Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
explain these new patterns of falling crime rates in most developed countries but a
combination of eight features seem to account for the changes.
Those of a conservative persuasion have argued that the decreases are a positive
consequence of the more repressive policing and judicial measures adopted from the
late 1970s, in which more
offenders have been incarcerated
and therefore unable to
engage in new crime. Although this may be part of the explanation, many of those
being jailed are for non-violent offences, especially associated with the drug trade,
and there still seems to be a large reservoir of people in areas of disadvantage and
segregation, who are still prepared to engage in criminal activities since they have
few good employment opportunities. A more influential reason for the decrease
comes from a general decline in the
young adult
population, which is traditionally
responsible for a large amount of the crime, although there are often large numbers
of youths in cities. Also more of this group are likely to be in education or work and
still living at home than when crime spiked, so fewer seem likely to engage in the
extreme behaviours of their 1970s counterparts, while there has also been a decline
in the use of crack cocaine which caused such problems two decades ago. This de-
cline in the age group most likely to offend is primarily a result of declining fertility
levels in developed countries. But an important factor in this trend has been the
ease
of abortion
in most countries especially for poor, single mothers. This has reduced
the number of children born into poverty and unstable childhoods, who are not
always able to get the benefit of positive nurturing and socializations. In addition,
the
gentrification
of many inner city areas, as a result of the increasing prosperity
of larger cities in particular in the developed world, has led to a social displacement
of some of the people more likely to engage in crimes against persons and property.
Another explanation comes from the intriguing analysis by several researchers of
the effect of what amounts to
lead poisoning
, since it has been shown that lead in
gasoline correlates with the growth and then decline in crime after it was phased out
from 1984 in US and in Europe from 1990s (Nevin
2000
; Reyes
2007
; and Markus
et al.
2010
). The link seems to be that lead hinders brain development, especially in
growing children, by impeding the neural pathways that reduce aggression levels,
so that those exposed to lead exhibit more delinquency and crime, lower IQ's and
more teen pregnancies. The research has shown there was a greater effect on males,
but also a higher incidence in poor black children in inner cities where there was
greater exposure to traffic exhausts and to old leaded paint from crumbling build-
ings. This has led some to the conclusion that the environmental change in banning
lead made good social policy (Reyes
2007
; Monbiot
2013
). Since lead has long
been known to be toxic for many organs, especially the heart and kidneys, it has
increasingly been phased out from its older use in paints.
Another persuasive argument is that there are
fewer easier opportunities
and
rewards
for crime
, since many households, and especially businesses, have taken
more precautions, installing more alarm systems, more secure safes and CCTV
cameras, while cars, a big target in the 1980s, have more secure systems. In any
case the rewards from household break-ins in particular are far less, given the low-
er relative costs of so many electronic items and their limited resale value as new
models emerge. This reason accounts for the big drop in burglary, a crime that also
