Longitudinal analysis of trends and patterns of crime in Ghana (1980–2010): a new perspective

This preliminary study examines the nexus between incidence of crime and socio-politico-economic dynamics in Ghana between 1980 and 2010, using both international and local data. This is against the backdrop that earlier North America-based mainstream scholarships had argued that crime was a rational response to rising socioeconomic challenges – inequality, urbanization, peer pressure, and poverty. Our analysis shows that such age-old dichotomous narratives that underpinned criminology studies in developed countries is no longer fit for the purpose in the Ghanaian context. It takes little account of the multiplicity of drivers for criminal behavior and adopts causalities inextricably linked to a development paradigm that sees crime and criminality merely as a symptom of socioeconomic deprivation. Our study concludes that the truth is much more complicated – and disturbing – than this, as crime is not only a result of ‘pure’ inequality but a complex combination of socioeconomic and political developments and policies.