Losing Legitimacy: Street Crime And The Decline Of Social Institutions In America

by Gary LaFree

In the past fifty years, street crime rates in America have increased eightfold. These increases were historically patterned, were often very rapid, and had a disproportionate impact on African Americans. Much of the crime explosion took place in a space of just ten years beginning in the early 1960s. Common explanations based on biological impulses, psychological drives, or slow-moving social indicators cannot explain the speed or timing of these changes or their disproportionate impact on racial minorities. Using unique data that span half a century, Gary LaFree argues that social institutions are the key to understanding the U.S. crime wave. Crime increased along with growing political distrust, economic stress, and family disintegration. These changes were especially pronounced for racial minorities. American society responded by investing more in criminal justice, education, and welfare institutions. Stabilization of traditional social institutions and the effects of new institutional spending account for the modest crime declines of the 1990s.

Genres: Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 1998

Reviews

[A.P. Dannenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book to read on a topic many have written on: the rise in crime in the second half of the twentieth century and the various explanations put forth for it. As the title suggests, the author (a criminologist still publishing new research, such as an interesting piece in the journal Society applying the criteria for consideration as a terrorist group to 'Antifa') argues that the decreased general trust and more fractured relationship that Americans developed toward traditional institutions that contribute to social stability conduced to higher crime in the relevant period. LaFree reviews changes in the family, political and economics institutions, welfare policy, and such to show how decreased perceived legitimacy could apply as a causal factor. The time period covered is of great interest because the greatly expanding wealth and massive increases in funding of federal government-led programs would, a priori, have been expected by many to have reduced crime. The value of the book as a contribution to theory holds up given modern interest in procedural justice, legitimacy, perceptions of fairness as inputs to compliance, et cetera. The interpretive value of the book perhaps suffers from relative lack of international comparisons on crime rates for the same period. Otherwise, highly recommended - and a not an overly long read. -A.P. Dannenfeldt