Abstract
Increasing number of crimes has become an important problem of the economic development during the last decades. In addition to the economic and social determinants of criminal activities, access to healthcare services are considered as an important factor to decrease a person's risk of committing a crime. This study aims to analyze the impact of mental health problems on crime in an economic framework. Panel data on violent and property crimes for the counties for the period from 2011 to 2013 in the USA are employed. Based on information and statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the SAMSHA, a simple model of crime is proposed to analyze the relationship of mental wellness and crime rate. A fixed - effect approach is used to estimate the potential correlation. Then, the findings are compared with the estimation results from one step dynamic panel model and between - groups model. The results from the fixed effect approach show that physical inactivity and number of mental health providers are significantly related to crime. An increase in the number of mental health providers results in decrease in all crime categories but grand larceny and property crimes per 100,000 people. Additionally, the estimation results from the between groups model are highly consist with estimations from the fixed effect results
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