5 Unexpected Things That Affect Crime
Trying to figure out why crime rates are what they are is complicated, whether we’re talking about the significant reduction in violent crimes over the past couple of decades or why certain cities are more dangerous than others. And while there’s a ton of research and armchair theories out there, the truth is that pointing to any one of them as “the reason” is kind of dumb. There are likely many factors at play, all working together in complicated ways, be it gun availability or income inequality or incarceration or whatever.
Now, I’m not a crime analyst, so relying on me to wade through this complex field of study to make sense of it for you is probably not the best path to follow. Luckily for you, that’s not what I’m doing. Instead, I’d rather take a look at some of the weirder things that may affect whether or not people decide to break the law. For example ...
High Pollen Count
Allergies are the worst.
For decades I was blissfully unaware of this, having spent my entire life allergy-free, until one day my body decided I’d had it too easy. Today, it’s not uncommon for me to spend the first 30 minutes of any morning trying to rid my head of three gallons of mucus. And the sneezing -- oh god; the sneezing. I used to only have to worry about that sort of thing when sunlight hit my face, but now it’s become a not-insignificant part of my life.
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Like this, but with grossness ejecting from my face at 100 miles per hour.
What never occurred to me, perhaps because I was too busy trying to figure out the most efficient way to clean snot and saliva off my keyboard, is how allergies could directly impact the world around us. As it turns out, feeling like crap can slow down all sorts of things, from work productivity to getting things done at home and even violent crime. Which sort of makes sense -- no one feels super motivated to do much of anything when their eyes are puffy and their nostrils are a faucet and they’re light-headed and ... seriously, why is this a thing? You really screwed us on this one, nature.
But I guess the reduction in violent crime is a positive side effect, since it seems to drop at a rate similar to that if a municipality increased its police force by 10 percent, when pollen levels are elevated. That’s ... pretty remarkable. The study does go on to say that property crimes, which are usually planned in advance, aren’t really affected, since a criminal isn’t likely to ditch their premeditated scheme simply because they have the sniffles that day.
For that sort of crime prevention, you’d be better off looking at ...
Large Trees In Cities
Trees are awesome, what with their fort-housing capabilities and life-perpetuating oxygen output and even how rad they look in the fall. They’re the best.
But you’ve probably never thought about how trees might influence the crime rate where you live. Fortunately, some people did, and what they found is that when measuring a number of different factors, places that were home to large trees had noticeably fewer broken laws than those without.
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Pictured: Robbery Free Blvd. in Austin, Texas.
The theory is that when a city is home to a number of substantially-sized trees, it’s like a warning to potential criminals that, “Hey, this place is nice and we take care of things around here and if you try anything stupid you’re going to get caught.” Additionally, taller trees around your home not only have this same effect, but also don’t provide much in the way of hiding spots for someone trying to forcibly enter or even peek in your windows. Oh, and it’s probably worth mentioning that, conversely, having lots of small trees around your house does provide that cover, so maybe don’t start planting a bunch of Japanese maples or dogwoods around your abode.
Cell Phone Availability
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that technology has played an important role in making it harder for criminals to crime everything up. From advanced home security systems to the availability of affordable camera technology, it’s more difficult than ever for people to get away with douchebaggery.
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“I always feels like …” C’mon, you know the rest.
One thing that appears to have played a role in the start of a dramatic and steady decrease in overall crime beginning in the ’90s was the availability and affordability of cell phones. “Duh,” you may be thinking. “Of course they did. People were able to call 911 immediately or take photos or videos of crimes in progress, so, again ... duh.” But that’s not where this story is going.
You see, gang members and drug dealers have historically had to defend geographical “turf.” If you, some random person, wanted to buy something illicit, you had to find that one guy in that one place at that one time. But when cell phones broke onto the scene, that sort of thing started becoming less of an issue. I mean really, why would you risk arrest or life-threatening danger when you could just sit at home and call or text the person you wanted to sell something illegal to, then just meet them at some predetermined spot that wasn’t anywhere near that jerk who claims it’s his corner? It’s perfect, and helps avoid the associated violence.
Granted, one could argue that it’s a little too perfect, and this sort of efficient communication helps facilitate illegal activity overall. But we’re not diving down that rabbit hole.
Hotter Temperatures
This weather, am I right? It sure is something. Something about crazy temperature changes and precipitation and unpredictability and man, this weather, you guys!
If you’re still reading this after my best attempt at small talk, you’re probably wondering how weather can actually affect crime, most likely because you read the title to this entry. And sure, a Polar Vortex can likely keep people in their homes because of-freaking-course it does, but on non-winter-ruining-your-life days, do jerkfaces doing jerkface things actually care what the thermometer says? Well, yeah, as it turns out.
OK, so criminals don’t decide they’re going to wreak havoc on a sleepy community just because they drove by the bank and the digital sign said 86°F. However, there is an odd correlation between how hot it is and how many crimes occur. Like, scarily so.
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No word on if they ditch the gangster outfit and go with a more practical choice for the heat.
It might be because of how intense heat makes people irritable and maybe how that can be intensified when alcohol is part of the picture. Or maybe it has to do with the opportunity that warmer weather presents in a place that experiences the full breadth of seasons. Like Chicago, for example. Regardless, the data is pretty clear that when it’s a full-on sweat and sunburn show, bad things are more likely to occur.
It feels like there should be some fitting Satan or Hell allegory here. But I can’t come up with one.
Air Pollution
I’ve already touched on the unexpected ways pollution can cause all sorts of weird things to occur in our delicately-balanced world. And yeah, pollutants can also apparently screw with your head and make you meaner and more likely to commit crimes. Significantly so, especially assaults, according to research.
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“And you’ll agree with that research or else!”
In fact, it’s estimated that reducing particulate matter by just 10 percent could save over a million bucks in crime-fighting costs every year. Which ... hell yeah. Cleaning up our air and streets at the same time sounds badass.
The reason for this phenomenon … well, isn’t exactly clear. Obviously they assume the pollution messes up the brain somehow, but they’re not sure in what way, and specifically as it relates to aggression. So I guess it’s not unlike a lot of other studies out there trying to make sense of what influences crime rates. Which is basically: We have some compelling data here, but we’re not quite sure why or how it works.
