Law enforcement, court officials and crime victims are affected because of the higher incidence of property crimes found in poor neighborhoods. ... Social workers are affected because their caseloads would be more manageable if the number of people living in poverty were reduced.
In short, the poor are more likely to experience legal problems, especially certain types. From a development perspective these findings offer some valuable insight. Legal problems are often symptoms of poor policy, inadequate legal and institutional frameworks, and weak delivery of services. The fact that poor people in both countries are considerably more likely to report legal problems suggests they are not well-served by public policies and services. And the financial and physical costs of legal problems can be high, and relatively more so for the poor.
