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"Nobody gives a damn if you don't know the rules": Poverty, strain, and crime
Journal article   Peer reviewed

"Nobody gives a damn if you don't know the rules": Poverty, strain, and crime

Chrystina Y Hoffman, Dana R Dillard, Erin A King and Angela C Blackburn
Journal of qualitative criminal justice and criminology : JQCJC, Vol.14(1), pp.104-130
11/29/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21428/88de04a1.761f53f4

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Abstract

General strain theory posits that individuals commit crimes when they experience negative emotions following various sources of strain. One such source of strain is poverty. In this study, researchers use focus group data and apply a general strain framework to analyze criminal offending during the Missouri Community Action Network's Poverty Simulation© (2022) at a regional comprehensive university in the Southeast region of the United States. A total of 99 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the focus groups at the end of the simulation. Findings support Agnew’s (1992) theory with examples of sources of strain stemming from poverty leading to adverse emotional reactions and, at times, resulting in criminal responses that were economic. Participants noted the poverty simulation was a credible exercise that contributed to participant empathy. Implications within criminal justice and criminology education and future research are discussed.

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