NCJ Number
177664
Date Published
1991
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This analysis of crime trends in Australia concludes that much public concern about apparent crime increases has resulted from overly simplistic interpretations of crime statistics in the last 20 years or so and that many suggested crime control policies have resulted from limited understanding of the major changes in Australian society.
Abstract
Research conducted in Australia and overseas suggests that the rising crime statistics, although worrying, may be due to a short-term trend in population growth, together with some familiar changes in society. One major reason for the crime rates is the peaking in the numbers of youth in the age groups most likely to commit crimes. Another factor is the increased opportunity for crime due to the increasing separation of residential and commercial areas and the higher proportion of households in which both parents work outside the home. A third factor is the reaction of the community, media, and government. Media dramatization of violent crimes can heighten fears; some judicial and government responses to crimes can become self-fulfilling prophecies. The three phases of these trends include the wave of property crimes committed by youth in their early teens, the save of violence committed by older teenagers, and the decline in crime as the youths pass their peak ages for criminality. Possible alternatives to current crime control strategies include situational crime prevention and individual deterrent programs. Figures, list of crime prevention publications, and 17 references