Crime rates declining in hard times. Why?
Asked by
jazzjeppe (
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September 14th, 2009
I got a link sent to me of a report from FBI, USA, that shows that crime rates declined during 2008. I haven’t found an analysis of the report yet but it sure is an interesting development. One would think that it would be the other way around during hard times. What can have happened/changed that had this effect on crimes in the US? Or is it perhaps a global phenomena? What do you think?
Read the report here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/sept09/crimestats_091409.html
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6 Answers
gun prices have held steady
As I understand it, crime rates has been dropping since mid 90’s. This graphic doesn’t show earlier years, so just comparing it to the previous year says very little. In my opinion it just seems consistent with the trend over the last decade.
However, it could be that I have read too much into the statistics for violent crimes, which has been declining since the 90’s.
Global warming….................of the heart.
You can’t tell from the article if crime rates are declining or not. All measurements wiggle from year to year and a decline by 5% one year might have been preceded by an increase of 10% the previous year. So, are we up or down? Without additional, historical data, it is impossible to tell.
The only statistic in the article that seems to truly indicate a decrease in crime is the estimated number of forcible rapes, because it was the lowest figure in 20 years, and is almost certainly significant.
I heard the gun nuts were buying up all the available ammunition after Obama’s election. Maybe crime is going down because criminals can’t load their guns.
Because of overcrowding in jails, lesser crimes aren’t being prosecuted.
(I have no idea if this is true, but it sounds right)
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