According to Wacquant it is not the police who make crime go away. A trenchant critic of Giuliani-Bratton police work, Waquant puts forth the view that six factors independent of police work have significantly reduced crime rates in America. First, the boom in economy provided jobs for youth and diverted them from street crimes. Even though the official poverty rate of New York City remained unchanged at 20% during the entire decade of the 1990s, Latinos benefited by the deskilled labour market. The blacks, buoyed by the hope of the flourishing economy, went back to school and avoided illegal trade. Thus even though under-employment and low paid work persisted there was decline of aggregate unemployment rates which explains 30% decrease in national crime rates.
Second, there was twofold transformation in drug trade. The retail trade in crack in poor neighbourhoods attained stability. The turf wars subsided and violent competition among rival gangs decreased. The narcotic sector had become oligopolised. This resulted in a sharp drop in drug related street murders. In 1998 it dropped below the one hundred mark from 670 murders in 1991. The change in consumption of drugs went from crack to other drugs such as marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamines, a trade which is less violent as it is based on networks of mutual acquaintances rather than anonymous exchange places.
Third, the number of young people (age group between 18-24) declined. It must be noted that the young people in this age group are found most responsible for crimes. The AIDS epidemic among drug users, drug overdose deaths, gang related homicides and young criminals imprisoned eliminated this group by 43,000. This decline of young people resulted in the drop of street crimes by 1/10th.
Fourth, the impact of learning effect that the deaths of earlier generations of young people had on the later generation, especially those born after 1975-1980, avoided drugs and stayed away from risky life styles.
Fifth, the role played by churches, schools, clubs and other organizations in awareness and prevention campaigns exercised informal social control and helped to control crimes.
Sixth, the statistical law of regression states that when there is abnormally high incidence of crime it is likely to decline and settle towards the mean.[10] Wacquant concludes that the dynamic interplay of the six factors was largely responsible for the drop in crime rates in America and the claim that policing alone was responsible for the drop in crimes at best rests on shaky empirical data.
Article comments
1 - Dan
James Q. Wilson and George Kelling defended Broken Windows theory against its critics in the September/October issue of The American Interest.
2 - doubting thomas
There is evidence that the crime rates were declining before Giuliani and Bratton took over. Hence it is a hyperbole to conclude that Giuliani and Bratton were responsible for the drop in crime in New York.Refer Freakonomics- page129- Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
3 - Anand Pon
Dear Socrates
1. I seek your permission to use your article for my magazine/souvenier program which I will share with security managers in a forum being organised by my company
2. The forum is called the WORLD SECURITY CONGRESS. Please see www.bsecure.com.my
3. I will post all articles that would be in the magazine. I expect that to take place sometime towards the end of this month
Kind regards
Anand Pon
4 - socrates
Dear Anand,
'I seek your permission to use your article for my magazine/souvenier program which I will share with security managers in a forum being organised by my company.'
Please do. And wishing you the very best in your publishing venture.
5 - Max Von Gunther
Dear Mr.Anand Pon,
Socrates is a avid writer and has published many articles.It would not be a bad idea to have Socrates in your panel discussion specially when his article is read out.He would perhaps enlighten your session more on Broken Windows.I had the extraorinary privilage of meeting Socrates during my visit to India and i must confess his knowledge is stupendous.You will not regret my suggestion.