In the 1990's there was a significant crime drop n the nation. Politicians and law enforcement, of course, took the credit for the drop citing plans implemented by them. Turns out the data shows there were other factors involved that nobody really took into account.
I'm sure the drop in accidents on the lake has something to do with the boaters education course, it doesn't make you a good boater but it's better than nothing. I'm also sure, like the 90's crime drop, there's a lot more to the decrease than just a basic boating test.
Here were some factors that were thought to be the reason for the crime drop in the 90's but, according to the data weren't:
– The strong economy
– The increased use of capital punishment
– Innovative policing strategies
– Gun control laws
– Concealed weapons laws
– The aging of the population
On the other hand, these were four major factors that, according to the data,
were responsible for the crime drop:
– Increased reliance on prisons
– Increased number of police
– The bursting of the crack bubble
– The legalization of abortion
This is a link to the paper written by one of the economists who studied the data.
http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levi...yCrime2004.pdf