Crime rates are actually way down from 15 years ago. People are more scared because of what they see in the media. But the actual truth is that there is less chance of you getting mugged or what not than 15-20 years ago. And that's not just me talking, it's several proven research that states this. I've been studying criminology for the last 5 years, and it's a fact.
Even tho people may be more scared to go for a walk at night, there is was less crimes per person in Canada. Although you have to keep in mind that crime statistics are not really valid stats (since they basically reflect the work of the police).
Edit: I can't stress that bolded part enough.
+1
Violent crime rates in Canada have been declining since 1992, almost 20 years of a gradual decline.
Violent Crime Rates in Canada:
Now, they CERTAINLY are up from the mid '60s, but don't blame it on "video games" or any other modern phenomenon in the past 15+ years.
We're better today than we were in '92. If you want to speculate as to why Violent Crime rates shot up like a rocket between 1977-1992, go ahead... but please do so without using "the old stereoytpes" that people like to use nowadays.
Like i said, all my opinions are based on personal experiences seeing these different generations of kids. Living right by a school allows me to do so and not look creepy. The mental makeup in today's generation is way more twisted then before.
Violent crime rates in Canada have been declining since 1992, almost 20 years of a gradual decline.
Violent Crime Rates in Canada:
Now, they CERTAINLY are up from the mid '60s, but don't blame it on "video games" or any other modern phenomenon in the past 15+ years.
We're better today than we were in '92. If you want to speculate as to why Violent Crime rates shot up like a rocket between 1977-1992, go ahead... but please do so without using "the old stereoytpes" that people like to use nowadays.
A lot has to do with big cities hiring a bunch of police officers in the 1980`s. More cops = More people arrested = more crime stats. But that's still debatable.
But like you and I stated, there is no point of saying that crime rates are going up, when it's actually going down.
A lot has to do with big cities hiring a bunch of police officers in the 1980`s. More cops = More people arrested = more crime stats. But that's still debatable.
But like you and I stated, there is no point of saying that crime rates are going up, when it's actually going down.
Didn't say crime rates were going up, just that it doesn't feel any safer then it did 10 year ago.
If people were less safe, would you not think that would impact standard of living negatively? It certainly isn't the best indicator of safety (crime rates are a better indicator, for example), but on the whole society is progressing, not degenerating.
It depends, but just because people are living longer doesn't mean people are safer. People developing fatal diseases may just be having their lives prolonged by an average of a year or two or more and there we go....higher life expectancy.
As far as society progressing, depends who you ask....inequality continues to grow, ask the people most affected by it and they'd laugh at you. Depression, frustration, helplessness, marginalization are byproducts of this and these are not healthy for society as a whole.
Exactly, it doesn't feel safer because the media is making it look like it isn't.
Those stats confirm that it is safer since crime is down.
Less crime = safer.
Edit: unless you think a 8 year old swearing at you is ''Unsafe''.
Not unsafe, just shows how things have changed a lot since I was a kid. It wouldn't shock me to see jumpings and muggings take a big spike up in the next few years.
Exactly, it doesn't feel safer because the media is making it look like it isn't.
Those stats confirm that it is safer since crime is down.
Less crime = safer.
Edit: unless you think a 8 year old swearing at you is ''Unsafe''.
Crime rates are poor statistics.
9 out of 10 crimes aren't even reported, and that estimation might be generous.
My buddy was walking home from the bus stop after getting home from the bar, he was in Orleans, and a guy started walking with him and ended up feeling him out to see if he was armed or anything so he could rob him. The media never caught wind of this, neither did police, these are issues the older generations state they never had to worry about.
Didn't say crime rates were going up, just that it doesn't feel any safer then it did 10 year ago.
Personally, I think that's just it: I think we're just more aware of it these days, through a combination of a better understanding of motives, modern methods of communication, and of course the ever-culpable "media hype". It's hard to dismiss the kind of conditioning we've received over the last 10-15 years.
It's always been there, we're just paying more attention to it.
9 out of 10 crimes aren't even reported, and that estimation might be generous.
I have no evidence to back this up (like my absolutely gorgeous graph from my previous post) because I'm lazy to keep looking these things up, but I do remember that the rate of unreported crimes is estimated by criminologists to be pretty consistent regardless of decade. Give or take something like 4%, if I remember from my old prof.
Crime rates are pretty reliable. If you want to take into account unreported crime in 2011, you have to do the same for 2001, 1991, 1981, and so on. In the end, the graph I used before and one taking into account unreported crime would be shockingly similar.
It depends, but just because people are living longer doesn't mean people are safer. People developing fatal diseases may just be having their lives prolonged by an average of a year or two or more and there we go....higher life expectancy.
As far as society progressing, depends who you ask....inequality continues to grow, ask the people most affected by it and they'd laugh at you. Depression, frustration, helplessness, marginalization are byproducts of this and these are not healthy for society as a whole.
Relative to other eras I think society has most certainly improved. Compare life now to life in the Industrial Era? Do you really think it hasn't improved since then? On a global scale, perhaps inequality remains high, but surely it hasn't surpassed the inequality of the European imperial era? I think it might appear that we're getting worse because information is become so much more accessible and we are developing a greater ability to diagnose problems at an individual level (ie identifying depression now v. pre-WWI, for example).
Perhaps I'm just viewing society more broadly than others in this thread (ie I'm comparing eras historically vs. year-by-year, or decade by decade)
__________________ CanadianHockey________ __ __________Sens, Oilers, and Team Canada
Relative to other eras I think society has most certainly improved. Compare life now to life in the Industrial Era? Do you really think it hasn't improved since then? On a global scale, perhaps inequality remains high, but surely it hasn't surpassed the inequality of the European imperial era? I think it might appear that we're getting worse because information is become so much more accessible and we are developing a greater ability to diagnose problems at an individual level (ie identifying depression now v. pre-WWI, for example).
Perhaps I'm just viewing society more broadly than others in this thread (ie I'm comparing eras historically vs. year-by-year, or decade by decade)
Yeah, I kind of agree... if you take away the Baby-Boom post-war era (1945-1965-ish), we're better off now than we ever have been in any time in human history.
I have no issues going out alone at night. All im saying is your naive to think the world is getting safer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minister of Offence
Agreed.
The number of crazies out there are increasing. The world is increasingly unequal and if there's anything I've learned in my school it's that inequality is a major marker for crime and risk.
This is a well known effect. The difference between now and 20 years ago (aside from far less crime) is that now you hear about everything instantly. News is now a 24 hour multimedia platform.
I hate when people pull this card, but I spent 4 years studying this. The degree hasnt done much to get me a job, but I do know a fair bit about the subject. Your anecdotal evidence and "feelings" fly in the face of any and all hard evidence and numbers.
9 out of 10 crimes aren't even reported, and that estimation might be generous.
My buddy was walking home from the bus stop after getting home from the bar, he was in Orleans, and a guy started walking with him and ended up feeling him out to see if he was armed or anything so he could rob him. The media never caught wind of this, neither did police, these are issues the older generations state they never had to worry about.
Crime rates are great statistics. Unreported crimes are steady across generations. The only real weakness of crime statistics is that they are often overblown by police forces in search of funding, so if anything, the problem is that they are inflated.
Last edited by SilverSeven: 12-09-2011 at 03:42 PM.
