SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND CRIMINALITY
SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND CRIMINALITY

Summary/Abstract: This article addresses the issue of social exclusion and its connection with crime. The authors emphasise that the concepts of poverty and social exclusion are very often incorrectly equated, even though exclusion may also stem from other factors. The paper is divided into two parts and encompasses a theoretical framework (sociological, criminological, and economic theories; Merton’s theory of anomie; the theory of social disorganisation; and rational choice in criminology) as well as practical examples that lead to the presentation of conclusions. Attention is also devoted to contemporary approaches that view social exclusion as a relative, multidimensional, and dynamic process. Empirical data from the World Bank, Eurostat, the United Nations, and regional security indices indicate that between 2.33 and 2.43 billion people, or about 32% of the world’s population, are at risk of social exclusion. In the second part of the paper, the relationship between social exclusion and crime in the contemporary world is examined through statistical data and information from scientific and journalistic sources.

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