Description
Book SynopsisProviding both a local and a national context for New York's plunging crime rate, this work tests and debunks the many self-serving explanations for the decline. It also emphasizes the decline of the crack epidemic, skyrocketing incarceration rates, favorable demographic trends, a healthy economy, a rise in college enrollment, and more.
Trade ReviewSystematically debunks popularly accepted reasons for the crime crash by wedding closely analyzed statistical data with common sense and historical precedent. . . . After reading this book, one thing becomes certain: today's New York isn't what it used to be. * Villager *
Karmen has written a book that anyone interested in the New York City crime story should read. Nobody has written about the NYC drop in crime more comprehensively or more even-handedly. This book assesses a complicated story with an air of confidence and produces a convincing analysis. Those who think they already know the story are bound to be surprised by what they read here, and those who want to draw policy conclusions for New York's experience will find Karmens reliable analysis helps them avoid some of the pitfalls in the cyclical fads of criminal justice reform. -- Todd R. Clear,President of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
New York Murder Mystery is long overdue. It provides a well-written, illuminating analysis of an issue often subject to self-serving and simplistic sound-bites. Guided by Karmens thoughtful and thorough presentation, we come to understand all the factors contributing to the last decade's crime drop. We learn to credit not only new police tactics, demographics declines, and a prosperous economy but also the many thousands of youth who practiced wisdom and discipline in avoiding the self-defeating behavior patterns of their older friends and relatives. -- Robert Gangi,Executive Director, The Correctional Association
With this elegant sweep, the author has parted the curtain to reveal a gaseous windbag behind the bombast attending the miraculous claims of today's wizards. Bravo. -- Tony Bouza * Law Enforcement News *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations1 The 1990s Crime Crash in New York2 Deconstructing Murders 3 NYPD or Not NYPD: That Is the Question 4 Behind Bars? 5 The Drug-Crime Connection 6 It's the Economy, Stupid! Or Is It? Did the Boom Cause the Crash?7 Where Have All the Criminals Gone? Did Favorable Demographic Trends Facilitate the Crash? 8 Lessons from the New York ExperienceNotesAppendix References Name Index Subject Index About the Author
