Interesting read

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/what-caused-the-crime-decline/477408/


HIGHLIGHTS

Did lower unemployment rates lead to lower crime rates? There’s some research to suggest a connection, but it’s a minor one at best.



What about income growth? Some researchers theorize that greater opportunity for legal income reduces the need for illegal sources of it.


How closely related are alcohol and crime? The National Bureau of Economic Research found correlations between its consumption and aggravated assault, rape, and some types of theft. (It also didn’t find one with murder or burglary.)



The panel also found little indication of a deterrent effect. Most offenders reach a point when they age out of criminal behavior, limiting the utility of mandatory minimum sentencing. For this reason, the academy’s report concluded lengthy prison sentences are “ineffective as a crime-control measure” in virtually all circumstances. Some research even suggests harsh prison conditions could make inmates more likely to reoffend.



In its analysis last year on the crime decline’s causes, the Brennan Center found a “modest, downward effect on crime in the 1990s, likely 0 to 10 percent” from increased hiring of police officers.

Crime also continued to decline after the NYPD largely abandoned its controversial stop-and-frisk policy in recent years, for example.




What’s the correlation, for example, between economic inequality and crime? How does gentrification affect crime rates in major cities?

What other factors may have influenced the decline? Can it be attributed to antidepressants or the proliferation of cell phones? What about the aging of the baby boomer generation, or higher rates of gun ownership?

Why do so many Americans think crime hasn’t gone down at all?

And—however non-sequitur it might sound—will climate change reverse it?

Crime is a complex issue. It is interesting to hear/view the different theories into what is to be 'blamed', although I do not find much use for the blame game personally.

Crime IS a complex issue, and what's even more complex and challenging, is ACCURATELY pointing to why the rate of it seems to fall.

One factor that I know of that's very important, but which I have not seen anyone in significant authority even notice, is technological change. A flurry of it, actually.

The combination of most people moving to using credit and debit cards instead of cash, reduced the number of viable crime TARGETS for the more common criminals of old. The wild expansion and now dominance of the internet in business, has changed how much cash AND goods are available to be stolen. Increased technology at banks and business to allow criminals to be caught, may be a big part of it.

That kind of thing.

Now. SOME crime has actually increased. After all, we didn't even HAVE a crime called "identity theft" until very recently.