NCJ Number
145940
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 5 Dated: (1993) Pages: 517- 520
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined the fluctuation in violent and property crime rates in each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia for 1971 through 1991. These rates were compared with mean rates of violent and property crime for the Nation as a whole during the same period.
Abstract
Data used in the study were from annual reports issued by the FBI (U.S. Department of Justice, 1971-1992). Fluctuations in mean national violent and property crime rates during the study period explained changes in these crime rates in many individual States. This is persuasive evidence that crime waves can be viewed as national rather than local. Crime rates rose and fell at approximately the same time in socioeconomically diverse States widely scattered throughout the United States. This suggests that national factors more than local factors influence crime waves. Findings also support the idea that nationwide crime prevention initiatives have a reasonable chance of affecting local crime trends. Although the study suggests that national factors might influence crime waves, there is no proof of this. If there is a social process that causes crime waves to be national rather than local, this study did not find quantitative evidence of it. Future research should attempt to identify nationwide factors in crime trends that influence local crime patterns. 2 tables and 7 references