Crime Crisis
After the social justice protests of the summer of 2020, some cities scaled back laws that kept crime in check. It’s not going well - Jason Rantz

image by: Sean Feucht
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Rafael Mangual On The Crime Crisis In America
I think that if you let cities go by refusing to enforce these public order offenses, you immediately start to diminish the quality of life, which really pushes a lot of people away from the public spaces that need prosocial forces to meet just to have a presence there, to maintain a presence there. And as that presence starts to erode, all of those places become increasingly vulnerable to more serious types of crime. And I think what we’re learning, especially with the sort of remote work revolution that the pandemic brought on, is that cities are much more vulnerable now than they used to be, and it is possible for cities to die.
Resources
Violent Crime in the U.S. Is Surging. But We Know What to Do About It
The fact is, we can have safety and justice at the same time. We can reduce violence and promote reform simultaneously. We can be tough when the circumstances call for it and be empathetic and supportive to achieve our goals as well.
A Shift in Crime
It’s a confusing combination. The worst forms of crime have been moving in a different direction from other forms of crime. Both developments have big implications for everyday life: The decline in murder is saving lives, but the rise of street crime has created widespread anxiety and problems in many parts of the U.S.
America Is Having a Violence Wave, Not a Crime Wave
Thinking about the problem facing the country as a violence wave rather than a crime wave might help sidestep that dilemma, though. It doesn’t overhype the statistical evidence to suggest a widespread crime wave, in a way that might panic the public and encourage heavy-handed and unjust backlash, nor does it downplay the seriousness of violence in some communities.
America’s Crime Crisis: It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
The United States is suffering from a crime crisis. Across our country, families fear for their safety when they hear stories of their neighbors falling victim to violent crime. And people are angry when they hear about criminals being released back into our communities due to woke district attorneys who refuse to press charges for criminal actions, leaving victims wondering why.
Crime Waves and Moral Panics
From train robberies to organized retail theft to murder, are we really gripped by a crime wave?
Homicides rise across US cities amid pandemic and economic crisis
“Overall it is pretty unquestionable that there is more violence, we’re hearing that anecdotally and it’s certainly what the data is showing too,” said Charles Ransford, senior director of science and policy, at Cure Violence Global, an organization which trains outreach workers to intervene and mediate conflict in communities which have a high rate of violence.
More theft, burglaries and even murders are the unexpected side-effects of rising prices, this criminologist warns
Soaring inflation threaten to trigger a crime wave, a criminologist says, and your purchases might get caught up along the way.
Perspective: Crime is not a ‘red state problem.’ It’s rising because of liberal policies
After the social justice protests of the summer of 2020, some cities scaled back laws that kept crime in check. It’s not going well
Stopping the spiral of murder and violent crime
America has relied too long on a toxic combination of over- and under-policing.
Stories about crime are rife with misinformation and racism, critics say
But is there actually a crime wave? Turns out the answer is deeply complicated. So is the question.
The Cause of the Crime Wave Is Hiding in Plain Sight
When the speed of repercussions drops, society loses a key deterrent against unlawful behavior.
The Crime Spike Is No Mystery
By zooming out and looking at the big picture, the question of what causes violence becomes quite answerable.
The United States Has a Crime Crisis
Crime is affecting nearly every community across the country. In fact, just two years ago, only 38% of Americans believed crime posed a threat to their livelihoods. Just one year later, 51% of Americans now believe crime poses a threat to their livelihoods.
Violent Crime Is Surging in D.C. This Year: ‘We Just Stood There and Screamed’
Surging violent crime this year has spread fear and frustration across the District of Columbia, as police here struggle to curb the bloodshed at a time when many U.S. cities are seeing double-digit declines in homicides.
Why fear of crime more than crime itself is holding back America’s downtowns
What else could be behind the mismatch between crime data and crime vibes? One theory that came up again and again is that city residents and visitors are, to some extent, conflating actual violent crime with broader indications of urban disorder.
Rafael Mangual On The Crime Crisis In America
As violent crime continues to be a major concern for Americans, we delve into the data. We cover where crime has hit new highs, the policies that have helped and the policies that have hurt, and what we can expect as elected officials are now focused more on supporting police versus defunding them. In other words, are we headed in a better direction?
Crisis of Crime
Crisis of Crime is a weekly criminology podcast discussing topics related to criminal justice reform

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