[For the articles relating to this post, read this entry under Issues in Prosecution]
So, it seems that big-brained criminologists are struggling to explain the two decade-long drop in America's violent crime rate, a rate that has continued to decline despite the country's recent economic problems.
What do you think?
(I have a pet theory that I will save until later to see if anyone else stumbles upon it as well ...)
Posts: 2429 | Location: TDCAA | Registered: March 08, 2002
It's part of the stimulus package. In a little-read portion of the legislation, criminal conduct is included in the definition of "troubled assets," making it eligible to be purchased with federal funds.
Posts: 1233 | Location: Amarillo, Texas, USA | Registered: March 15, 2001
quote:Originally posted by Ray: Baby boomers are getting older. We are not committing as many crimes.
First one out of the gate and he nails it. Way to spoil my fun, Ray. (Although I like JB's, too--that's the sort of lame "pun"-ishment I like to inflict on others.)
Now that we've established beyond a shadow of a doubt (!) that the Baby Boomers are the cause of the crime way of the 1960s-80s, the real fun begins:
(1) Other than sheer numbers, what made BBs so much less law-abiding than previous generations?
and in light of that,
(2) Why are so many of you/them still allowed to roam the streets with impunity?
(this should be fun to watch ...)
Posts: 2429 | Location: TDCAA | Registered: March 08, 2002
I don't know that the Boomers (I think I barely make that group) were all that bad. It's just that the Slackers and Gen-x's that followed were so uninspiring by comparison.
If the question had been limited to Texas, I would have said the 94 penal code revision. It's been almost two decades since half time parole eligibility went into effect.
(I know, it's lame to tell my answer after the answer is posted.)
Posts: 172 | Location: Georgetown, Texas, USA | Registered: June 05, 2001
When I began prosecuting we had an old sage who handled our 'intake and cranky detective relations department.' He dispatched both with equal nimbleness each morning following the reading of his Wall Street Journal and again each afternoon following his short nap at his desk.
He was a man of not too many words but he would gladly discuss his theory of crime and its prevention with those that would listen. His dissertation stated that the cure to crime is a birthday; usually the 40th but it can be a few years sooner or later. And, he would encourage all of us young Turks to pay attention to our defendants' ages and to when we quit seeing them repeat.
And, now these many years later, Shannon and company are channeling Mr. Holt. I guess imitation IS the highest form of flattery. LOL
PS - The point of his lecture was that he encouraged us to do all that we could to see to it that 'real criminals' were sent away and would not be back until they were forty.
[This message was edited by John Talley on 02-12-10 at .]
Posts: 44 | Location: Amarillo, Tx, USA | Registered: March 03, 2008
I think you boys need to re-read the article. If age is the sudden cause of why the crime rate suddenly dropped, how come L.A., with a million more people in it than 20 years ago, with a younger average age, has far fewer homicides?
Also, incarceration does not explain the sudden drop in crime, because incarceration rates have been pretty flat recently. Moreover, one of the experts claims that England's crime rate has dropped with no increase in incarceration.
MIAMI - In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of red wine. A crisp copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night like clockwork, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana.
Long a fixture among young people, use of the country's most popular illicit drug is now growing among the AARP set, as the massive generation of baby boomers who came of age in the 1960s and '70s grows older.
The number of people aged 50 and older reporting marijuana use in the prior year went up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent from 2002 to 2008, according to surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds, whose reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent.
"In his book why crime rates fell, Tufts University sociologist John Conklin concluded that up to half of the improvement was due to a single factor: more people in prison."
