This article explores the relationship between rising rates of violent crime and suicide in the oil producing region of western North Dakota during a time of rapid expansion for the oil extraction industry. The objectives of this article are: (1) to introduce the preliminary findings of a larger study that examines the rising rates of crime and other social problems within the socioeconomic con...

In this study we explore shifting patterns in crime across Wisconsin counties between 1990 and 2000. Building on the three core ecological theories of criminology including strain/anomie, social disorganization and economic rational choice theories we hypothesis that socioeconomic well-being can be used to identify predictable patterns of change in crime. The data generally support the notion t...

Time Preferences and Criminal Behavior One main motive behind lengthy prison terms for serious crime is to deter potential offenders from engaging in crime. Yet, economic theory predicts that the scope for punishment as acting as a deterrent depends on how much individuals discount future events when balancing the immediate utility of the crime and the costs of a potential future punishment. If...

Working papers of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland are preliminary materials circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment on research in progress. They may not have been subject to the formal editorial review accorded offi cial Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland publications. The views stated herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Ban...

Examining annual variation in the age–crime curve as a way to better understand the recent crime drop, this paper explores how the age distribution of convicted offending changed for men and women in Scotland between 1989 and 2011. This analysis employs shaded contour plots as a method of visualizing annual change in the age–crime curve. Similar to recent findings from the USA, we observed fall...

Can variation in crime rates be traced to the threat of infectious disease? Pathogens pose an ongoing challenge to survival, leading humans to adapt defenses to manage this threat. In addition to the biological immune system, humans have psychological and behavioral responses designed to protect against disease. Under persistent disease threat, xenophobia increases and people constrict social i...

BACKGROUND Debate has surrounded the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes for decades. Some have argued medical marijuana legalization (MML) poses a threat to public health and safety, perhaps also affecting crime rates. In recent years, some U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, reigniting political and public interest in the impact of marijuana legalization on a...