Desperate times lead to desperate measures. A man loses his job and has no money to feed his family. One might suppose that, without any other means, man could resort to theft. The United States is currently in the midst of a recession so severe that some believe it will last longer than the Great Depression. Various indicators of economic health, such as the unemployment rate and foreclosures, have reached their worst records in decades in recent months. Given the state of the financial crisis, law enforcement has warned of an increase in criminal activity. Despite the economic crisis and high levels of unemployment, crime rates have fallen significantly in the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor (2011) reported that the national unemployment average for 2008 was 5.8 percent. This rate increased significantly in 2009, averaging 9.3 percent, and 9.6 percent in 2010. Even though unemployment rates have increased, preliminary FBI reports for 2010 show that unemployment forces order across the United States reported a 6.2 percent decrease in the number of violence. crimes for the first 6 months of 2010 compared to figures reported for the same period in 2009. The violent crime category includes rape, murder, theft and aggravating consequences. The number of property crimes also decreased by 2.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Property crimes include burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson incidents decreased by 14.6 percent compared to the same periods in 2009 (FBI, 2011). Similarly, a study by Ohio State economics professor Bruce Weinberg found that there is no relationship between unemployment and violent crime. Weinberg notes that most violent crimes, particularly ... middle of paper ... activity, not employment status. Works Cited Federal Bureau of Investigation. (December 22, 2010). Uniform Semi-Annual Preliminary Crime Report, January-June 2010. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjs/ucr/crime-in-the-us/2010/preliminary-crime-in-the - us-2009Gould, ED, Weinberg, BA & Mustard, DB (2002, February). Crime rates and local market opportunities in the United States: 1979-1997. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 84(1), 49. MacDonald, H. (January 4, 2010). A theory of crime demolished. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870359090504574638024055735590.htMoyer, M. (March 2009). Stick them. Scientific American. (p.15-16).United States Department of Labor. (February 3, 2011). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/cps/prev_yrs.htm