Question

This excerpt by British physician John Griscom was written in 1842.

By providing the laboring classes with better tenements, improved ventilation, and healthy and cleanly arrangements in respect to yards, sinks and sewerage, they will certainly suffer less from sickness and premature mortality, and a vast amount of pauperism, crime, and wretchedness be prevented . . .

What is the most likely reason Griscom connected crime to poor living conditions?

People who were likely to die young did not worry about the consequences of criminal acts.
Living in unsanitary conditions often made people lose their sense of right and wrong.
Unhealthy people who could not earn a living were more likely to commit crimes.
Being a member of the laboring classes made people more prone to criminal behavior.

Answer 1

Unhealthy people who could not earn a living were more likely to commit crimes.

Griscom ties crime to "pauperism" and poor living conditions — he implies poverty and ill health (caused by bad housing and sanitation) push people toward crime, not that the laboring class or unsanitary conditions by themselves make people immoral.