How did Boston LOWER its crime rate?! (Cambridge, Somerville: apartments, safe area)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

It's also economic opportunities for the bottom 20%. If you have no job skills in Springfield, you pretty much have no shot at escaping poverty. Of the poorest 10 public schools in the state, 4 are in Springfield and 3 in Holyoke. Of the top 20, 9 are in Springfield. Inside the 495 belt, anybody who can actually show up on time every day can find some kind of job. You don't have that core of poor people who have completely given up.

The OP is asking from the perspective of Baltimore. Baltimore has a pocket of affluence around the inner harbor with office towers, tourism, professional sports, and health care/U MD med school. It also has a north/south corridor running a mile+ up to Johns Hopkins. Baltimore has a population of 620,000 and a 23.7% poverty rate. There are 150,000 poor people jammed into a small number of square miles. The crime and particularly the violent crime is concentrated in those places.

The US census poverty rates in the eastern Massachusetts cities mostly aren't anything like the failed cities elsewhere and the populations are much lower. Brockton is 18.6%. Lowell is 19.8%. Worcester is 22.4%. Fall River is 23.2%. New Bedford is 23.4%. 20,000 people at poverty level, not 150,000. You don't have the huge concentrations of poor people like a Baltimore or a Philadelphia so you don't have the same level of violent crime.

As an African American I am shamed to say but violent crime particularly Robbery and Gun crime is kind of like...our thing. Other minority groups may engage in violent cries and property crime but the type of brash in your face crime is a very black American thing. In addition to this its really hard to get a hold of good gun (illegally) in mass. I really do not think it has to do with poverty levels. Because MD is richer than MA but still has higher violent crime.

[wror]

Originally Posted by missionhill

The big drop occurred 20 years ago. Something called the 10 point coalition. The model involves cooperation among ministers, community leaders, police and criminal justice people to anticipate and help ward off criminal behavior among likely suspects. The Boston model is offered in contrast to small infractions intolerance and stop-and-frisk police behavior pursued in New York under Giuliani. It worked really well but proved hard to sustain. But no Michael Brown-like cases in Boston!

Joking aside I don't think gentrification has much to do with it. The neighborhoods that generate most of the drug-related criminal activity are not gentrified. High property values translates to no housing abandonment (unlike Baltimore) but I don't know how much that has to do with murder rates.

The other posters were correct. Demographics has brought the crime rate down In Boston.
Many decades ago now In a Sociology/Criminology course, we were taught when the 15-40 year old age bracket in an area [or state or country] decreases, crime will decrease too. Furthermore, if a baby boom is going on present days, or a decrease in births on present days, 20 years something into the future there will be a crime spurt or a decrease in crime, respectively.

IF "Ministers, community leaders, police and criminal justice people" coming together brings down crime in an area, Brockton Massachusetts would be a like a nun sanctuary as Brockton "Ministers, community leaders, police and criminal justice people" having been trying to do something for many years,but the crime rate soars in Brockton.
Brockton has a crime wave/high crime because over the past 20 years ago Brockton had a huge young population move into Brockton as well as a baby boom with the city.

Look up at Maine. Low crime rate, low murder rate, few young people in the 15-40 year old age bracket in Maine.

Reduce the 15-40 year old age bracket, crime goes Down.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by wror

The other posters were correct. Demographics has brought the crime rate down In Boston.
Many decades ago now In a Sociology/Criminology course, we were taught when the 15-40 year old age bracket in an area [or state or country] decreases, crime will decrease too. Furthermore, if a baby boom is going on present days, or a decrease in births on present days, 20 years something into the future there will be a crime spurt or a decrease in crime, respectively.

IF "Ministers, community leaders, police and criminal justice people" coming together brings down crime in an area, Brockton Massachusetts would be a like a nun sanctuary as Brockton "Ministers, community leaders, police and criminal justice people" having been trying to do something for many years,but the crime rate soars in Brockton.
Brockton has a crime wave/high crime because over the past 20 years ago Brockton had a huge young population move into Brockton as well as a baby boom with the city.

Look up at Maine. Low crime rate, low murder rate, few young people in the 15-40 year old age bracket in Maine.

Reduce the 15-40 year old age bracket, crime goes Down.

Boston has a ton of people in that age bracket...?

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Boston has a ton of people in that age bracket...?

Not residents. They have college students. Different demographic group.

[tysmith95]

Boston has the highest percentage of people aged 20-34 of any major city in the country.

Lots of young professionals and students.

http://www.wgbh.org/articles/Boston-...Year-Olds-3600

[LeavingMA]

Crime in general, especially murder has been dropping over the last 20 years in most major cities in the United States and is down overall. This is something that has been happening essentially everywhere.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

Crime in general, especially murder has been dropping over the last 20 years in most major cities in the United States and is down overall. This is something that has been happening essentially everywhere.

Not according to some politicians.

I think a big reason for the drop in crime is the rise in cell phones and more cctv cameras. That helps to deter crime.

I also think Massachusetts has a fairly low crime rate because it's easier to get an abortion here. Abortions helps to keep unwanted children off of the streets.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by tysmith95

Not according to some politicians.

I think a big reason for the drop in crime is the rise in cell phones and more cctv cameras. That helps to deter crime.

I also think Massachusetts has a fairly low crime rate because it's easier to get an abortion here. Abortions helps to keep unwanted children off of the streets.

Yes, private innovations have really done more than cops ever could dream of. Innovative thinking always beats the reactionary tendencies of the state.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by tysmith95

Not according to some politicians.

I think a big reason for the drop in crime is the rise in cell phones and more cctv cameras. That helps to deter crime.

I also think Massachusetts has a fairly low crime rate because it's easier to get an abortion here. Abortions helps to keep unwanted children off of the streets.

Yea, unfortunately politicians don't lie.

According to FBI crime stats, crime is down quite substantially over the past 20 years throughout most of the United States. I think a lot of this is because we are past the crack epidemic. We do have an opiate problem, although a lot of that is middle class and up problems, and not lower income. We still have the war on drugs, but it isn't similar to the start of it during the late 70's to early 90's.

My main point was that it isn't like Boston is the only mid to major city with lower overall crime statistics in the last 20 years. This is something that is common throughout the country and may not be specific to what policies Boston actually used.

[mdovell]

Well violent crime has gone down but it also depends as to what defines violent crime. As we can see with these stats violent crime peaked in the early 90's...heck I remember it

But here's the sad part. Everything seems to be down but not all have fallen at the same rates. Rape is at 1979 levels and by all accounts even if it's one that's still very sad. 1600 last year It's hard to call a place nice when that is the case.

Other forms of crime have dropped by higher amounts to 1960s levels

Massachusetts Crime Rates 1960 - 2015