Abstract
Much scholarly attention has been given to crime trends during recent decades in which the United States and the world experienced a spike in violent crime during the late 1980s into the early-mid 1990s, followed by an unanticipated and unparalleled decline during the mid to late 1990s. These trends have been described in detail by a number of scholars that have offered explanations ranging from record increases in incarceration to the rise and fall of crack cocaine. A lack of consensus regarding the main factors driving these trends has kept researchers interested, and arguably stuck in this period. As a result, we lack an understanding as to what has occurred in the last decade, begging the question, “What has happened since the 1990s?” The purpose of this paper is threefold: First, to determine whether there have been any significant changes in crime across cities in the U.S. since the end of the Great American Crime Decline, as well as to explore what economic, social, and criminal justice factors may be associated with these changes. Secondly, with an eye towards theory, a commonly used variable is reconceptualized and explored in depth. Finally, the existence of a national trend is examined in the context of a large sample of U.S. cities with hopes of guiding future research in the area of crime trends.
|
