London 1927

[Concordia]

I had one professor who did studies of accidental death in the U.S. (since that is listed on death certificates irrespective of the literacy or wealth of the deceased). All kinds of non-routine deaths, including murder, but also workplace accidents, bar fights, etc. This declined as the country grew more industrialized and life became more predictable in certain ways. The big exceptions were the decade when the automobile came into common use, and in the black community-- which missed a fair bit of the economic life of the rest of the country.

[Frederic Leighton]

The only thing I can say is that female crime is grossly underestimated.

[Screaminmarlon]

The only thing I can say is that female crime is grossly underestimated.

[bond_and_beyond]

Yes, it ceertainly looks that way. Crime fell from the 18th century steadily until the inter-war period. Post WW2 it began to rise, everywhere in the "West", geometrically. If you adjust it by male youth cohort (not too many 60 y.o. ladies commit violent crimes) relative size, it has barely stabilised.

That's certainly true if based on the murder rate for which stats are more reliable (a crime that rarely goes unreported), go back further and are less prey to changes in legal definitions. If we look at all violent crime, the increase is much larger but that's mostly due to higher reporting rates.

For fairly comprehensive absolute crime figures (you have to adjust them for population size for comparability), see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 8-2002.xls

From 1931 to 2001 the population of England and Wales grew by just over 30%. Murders and manslaughter increased by 157%.

Thanks Luca. That is very interesting. I remember reading somewhere of the cyclical nature of these things (perhaps Steven Pinker?), whereby there were 60 or 80 year cycles?

I take it that although crime then is still higher than in the 20s it is still on the decline?

BB

[Luca]

Yes, still declining. Lots of debates as to why that is (of course ) but demographic change (fewer 15-30 y.o. males as % of population) is almsot certainly a significant contributor in most advanced economies.

Guess those "violent video games", idiotic though they are, didn't turn us all into a generation of psychos after all

[bond_and_beyond]

Yes, still declining. Lots of debates as to why that is (of course ) but demographic change (fewer 15-30 y.o. males as % of population) is almsot certainly a significant contributor in most advanced economies.

Guess those "violent video games", idiotic though they are, didn't turn us all into a generation of psychos after all

Interesting point Luca. Could it be that the level of crime in the 20s was affected by the relatively fewer young males in that era (due to WWI)?

BB