Why the Crime Rate Dropped

Factors That Do Explain The Crime Rate Drop

1. Increases in the Number of Police

Police are the first line of defense against crime. After the increase in number of police (due to government elections), there was "somewhere between one-fifth and one-tenth of the overall decline in crime".

However, this was not without great cost. A 14% increase in police would cost approximately 8.4 billion dollars extra. The estimated benefit though, of 20-25 billion dollars, would far outweigh the cost. Increasing police presence has proven to be effective in decreasing the crime rate.

2. The Rising Prison Population

by locking up offenders, they are removed from the streets and  unable to commit further crimes while incarcerated. This reduction in crime is

known as the incapacitation effect. The other reason prisons reduce crime is

deterrence—the increased threat of punishment induces forward-looking criminals

not to commit crimes they otherwise would find attractive.

The rising prison population has accounted for "about one-third of the observed decline in crime."

3. The Receding Crack Epidemic

Beginning in 1985, the use of crack cocaine spiked. Along with it, the homicide rate for African American males under the age of 25 (nearly tripling). As the Crack epidemic receded, so did the homicide rate to levels just above where they were before.

4. The Legalization of Abortion

Unwanted baby's are at a greater risk of committing crime. The Legalization of abortion creates less unwanted babies. According to Dagg (1991), in jurisdictions where abortion was illegal, women overwhelmingly kept their babies rather than put them up for adoption. However, these mothers often felt disdain towards the children. The unwanted babies were substantially more likely to commit crime in their lifetime than "wanted" babies.