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Explain The Decline Of Crime In The 1990s

609 Words3 Pages

Introduction
The nation faced an unexpected decline in crime rates during the 1990s. It was thought that during this time, crime would be increased. There are many different explanations as to why crime declined in the 1990s. Two articles, “Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors That Explain the Decline and Six That Do Not,” written by Levitt and “Evaluating Contemporary Crime Drop(s) in America, New York City, and Many Other Places,” written by Baumer, each explain the factors that influenced the Great American Crime Decline.
Article Descriptions
Levitt (2004) described four factors that provide an explanation for crime reduction, which included the increasing number of police, the rising prison population, the receding crack epidemic and the legalization of abortion. There are other theories as to why crime declined during the 1990s, however they do not provide a substantial amount of evidence. The six theories described in Levitt’s article that played a little role, included the strong economy, changing demographics, better policing strategies, gun control laws, laws allowing the carrying of concealed weapons and the increased use of capital punishment. …show more content…

Baumer made sure to include the features of when, what and where in his article, in order to provide an in depth explanation of crime drop. Baumer (2014) then offered three major explanations for crime decline, which included the reduction in criminal motivation and propensities, conditions that constrain a population from engaging in illegal activity and shifts in physical or social

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