Soaring Crime in a Midwestern American City: A Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The authors, after stating that crime is more common among the underprivileged and marginalized people, briefly review statistical data from the Milwaukee Police Department and reportage from the Milwaukee media for the years 1989, 1990, and 1991. A statistical analysis of homicide, rape, robbery, and assault for the city of Milwaukee from 1965 to 1990 is given. The results show that the murder rate increased by 511% during the period studied. The authors believe that unemployment, inadequate education, media influences, and inefficient and ineffective rehabilitation methods are some of the causative factors in the above increase. They deal with the concept of social immaturity and incompetence as perpetuating factors in crime, but, most of all, they believe that the social and moral disintegration of the family in American society is the most important reason for soaring crime rates. They discuss the inconsistencies of the present-day judicial system as well as counterproductive measures against crime. They stress that preventive, rather than punitive, measures should be emphasized in the fight against crime. Quality assurance programs should be instituted. The authors believe that the solution to the problem of crime lies within the people themselves-those who break the law and those who apply it.