Ch. 4: Where Have All the Criminals Gone? By Elizabeth Reese & Linette Maliakal

Thesis There were many explanations given at the time to give a reason for the drop in crime, but none of these articles and newspapers mentioned the true reason for the drop in criminal activities, which was the ban on abortion.

Invention States opinions and beliefs of others about explanation for rise in criminal activity Policing strategies Reliance on prisons Changes in drug markets Aging of population Tougher gun control laws Strong economy Increase in # of police Other explanations (increased use of capital punishment, conceal weapon laws, etc.)

Invention (continued) Anticipation of counter arguments Strong economy Crime rate rose as economy did better Strong job market deters need commit criminal actions (burglary, robbery, auto theft) Studies showed no link between economy and violent crime Increase in # of Police & Police Strategies Bill Bratton police commissioner had officers crack down on deeds that used to go unpoliced (jumping subways, urinating on streets) All across the board, not just New York- often overlooked

Arrangement Narration of Anecdote (in beginning) Narration of Process how author came to conclusion about true cause Classification and Division Discussing all other reasons people brought up and explaining them, but shooting them down

1. Narration of Anecdote 1966- Nicolae Ceausescu, dictator of Russia, made abortion illegal To strengthen Romania by boosting population 1989- Ceausecu overthrown by civilian protestors who were against the abortion ban & his “corrosive” regime Sets stage for main topic of Romanian abortion story vs American crime story

2. Narration of Process Levitt provides many other claims for the drop in criminal activities He supports these claims with adequate information that appears to be valid Then goes in depth and finds flaws in the system

3. Classification and Division Classified previously mentioned ideas and explained the flaws Divided these claims from true reason of abortion ban “The very factors that drove millions of American women to have an abortion also seemed to predict that their children, had they been born, would have led unhappy and possibly criminal lives” (Levitt 127). Childhood poverty & single-parent household = strongest predictors that child will have criminal future

Style Tone: controversial, matter-of-fact, colloquial Diction Syntax “catch the bad guy” (113) “lopping off some heads” (129) Syntax “All those criminals didn’t march into jail by themselves, of course” (113) “What they did have, accordingly, was a lot more babies” (125)

Question #1 How does Levitt use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to defend his counterarguments he makes? What other tools do you notice he uses throughout the chapter?

Question #2 In what ways do you see the author make the connection between abortion and crime rates? What connection can you make between what seem like two completely different topics?

Question #3 Do you feel that the style of writing Levitt used in this chapter was effective for his argument that the case of Roe v Wade was the true cause for the drop in criminal activity? Defend your opinion. If not, state how you would have approached the matter and defended it.

Activity With a partner and using your book, write counterarguments against 3 of the 5 explanations for the rise in criminal activity. State whether you agree with the author’s stance or not. Choose from the following: Reliance on prisons Changes in drug markets Aging of population Tougher gun control laws Other explanations (increased use of capital punishment, conceal weapon laws, etc.)