1. The Nature and Extent of Crime
Chapter 2

2. Explaining Trends in Crime Rates
Age structure of the population
Immigration
Economy/jobs
Abortion
Gun availability
Gang membership
Drug use
Media
Cultural change
Criminal opportunity

3. Age Structure of the Population
Has a significant influence on crime trends
Teens have extremely high crime rates, whereas seniors rarely commit crime
The greater the proportion of teens in the population, the higher the crime rates and the greater the number of persistent offenders
When “baby boomers” hit their teens in the mid-1960s, the crime rate skyrocketed
Because our population is aging, crime rates may remain relatively low for some time

4. Immigration
In general, immigrants engage in criminal activities less than the general population
As the number of immigrants in the population increases, the crime rate will go down
However, children of immigrants will have the same crime rates as non-immigrants

5. Economy/Jobs
Possible that a poor economy actually helps lower crime rates because unemployed parents are at home to supervise children and guard the family’s possessions
Because there is less to spend, a poor economy reduces the number of valuables worth stealing
Unlikely that law-abiding, middle-aged workers will suddenly turn to a life of crime if they are laid off during an economic downturn
Over the long haul, a strong economy helps lower crime rates—crime skyrocketed in the 1930s during the Great Depression (1929 – 1939), but much of that was probably prohibition (1920 – 1933) and gang related

6. Abortion
Recent drop in the crime rate can be attributed to the availability of legalized abortion since 1973
Crime rates began to decline when the first groups of potential offenders affected by the abortion decision began reaching the peak age of criminal activity

7. Gun Availability
As the number of guns in the population increases, so do violent crime rates
More guns than ever before are in the hands of young people
Up to 10 percent of high school students carry guns at least some of the time

8. Gang Membership Now 800,000 gang members in the U.S.
Criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities, including armed robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions, identity theft, murder, and weapons trafficking
Gang members are far more likely to possess guns

9. Drug Use As drug use increases, crime rates increase
The surge in the violent crime rate between 1985 and has been tied directly to the crack cocaine epidemic that swept the nation’s largest cities
When crack use declined in urban areas after 1993, so did crime rates

10. Media
Some experts believe that violence in media can influence the direction of crime rates
The availability of media with a violent theme increased dramatically in the 1980s with the introduction of home video players, cable TV, and computer and video games, teen violence rates increased as well
Yet, there is more violent video content than ever before, and the violence rates has been dropping for the past decade

11. Medical Technology
The presence and quality of health care can have a significant impact on murder rates
Breakthrough occurred in the 1970s from medical care learned in Vietnam started keeping people alive in the U.S.

12. Cultural Change
Cultural change, such as increases in the number of single-parent families, high school dropout rates, racial conflict, and teen pregnancies can affect crime rates
Teen pregnancies have declined, and so have crime rates
Not mentioned in your book may be all the programs on scientific evidence in crime solving, or computer forensics that may lower the crime rate

13. Criminal Opportunity
As criminal opportunities increase, so do crime rates
The decline in the burglary rate over the past decade may be explained in part by the abundance and subsequent decline in price of commonly stolen merchandise, such as smart phones and iPads
The risk of getting cause outweighs the benefits
Improvements in home and commercial security devices may discourage would-be burglars
Cameras, alarms, street cams, toll roads data