mixed populations:

Another study across 20 cities in the US analyses how local inequalities and heterogeneous populations can influence crime rates. As ever more countries face problems related to immigration, policymakers should be aware that inequality, even within one ethnic group, is a major cause of crime.

It's also crucial to take into account how many ethnic groups live within a single neighborhood to understand local dynamics. Some are more likely to clash against others, depending on where they live. When inequalities are great, crime goes over the roof both within and between different ethnic populations. The more heterogeneous, the more jealousy, the more misunderstandings and the more crime there can be in a given place.

The spectacle of wealth

It is generally when people witness the starkest wealth differences in society that they can begin complaining about injustice. In fact, often time's crime is even worse within communities. Perhaps because it's easier, but maybe also because inequalities are felt all the more intensely when it happens between people living in the same group.

For example, in China some 90,000 demonstrations occur every year and what the media never mention is that the bulk of it it happens at the "border" between urban and rural areas, where poor farmers can see firsthand the massive inequalities between rich urban residents and themselves.

The Cost Benefit Analysis:

As of recent, it cost $123,400 to incarcerate a youth in a correctional facility in Ohio and only $19,800 to send the same youth to Ohio State University. Under this scenario, the state of Ohio could send every youth to college all the way up to their Master's degree in place of a single year in a juvenile facility.

But obviously, no tax payer is going to allow their hard earned money to provide a free education to an at-risk youth regardless of the $1,000,000 (return on investment) benefit to society that would follow after the youth completes his education and transitions successfully into the workforce. It is quite strange that communities never have to vote on some levy or special funds to keep paying for prison beds.

And finally, why does a state, county, or city (school district) have to be sued or forced to finally invest into the education of its youth, but rarely ever question building another prison to house the youth we know will be coming if we continue to not provide an adequate intervention to these youth at an early enough age to all collectively reap the benefits of supporting youth to become successful adults.

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(originally published Oct 12, 2013) Poverty and crime have a very "intimate" relationship that has been described by experts from all fields, from sociologists to economists. The UN and the World Bank both rank crime high on the list of obstacles to a country's development.

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Poverty is a tough and persistent challenge for the Rio Grande Valley. The unemployment rate is down compared to five years ago, so is the poverty rate, though to a lesser degree. There are more jobs, but they are not generally high paying jobs.

A minimum wage job pays about $15,000 per year (gross pay). That's enough for an individual to escape poverty. Not enough for a family. A family of four needs an income about double the minimum wage to escape from poverty. Many poor families are one parent (usually headed by the mother) households.

But it is not just the economy.

Residents of Rio Grande Valley are more likely to be obese than people elsewhere in the country. Consequently, Rio Grande Valley residents suffer from higher rates of diabetes and heart disease. Mental health services are worse than inadequate in our region. Taken together, these health issues push up poverty rates.

Education is a bright spot. High school graduation rates are much better than they were when I moved to Harlingen fifteen years ago. Our new university and medical school provide opportunities unattainable for local students only a few years ago.

Strong family ties prevented many young people from pursuing higher education in the past because higher education meant moving away from home. Young people do not need to go elsewhere to find educational opportunities any longer.

I am glad to have been able to write about character, personal development and faith issues as well in this column. These are the issues that really count. Poverty, and the stressors that accompany it, can certainly be difficult to deal with. I know. I've been poor. Poverty is not a moral failing. Escaping poverty won't make you happy. Being rich does not make you a better person, nor does being poor.

Our national mood is tense and polarized. It is easy to see things as black or white, good guys or bad guys, us versus them. In times like ours we are tempted to look for easy solutions to complex issues, to blame victims for their misfortune and demonize those we disagree with.

Stephen Covey encouraged his readers to "seek first to understand, then to be understood" in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Writing a short, weekly column forces one to boil down issues to their essence, to strip away preconceptions and prejudices and think honestly about what's really going on.

I can only hope these short commentaries help you do the same.
Bill Reagan is executive director of Loaves & Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley.

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'Poverty is a tough and persistent challenge for the Rio Grande Valley'

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Poverty is a tough and persistent challenge for the Rio Grande Valley. The unemployment rate is down compared to five years ago, so is the poverty rate, though to a lesser degree. There are more jobs, but they are not generally high paying jobs. A minimum wage job pays about $15,000 per year (gross pay).

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South Texas College's Single Sign-On Page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pursuant to Texas Administrative Code 202: (1) Unauthorized use is prohibited; (2) Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; (3) Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; and (4) Users have no expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.