Crime in America Liam C. Burke Bellevue University Abstract Crime in America has declined substantially since the 1990’s. Scholars, criminologists, sociologists, scientists and economists all have explanations for the trend. This paper will examine several theories to try and see a correlation and consensus on what has led to this decline. Crime in America Crime in America has continued to decline. Homicide is used as a benchmark for crime trends because it is the most accurately measured and most serious crime.
“In 2008, law enforcement agencies in the United States made an estimated 2.11 million arrests of persons younger than age 18. * Overall, there were 3% fewer juvenile arrests in 2008 than in 2007, and juvenile violent crime arrests fell 2%” (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1). Although there was a small increase in juvenile offenses during 2008 it was
However, some experts believe the rates have declined because the baby boomer generations are aging, so the percentage of young adults has declined. Some believe that the tougher or harsher sentences for crimes are a cause and there is evidence of this based on the increased prison populations. According to "Where Have All The Burglars Gone?" (2013), "Could more criminals being locked up be the answer? The number of people behind bars has grown substantially in many countries over the past 20 years.” (para.
The Overall Decrease in Juvenile Arrests Overall Review Data from 2008 shows that juvenile arrests for violent crime declined between 2006 and 2008. According to Puzzanchera (2009) “In 2008 there were 2.11 million juvenile arrests, which is 16% lower than the arrests in 1999” (p.3). In 2008 juvenile arrests for forcible rape was at an all time low since 1980, aggravated assault arrests were also at its lowest since 1988. However, juvenile arrests for murder were at its low in 2004, but increased from 2005 to 2007. Further, the Property Crime Index decreased by 20%, larceny-theft by 17%, murder by 5%, motor vehicle theft by 50%, and burglary by 14% (Puzzanchera, 2008).
Decrease in Juvenile Crime In 2001, according to the FBI, juveniles accounted for 17% of all arrests and 15% of all violent crime arrests (Snyder, 2003). In the late 1980s, juvenile violent crime arrest had a substantial growth then peaked in 1994. However, between 1994 and 2001, the juvenile arrest rate for Violent Crime Index fell 44% and as a result, the juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate was the lowest since 1983 (Snyder, 2003). Furthermore, in 2001, the rate of juvenile arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses that included forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault and murder declined for the seventh consecutive year. The juvenile arrest rate for each of these offenses has been declining steadily since the mid-1990s; for murder, the rate fell 70% and manslaughter arrest rate fell 40% from its 1993 peak through 2001.
Much of the argument over stop and frisk lies in numbers.” For instance, the NYPD says its policy has led to a falling murder rate and more gun seizures, with homicides down 21 percent this year and the number of illicit guns seized up 31 percent from last year”(Huffington post). If this tactic results in this much of a drop in homicides and an increase of thirty one percent in illicit guns seized, why not use it. This tactic obviously helps keep the streets a little safer. Most if not all cities that imply stop and frisk experience a dramatic drop in crime rate. “The reality is that crime has gone way down in New York City and that stop and frisk has certainly contributed to it.
In Chapter one, ‘Crime Control in America,” Rieman suggests that the criminal justice system has been designed to fail. Although there has been a slight decrease in crime in the more recent years, more specifically since 1992 the overall crime rates are declining; however a review of the criminal justice literature proves that prisons and police played quite a limited role in the national crime decline. He started off discussing the “Tough on crime” policies in which led to the largest prison expansion the U.S has ever known[i]. From 1980 to 2000, the U.S. built more prisons then it had in all of its history,[ii] creating what has been called an incarceration binge, mass incarceration, hyper incarceration, and a Plaque of Prisons. [iii] Rieman went through our history of recent Presidents, and there multiple failed policies they out forth in order to fight the war on crime.
Juvenile Crime Statistics After a decade of growth, the incidence of violent crime in America suddenly began to drop in the mid-1990s. Criminologists propose various reasons for the sudden turnaround in violent crime. Explanations include a strong economy, changing demographics, changes in the market for illegal drugs and the use of firearms, expanded imprisonment, policing innovations, and a growing cultural intolerance for violent behavior. Regardless of which explanation one favors, it is clear that previous increases as well as recent decreases in violent crime were disproportionately generated by the nation’s youth. Criminal behavior has always been more prevalent among young people.
As stated in an article What Accounts for the Decline by IMROHOROG˘ LU etal (2004), "The most noticeable decline over this time has been observed for property crimes, which account for over 90 percent of all crimes [in United States]. "(pp.707) Most of these crimes were committed by youth. However the fraction of youth declined and so did the number of crimes they committed. Another factor that lead to a decline in the crime rate is the law enforcement. IMROHOROG˘ LU etal (2004) point out that "expenditures on police protection have increased from 0.6 percent of GDP in 1980 to 0.7 percent of GDP in 1996."
Since the peak in 1994 with 11.0 suicides per 100,000, there has been a 34% decrease. In 2004, the rate was 8.2 per 100,000. The immense change in suicides among young adults have proven to, unfortunately, be rapidly increasing. Sadly, suicide has become the second leading cause of death among college students, accidents being first. According to a top mental health official, suicides outnumber homicides in the United States.