What's Behind the Great Crime Decline?

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KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Despite a spike during the pandemic, violent crime in the Bay Area and the United States has been on the decline for most of the last 30 years. Now, data from last year shows the nation’s homicide rate is at its lowest level since reliable record-keeping began in the late 1950s. But what’s not so clear is just why crime has dropped so sharply. We’ll explore the possible reasons for what some are calling the Great Crime Decline and what steps might help continue the trend. Guests: Alex Piquero, professor and chair, Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Miami. Former Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics under President Biden Magnus Lofstrom, senior fellow and policy director of criminal justice, Public Policy Institute of California Jeff Asher, crime data analyst; co-founder, AH Datalytics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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