Crime Trends
- LAST REVIEWED: 17 July 2019
- LAST MODIFIED: 29 June 2011
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0058
- LAST REVIEWED: 17 July 2019
- LAST MODIFIED: 29 June 2011
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0058
Introduction
Although there are a few rich historical studies of crime trends and some research on both cross-national and American post–World War II trends, the amount of scholarly attention devoted to this topic increased substantially during the 1990s and 2000s. The increased volume of research and public discourse on crime trends during the past two decades has followed the well-publicized sharp spikes in youth gun violence during the mid- to late 1980s in America. Attention to crime trends has grown in particular on the heels of a widespread and significant crime decrease in several parts of the world that began in the early to mid-1990s and appears to have continued in many nations. The existing literature has documented trends in homicide during the past several centuries and described in detail trends for a variety of other violent and property crimes over the last half of the 20th century. There is less research directed at explaining the observed changes in crime rates. The explanatory research has covered a wide variety of issues, but has focused most heavily on the response of crime rates to levels of incarceration, policing, and economic adversity. The explanatory research that has been done does not permit definitive conclusions to be drawn, but does point to several factors thought to be highly relevant to shaping observed crime trends.
General Overviews
Much of the literature on crime trends has been published in the form of journal articles, but there are a few general overviews that are essential reading. Excellent treatments of historical crime trends in Europe, America, and selected other nations can be found in Gurr 1981, Lane 1997, and Johnson and Monkkonen 1996. Gurr 1981 documents trends in homicide, assault, and robbery for several European nations dating from the 13th century, and for America from the mid-19th century through the 1970s. Johnson and Monkkonen 1996 provide some additional coverage of trends for this period, coupled with more detailed explanation of the observed trends. Lane 1997 provides a detailed treatment of the prevalence and nature of homicide in America, along with the social and legal reactions to lethal violence from the precolonial period through the late 1980s. Cooney 2003 adds to the literature by discussing the changing forms that violence has taken historically. Blumstein and Wallman 2006, Goldberger and Rosenfeld 2008, LaFree 1998 and Zimring 2006 provide comprehensive treatments of contemporary American crime trends. LaFree 1998 focuses on describing and explaining the dramatic increase in serious crimes observed in America during the 1960s and 1970s. The chapters in Blumstein and Wallman 2006 cover a variety of dimensions of the 1990s crime drop, a theme that Zimring 2006 expands on with special attention to the crime decline experienced in New York City. Goldberger and Rosenfeld 2008 summarize the accumulated knowledge on recent American crime trends from 1980 through 2005. With respect to contemporary trends in other nations, Eisner 2008 is a particularly informative source with detailed and updated figures for homicide rates across several European nations dating in some cases from the 13th century through the 1990s.
Blumstein, Alfred, and Joel Wallman, eds. 2006. The crime drop in America. Rev. ed. Cambridge Studies in Criminology. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press.
An edited volume that provides a thorough description of US crime trends during the 1990s and extensive discussions of the most common explanations for those trends. A must-read on the what and why of the 1990s crime drop in America.
Cooney, Mark. 2003. The privatization of violence. Criminology 41.4:1377–1406.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2003.tb01023.x
A detailed look at ways in which interpersonal violence has shifted qualitatively in form historically. An excellent overview of the nature of interpersonal violence during different historical eras.
Eisner, Manuel. 2008. Modernity strikes back? A historical perspective on the latest increase in interpersonal violence (1960–1990). International Journal of Conflict and Violence 2.2:288–316.
A succinct summary of both historical and post-1960 crime trends for several European nations. Provides a description of homicide trends during these eras and summarizes the explanations that have been provided for them.
Goldberger, Arthur S., and Richard Rosenfeld, eds. 2008. Understanding crime trends: Workshop report. Proceedings of a two-day workshop held by the National Research Council in April 2007. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
An edited volume that summarizes the proceedings of a workshop on understanding crime trends. Individual chapters describe recent US crime trends, spanning 1980 through the middle of the 2000s, and provide overviews of existing knowledge about explanations of past crime trends and forecasting future crime trends. An exhaustive overview of contemporary crime trends in America, suitable for those who seek an in-depth understanding of crime trends since 1980.
Gurr, Ted R. 1981. Historical trends in violent crime: A critical review of the evidence. Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research 3:295–350.
An excellent overview of historical crime trends for America and several European nations. A highly accessible source that provides a condensed discussion of historical crime patterns.
Johnson, Eric A., and Eric H. Monkkonen, eds. 1996. The Civilization of Crime: Violence in Town and Country since the Middle Ages. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press.
An edited volume that contains several insightful chapters on long-term and short-term trends in crime rates across much of Europe form the early 14th century to the first half of the 20th century. A good source for those looking for advanced description and analysis of historical crime trends.
LaFree, Gary. 1998. Losing legitimacy: Street crime and the decline of institutions in America. Crime and Society. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Concise book that outlines an argument for why crime rates rose in America during the 1960s and 1970s. Provides a useful overview of data sources and methodological considerations in documenting and explaining contemporary crime trends. A highly accessible and relatively short book that broadenings understanding of post–World War II US crime trends.
Lane, Roger. 1997. Murder in America: A history. History of Crime and Criminal Justice Series. Columbus: Ohio State Univ. Press.
A careful and thorough examination of the quantity and quality of murder and responses to murder in America from the precolonial era through the early 1990s. A must-read for persons on murder in America and its connection to contemporary patterns.
Zimring, Frank E. 2006. The great American crime decline. Studies in Crime and Public Policy. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
A highly accessible book that documents in detail the nature and magnitude of the 1990s crime decline in America and selected other nations, and that provides an overview of the factors thought to be most responsible for the observed patterns. A good introduction to the 1990s crime decline.
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login.
How to Subscribe
Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.
Article
- Active Offender Research
- Actus Reus
- Adler, Freda
- Adversarial System of Justice
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Aging Prison Population, The
- Airport and Airline Security
- Alcohol and Drug Prohibition
- Alcohol Use, Policy and Crime
- Alt-Right Gangs and White Power Youth Groups
- Animals, Crimes Against
- Anomie
- Arson
- Art Crime
- Back-End Sentencing and Parole Revocation
- Bail and Pretrial Detention
- Batterer Intervention Programs
- Bentham, Jeremy
- Big Data and Communities and Crime
- Biosocial Criminology
- Blackmail
- Black's Theory of Law and Social Control
- Blumstein, Alfred
- Boot Camps and Shock Incarceration Programs
- Burglary, Residential
- Bystander Intervention
- Capital Punishment
- Chambliss, William
- Chicago School of Criminology, The
- Child Maltreatment
- Chinese Triad Society
- Civil Protection Orders
- Collateral Consequences of Felony Conviction and Imprisonm...
- Collective Efficacy
- Commercial and Bank Robbery
- Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
- Communicating Scientific Findings in the Courtroom
- Community Change and Crime
- Community Corrections
- Community Disadvantage and Crime
- Community-Based Justice Systems
- Community-Based Substance Use Prevention
- Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
- CompStat Models of Police Performance Management
- Confessions, False and Coerced
- Conservation Criminology
- Consumer Fraud
- Contextual Analysis of Crime
- Control Balance Theory
- Convict Criminology
- Co-Offending and the Role of Accomplices
- Corporate Crime
- Costs of Crime and Justice
- Courts, Drug
- Courts, Juvenile
- Courts, Mental Health
- Courts, Problem-Solving
- Crime and Justice in Latin America
- Crime, Campus
- Crime Control Policy
- Crime Control, Politics of
- Crime, (In)Security, and Islam
- Crime Prevention, Delinquency and
- Crime Prevention, Situational
- Crime Prevention, Voluntary Organizations and
- Crime Trends
- Crime Victims' Rights Movement
- Criminal Career Research
- Criminal Decision Making, Emotions in
- Criminal Justice Data Sources
- Criminal Justice Ethics
- Criminal Justice Fines and Fees
- Criminal Justice Reform, Politics of
- Criminal Justice System, Discretion in the
- Criminal Records
- Criminal Retaliation
- Criminal Talk
- Criminology and Political Science
- Criminology of Genocide, The
- Critical Criminology
- Cross-National Crime
- Cross-Sectional Research Designs in Criminology and Crimin...
- Cultural Criminology
- Cultural Theories
- Cybercrime
- Cybercrime Investigations and Prosecutions
- Cycle of Violence
- Day Fines
- Deadly Force
- Defining "Success" in Corrections and Reentry
- Desistance
- Deterrence
- Developmental and Life-Course Criminology
- Digital Piracy
- Driving and Traffic Offenses
- Drug Control
- Drug Trafficking, International
- Drugs and Crime
- Elder Abuse
- Electronically Monitored Home Confinement
- Employee Theft
- Environmental Crime and Justice
- Experimental Criminology
- Extortion
- Family Violence
- Fear of Crime and Perceived Risk
- Felon Disenfranchisement
- Femicide
- Feminist Theories
- Feminist Victimization Theories
- Fencing and Stolen Goods Markets
- Firearms and Violence
- Forensic Science
- For-Profit Private Prisons and the Criminal Justice–Indust...
- Fraud
- Gambling
- Gangs, Peers, and Co-offending
- Gender and Crime
- Gendered Crime Pathways
- General Opportunity Victimization Theories
- Genetics, Environment, and Crime
- Green Criminology
- Halfway Houses
- Harm Reduction and Risky Behaviors
- Hate Crime
- Hate Crime Legislation
- Healthcare Fraud
- Hirschi, Travis
- History of Crime in the United Kingdom
- History of Criminology
- Homelessness and Crime
- Homicide
- Homicide Victimization
- Honor Cultures and Violence
- Hot Spots Policing
- Human Rights
- Human Trafficking
- Identity Theft
- Immigration, Crime, and Justice
- Incarceration, Mass
- Incarceration, Public Health Effects of
- Income Tax Evasion
- Indigenous Criminology
- Institutional Anomie Theory
- Integrated Theory
- Intermediate Sanctions
- Interpersonal Violence, Historical Patterns of
- Interrogation
- Intimate Partner Violence, Criminological Perspectives on
- Intimate Partner Violence, Police Responses to
- Investigation, Criminal
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Juvenile Justice System, The
- Kidnapping
- Kornhauser, Ruth Rosner
- Labeling Theory
- Labor Markets and Crime
- Land Use and Crime
- Lead and Crime
- Legitimacy
- LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence
- LGBTQ People in Prison
- Life Without Parole Sentencing
- Local Institutions and Neighborhood Crime
- Lombroso, Cesare
- Longitudinal Research in Criminology
- Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
- Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Crime, The
- Mass Media, Crime, and Justice
- Measuring Crime
- Mediation and Dispute Resolution Programs
- Mental Health and Crime
- Merton, Robert K.
- Meta-analysis in Criminology
- Middle-Class Crime and Criminality
- Migrant Detention and Incarceration
- Money Laundering
- Motor Vehicle Theft
- Multi-Level Marketing Scams
- Murder, Serial
- Narrative Criminology
- National Deviancy Symposia, The
- Nature Versus Nurture
- Neighborhood Disorder
- Neutralization Theory
- New Penology, The
- Offender Decision-Making and Motivation
- Offense Specialization/Expertise
- Organized Crime
- Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs
- Panel Methods in Criminology
- Peacemaking Criminology
- Peer Networks and Delinquency
- Performance Measurement and Accountability Systems
- Personality and Trait Theories of Crime
- Persons with a Mental Illness, Police Encounters with
- Phenomenological Theories of Crime
- Plea Bargaining
- Poaching
- Police Administration
- Police Cooperation, International
- Police Discretion
- Police Effectiveness
- Police History
- Police Militarization
- Police Misconduct
- Police, Race and the
- Police Use of Force
- Police, Violence against the
- Policing and Law Enforcement
- Policing, Body-Worn Cameras and
- Policing, Broken Windows
- Policing, Community and Problem-Oriented
- Policing Cybercrime
- Policing, Evidence-Based
- Policing, Intelligence-Led
- Policing, Privatization of
- Policing, Proactive
- Policing, School
- Policing, Stop-and-Frisk
- Policing, Third Party
- Polyvictimization
- Positivist Criminology
- Pretrial Detention, Alternatives to
- Pretrial Diversion
- Prison Administration
- Prison Classification
- Prison, Disciplinary Segregation in
- Prison Education Exchange Programs
- Prison Gangs and Subculture
- Prison History
- Prison Labor
- Prison Visitation
- Prisoner Reentry
- Prisons and Jails
- Prisons, HIV in
- Private Security
- Probation Revocation
- Procedural Justice
- Property Crime
- Prosecution and Courts
- Prostitution
- Psychiatry, Psychology, and Crime: Historical and Current ...
- Psychology and Crime
- Public Criminology
- Public Opinion, Crime and Justice
- Public Order Crimes
- Public Social Control and Neighborhood Crime
- Punishment Justification and Goals
- Qualitative Methods in Criminology
- Queer Criminology
- Race and Sentencing Research Advancements
- Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice
- Racial Threat Hypothesis
- Racial Profiling
- Rape and Sexual Assault
- Rape, Fear of
- Rational Choice Theories
- Rehabilitation
- Religion and Crime
- Restorative Justice
- Risk Assessment
- Routine Activity Theories
- School Bullying
- School Crime and Violence
- School Safety, Security, and Discipline
- Search Warrants
- Seasonality and Crime
- Self-Control, The General Theory:
- Self-Report Crime Surveys
- Sentencing Enhancements
- Sentencing, Evidence-Based
- Sentencing Guidelines
- Sentencing Policy
- Sex Crimes
- Sex Offender Policies and Legislation
- Sex Trafficking
- Sexual Revictimization
- Situational Action Theory
- Snitching and Use of Criminal Informants
- Social and Intellectual Context of Criminology, The
- Social Construction of Crime, The
- Social Control of Tobacco Use
- Social Control Theory
- Social Disorganization
- Social Ecology of Crime
- Social Learning Theory
- Social Networks
- Social Threat and Social Control
- Solitary Confinement
- South Africa, Crime and Justice in
- Sport Mega-Events Security
- Stalking and Harassment
- State Crime
- State Dependence and Population Heterogeneity in Theories ...
- Strain Theories
- Street Code
- Street Robbery
- Substance Use and Abuse
- Surveillance, Public and Private
- Sutherland, Edwin H.
- Technology and the Criminal Justice System
- Technology, Criminal Use of
- Terrorism
- Terrorism and Hate Crime
- Terrorism, Criminological Explanations for
- Testimony, Eyewitness
- Therapeutic Jurisprudence
- Trajectory Methods in Criminology
- Transnational Crime
- Truth-In-Sentencing
- Urban Politics and Crime
- US War on Terrorism, Legal Perspectives on the
- Victimization, Adolescent
- Victimization, Biosocial Theories of
- Victimization Patterns and Trends
- Victimization, Repeat
- Victimization, Vicarious and Related Forms of Secondary Tr...
- Victimless Crime
- Victim-Offender Overlap, The
- Violence Against Women
- Violence, Youth
- Violent Crime
- White-Collar Crime
- White-Collar Crime, The Global Financial Crisis and
- White-Collar Crime, Women and
- Wilson, James Q.
- Wolfgang, Marvin
- Women, Girls, and Reentry
- Wrongful Conviction