Crime in the 1920s & 1930s
Throughout United States history, crime rates have experienced both highs and lows. Certain notable periods in history are associated with crime waves, or peaks in the crime rate. For instance, crime increased throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, during the Prohibition era. The UCR began collecting and reporting data toward the end of this era.
You might expect a higher crime rate due to violations of the alcohol ban. However, the number of serious, violent crimes also increased during Prohibition. This is the period during which organized crime first flourished. Organized crime refers to any group of two or more people working together in an illegal activity. These types of organizations were around before Prohibition, running illegal prostitution and gambling rings. During Prohibition, criminals organized in order to bootleg liquor. The organizations illegally manufactured, stored, transported and sold alcohol.
On the tail end of Prohibition came the Great Depression. This severe economic downturn started during the Prohibition era and lasted throughout the 1930s. The Depression brought another rapid rise in crime, though not violent crime. Instead, theft and prostitution rates rose as desperate, unemployed workers sought ways to pay for food and shelter.
Crime from the 1940s-1970s
Crime rates rose again after World War II, slowly increasing during the civil rights era and Vietnam War. This time period saw many instances of civil disobedience, including rioting and protests. Additionally, there was a post-war population boom resulting in more American teenagers and young adults in the 1960s and 1970s than ever before. Both violent and property crime rates rose between 1960 and 1970. The UCR measured a 176% increase.
Around this time, crime became a national hot topic. By 1965, a poll showed that Americans viewed crime as the most serious issue in the country. This led President Lyndon B. Johnson to declare a War on Crime. This 1965 initiative authorized several studies on crime in order to develop reforms and boost public confidence. This was a significant step in the federal government's role regarding crime, because the crime rate was mostly related to state and local crimes. Those crimes were considered to be beyond the jurisdiction of the federal government, so the federal government's previous involvement had been limited.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon also declared, or re-declared, a War on Crime in his State of the Union address. Nixon asked for and received federal financial aid for state and local law enforcement efforts. This was another significant step. Nixon followed up by declaring a War on Drugs in 1971. Though by the end of 1972, 42% of Americans reported that they were afraid to walk in their own neighborhoods at night.
The actual crime statistics didn't necessarily support this fear. The UCR showed a continual increase in the crime rate between 1970 and 1990. However, the NCVS largely showed a steady amount of crime reported by victims during that same time. Some experts believe that this means the crime rates largely remained the same, while the number of offenses entering the criminal justice system increased due to public awareness and political efforts.
Crime in the 1980s & 1990s
The UCR continued to show a rise in crime throughout the 1980s, peaking in the early 1990s. Violent crimes almost quadrupled, and property crimes more than doubled, between 1960 and 1992. But that was the top. The UCR and NCVS statistics agree that we've been on a downward slide since 1992.
The decade before, however, is infamously known as the 1980s Crime Wave. But not all Americans felt the effects. Large, urban areas seemed to experience an increase in both property crimes and violent crimes through the early 1990s. In particular, homicide rates increased and gained widespread attention. Violent crime rates were higher among young males than ever before. Many experts pointed to the popularity of street gangs and a rising drug trade.
Again, the president responded. Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act in 1994. This act is the largest and most extensive crime-related legislation in U.S. history. The act covered a number of areas, including:
- Providing more funding for prisons
- Providing more funding for crime prevention programs
- Expanding the federal death penalty provisions
- Banning certain individuals from possessing firearms
- Establishing new offenses relating to hate crimes, sex crimes, immigration and gang-related crimes
Crime in the 21st Century
Today's crime rates are similar to those of the 1960s. For example, the UCR reports a 48% reduction in violent crimes between 1993 and 2012 and more than a 50% reduction in homicides during the same time period. The UCR's latest 2013 statistics continue to show a steady decline in crime across the board.
Criminal justice experts have posed some interesting possible reasons for the general reduction in crime, including:
- The increase in law enforcement and crime prevention aid granted through the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
- An increase in the number of state and local law enforcement officers
- A marked increase in the prison population
- A drastic increase in the number of Americans imprisoned for drug-related crimes
- An aging population, as the baby boomer teenagers of the 1960s and 1970s become middle aged and older
Lesson Summary
Let's review. In the U.S., crime rates are measured in a few different ways. The Uniform Crime Reports, or UCR, is a report containing crime statistics compiled by the FBI. The UCR uses aggregate statistics, which represent total counts of crimes reported to the police, including arrests, but no details regarding individual incidents. This was amended with the addition of the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) which offers law enforcement agencies more comprehensive data about the crime incidents reported in the UCR. The National Crime Victimization Survey, or NCVS, contains information collected every six months by the U.S. Census Bureau and is compiled into an annual report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Crime rates show the existence of crime waves at different points in history. For instance, organized crime refers to any group of two or more people working together in an illegal activity. This type of crime flourished during Prohibition and led to a rise in crime. The rates rose again in the 1960s, resulting in the War on Crime. This was a 1965 initiative that authorized several studies on crime in order to develop reforms and boost public confidence.
Crime rates peaked in the early 1990s. They've been on the decline since the enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which is the largest and most extensive crime-related legislation in U.S. history. However, experts do not agree on whether the act itself spurred the decline.
Learning Outcomes
Now that you have finished reviewing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify and describe the two crime reports that U.S. crime statistics are based off of
- Explain how Prohibition and the Great Depression affected crime rates
- Discuss some of the reasons throughout U.S. history for increases and decreases in crime rates
