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The great crime decline is happening all across the country

43 points · 64 comments · andsoitis

  1. erkt · · focus · HN ↗
    Failure to prosecute crime leads to crime stat drops.
    1. jdlshore · · focus · HN ↗
      Are you claiming that’s what happening, or just engaging in ominous speculation?
      1. hn_throwaway_99 · · focus · HN ↗
        I think we know the answer to that one...

        Besides, GP is flat out wrong - not prosecuting crime does not result in reduced crime stats. The crime decline is led be a relatively huge 15% reduction in homicides. Even if those homicides remain unsolved or are not prosecuted, they still end up in crime stats. And unlike other crimes where you may argue they go unreported, when someone ends up dead (by usually violent means in a homicide) it rarely goes unnoticed.

        1. stevenicr · · focus · HN ↗
          no, GP is right, and you say so after pointing to homicides then admit it's possible.

          Homicides are the one thing that are hard to fudge the numbers with, although I am sure there are a number of deaths reported where there is not a homicide charge and there could of been, that is not the point.

          I've seen the result of a city deciding to report less crime, it works. The stats go down, people from out of town find the place more attractive, real estate goes up. They argue nothing reduces crime like cranes gentrifying.

          There is much more to the cycle of crimes not reported and/or not being prosecuted. It definitely works to bring down the numbers and exponentially.

          Of course the long term thing of cranes coming in and pushing out the poor may be the lasting change. Although I believe the criminal element adapts as well and chooses things based upon repercussions, so the amount of petty crimes can go up while the cranes stamp out the larger noticeable ones.

          1. jryle70 · · focus · HN ↗
            > I've seen the result of a city deciding to report less crime, it works

            Which city?

        2. coldtea · · focus · HN ↗
          >And unlike other crimes where you may argue they go unreported, when someone ends up dead (by usually violent means in a homicide) it rarely goes unnoticed.

          Unless they're just ignored as "missing persons".

    2. JumpCrisscross · · focus · HN ↗
      You’re arguing people aren’t reporting homicides because they don’t think they will be prosecuted?
    3. UncleMeat · · focus · HN ↗
      There are two major sources of crime stats: police data and a national survey that asks people whether they have recently been a victim of a crime. The latter is unaffected by prosecutorial discretion and it also shows declines.
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