Crime and Public Opinion

A Political Issue.

Public concern about crime grew in the late 1960s. In 1968 Richard Nixon and George Wallace made crime a major part of their campaigns for the presidency. This concern about crime continued in the 1970s. Public-opinion surveys repeatedly listed it as one of the top public priorities.

An Increase in Crime Rates.

Rates for many crimes did increase in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to the FBI, the rate of violent crimes increased from 364 per 100,000 population in 1970 to 581 in 1980, an increase of 60 percent from 1970 to 1980. The rates for property crimes went from 3,621 in 1970 to 5,319 in 1980, an increase of 47 percent from 1970 to 1980. The increases in crime rates during the 1970s occurred mostly in the first four years and the last two years of the decade. Many experts blamed part of the increase in crime on the increased leniency of the criminal justice system and criticized the...

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