Answer:
The violent crime rate for this Southern state with an urbanization of 55.4 and a poverty rate of 13.7 is predicted to be:
7.6%.
Explanation:
a) Data and Calculations:
Urbanization rate = 55.4%
Poverty rate = 13.7%
The predicted violent crime rate = urbanization rate * poverty rate
= 55.4% * 13.7%
= 7.5898%
= 7.6%
b) The prediction of violent crime rate follows some established researches that show that crime rates are higher in urban than rural areas. There is also a dynamic link between poverty, unemployment, and crime rate. Unemployment is usually high in more urbanized areas. As a result, unemployment increases poverty, and poverty reinforces the commission of crimes.