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 government sites)
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Key Areas to Include in Your Dissertation
- Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence (DV/IPV): This is a crucial area as it represents a major shift of violence into private spaces.
- Many self-report studies and calls to service showed a rise in incidents during lockdowns due to increased stress from financial hardship, social isolation, and constant proximity of victims and abusers.
- Police-recorded data or arrests for DV, however, sometimes remained stable or declined, possibly due to underreporting by victims who were isolated at home with their abusers and lacked safe opportunities to seek help.
- Homicides: Trends for homicides varied, presenting a complex picture.
- Some studies found no significant change in homicides related specifically to lockdown stringency.
- Other data, particularly from the U.S. in 2020, showed a sharp increase in murder rates (nearly 30% nationally from 2019-2020), which some researchers link to a broader surge in gun violence and other social factors like the George Floyd protests, rather than solely the pandemic.
- Assaults (Aggravated and Simple):Generally, overall assault rates saw an initial decline in public spaces due to reduced mobility and the closure of nighttime economies (bars, restaurants, etc.).
- However, some cities later reported an increase in aggravated or gun assaults during the summer of 2020 as restrictions eased and people began moving around more.
- Robberies: This crime type saw significant declines as people stayed home, reducing the number of potential targets in public places. The lack of people on the streets meant fewer opportunities for "person-on-person" predatory crimes like muggings.
- Theoretical Frameworks: To analyze these changes, incorporating criminological theories would be beneficial:
- Routine Activity Theory: Explains how changes in daily life (e.g., increased guardianship at home, fewer suitable targets in public) altered crime opportunities.
- Strain Theory: Can help explain increases in violence linked to economic distress, unemployment, and psychological stress brought on by the pandemic and lockdowns.
Significant Difference Before and After Lockdowns
Yes, there was a significant difference in person-on-person crime rates, but the impact was heterogeneous across different crime types and geographic locations.
- Crimes dependent on public interaction and opportunity, such as robberies and assaults in public venues, generally decreased during strict lockdowns due to reduced social mobility.
- Crimes committed within private residences, like domestic violence, generally increased, though this is often captured more effectively in self-reports and calls for service than in official police reports.
- Homicides and gun violence were notable exceptions, with many U.S. cities experiencing a sharp rise during or shortly after the initial lockdown period, a trend that diverged from other types of violent crime.
Ultimately, the general consensus in the literature is that the pandemic and associated policies significantly influenced the nature and location of criminal behavior, leading to clear shifts in patterns of person-on-person crime.