Overview
I have a paper due, and I need more data on the following topics. It is specific to crime (people-on-people crime; no crimes such as burglaries with no victims present). I have attached my paper for reference, which examines the short-term effects of COVID-19 and containment measures in Florida and New York. (must be peer reviewed/official govermentment sites) ******************************************************************************************************
- Changes in Specific Crime Rates: Analyze how different crime types were affected during and after lockdowns and restrictions. This could involve examining:
- Decreased crimes: Traditional street crimes, such as robbery, residential burglary, and vehicle theft, generally decreased due to increased "capable guardianship" (people staying home) and reduced public mobility.
- Increased/Stable crimes: Homicides and shootings remained stable or increased in many cities, possibly due to gang activity or individuals with outlier risk preferences less affected by restrictions. Non-residential burglaries and some forms of vehicle theft increased as commercial buildings and parking structures were left less occupied.
- "Hidden" crimes: Domestic violence and sexual assault may have increased due to heightened stress and confinement, but were potentially underreported as victims had less opportunity to seek help.
- Emerging crimes: Cybercrime and fraud saw a significant increase as daily life shifted to virtual environments.
- Criminological Theory Application: Use the pandemic as a "natural experiment" to test established theories, such as:
- Routine Activities Theory: How changes in people's daily routines, mobility, and guardianship (motivated offenders, suitable targets, lack of capable guardians) influenced crime patterns.
- General Strain Theory: How pandemic-related stressors (e.g., unemployment, financial insecurity, social isolation, mental trauma, uncertainty) contributed to criminal or deviant behavior as a maladaptive coping strategy.
- Economic Theory of Crime: The link between the economic instability caused by the pandemic (unemployment, poverty, inflation) and changes in property and violent crime rates.
- Impact on the Criminal Justice System:Explore the operational challenges and adaptations within the justice system during the crisis:
- Law Enforcement: Changes in policing priorities and resource allocation, handling of social ordinance compliance (mask mandates, social gathering restrictions), and potential shifts in police-initiated encounters like drug arrests.
- Courts and Corrections: Triage of court cases, hygiene and sanitation issues within correctional facilities, and the resulting impact on jail populations and pre-trial detentions.
- Methodological Issues and Data: Discuss the challenges researchers faced in collecting and interpreting crime data during the pandemic.
- Reliance on official police data versus alternative sources (e.g., phone calls to helplines, hospital data) and the potential for underreporting of certain crimes.
- The use of new data sources like mobility data from Google or other tech companies to understand changes in population movement.