Chapter 4: Where Have All the Criminals Gone?
Americans who experienced the 1980s most likely remember the high crime rates from the decade. The transportation and distribution of crack cocaine and other “cheap” drugs in the ’80s resulted in high murder numbers and an increase in gang activity. But despite many sociologists’ prediction that the 1990s would be even worse, a “bloodbath” according to criminologist James Alan Fox, crime began to decrease dramatically in the ’90s. Criminologists and public officials began to look for reasons for the decrease (usually to be able to take credit for the positive change) and touted statistics about innovative policing strategies, increased reliance on prisons, aging of the population, tough gun-control laws, and an increased number of police. Levitt and Dubner negate most of these claims with statistics and then offer a closer look at Rudy Giuliani’s taking credit for the decrease in crime in New York City. After admitting that the rise in police hiring seems to have helped some with the recession of the crime wave, the authors point out that crime rates went down all …show more content…
The authors open the chapter by discussing the immense rise of interest in various parenting methods, books, and research. While at first glance this chapter might seem to discuss the decades-old nature-versus-nurture debate, it goes beyond that. First, Levitt and Dubner discuss school choice within the Chicago Public School System. They found that even if a student applies for a successful choice school and fails to get into the school through the lottery system, the student is just as likely to be successful in his or her original, failing school. The authors’ contention is that the type of student or parent who would be interested in changing schools is more important to the child’s success than is the school
Americans who experienced the 1980s most likely remember the high crime rates from the decade. The transportation and distribution of crack cocaine and other “cheap” drugs in the ’80s resulted in high murder numbers and an increase in gang activity. But despite many sociologists’ prediction that the 1990s would be even worse, a “bloodbath” according to criminologist James Alan Fox, crime began to decrease dramatically in the ’90s. Criminologists and public officials began to look for reasons for the decrease (usually to be able to take credit for the positive change) and touted statistics about innovative policing strategies, increased reliance on prisons, aging of the population, tough gun-control laws, and an increased number of police. Levitt and Dubner negate most of these claims with statistics and then offer a closer look at Rudy Giuliani’s taking credit for the decrease in crime in New York City. After admitting that the rise in police hiring seems to have helped some with the recession of the crime wave, the authors point out that crime rates went down all …show more content…
The authors open the chapter by discussing the immense rise of interest in various parenting methods, books, and research. While at first glance this chapter might seem to discuss the decades-old nature-versus-nurture debate, it goes beyond that. First, Levitt and Dubner discuss school choice within the Chicago Public School System. They found that even if a student applies for a successful choice school and fails to get into the school through the lottery system, the student is just as likely to be successful in his or her original, failing school. The authors’ contention is that the type of student or parent who would be interested in changing schools is more important to the child’s success than is the school