Abstract: Violent crimes are amongst the serious offenses and are characterized by the fact that it entails the use of force or threat of force resulting in an injury to a person(s). This study seeks to unearth the influence of economic hardship on violent crimes in Kenya. In order to answer the objective under the study the researcher used the following income variable: education level, occupation status and house hold income. A purposive sampling technique was used to find the area understudy, the population and the sample. A descriptive analysis was used in the study. The study found that there is a close relationship between economic hardship and violent crimes in Kenya as most of the criminals came from low income households, low education level and low occupational status. Finally the study recommends that the government should provide favorable conditions to create employment opportunities, and education for the entire population.