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This is due, in part, to better policing. That's... debatable. I think it's due to Disney movies.
by mapleoin 14y ago
This is due, in part, to better policing.
That's... debatable.
I think it's due to Disney movies.
- crazygringo 14y agoWell I didn't say it's entirely to better policing, hence the "in part". For a citation, why not look at the last part of this article which was very popular on HN a few months ago: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/01/30/120130crat_atlarge_gopnik http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/01/30/120... 273 points: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3691372 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3691372 You're going to have a hard time debating that improved police techniques haven't made a difference at all, regardless of your personal opinion of Disney movies.
- kbolino 14y agoCrime rates could be going down because... 1. The methodology of collecting and reporting crime statistics has changed; 2. The use of said "improved police techniques" has discouraged people from reporting crimes; 3. The "justice" system has favored reducing its rate of Type I errors at the expense of increasing its Type II errors; 4. Enforcement of the laws is no longer consistent across and within jurisdictions; 5. There are more corrupt legal officials, and they are in better positions than ever before; 6. Social conditions and individual motivations have changed, and people are less inclined to commit crimes. I'm not saying any of these are true, but they are all equally plausible explanations (as is any combination of them). You cannot establish a causal relationship by correlation (and "common sense") alone; you must identify all of the variables and control for them.