Most often, people who say that others have no love are themselves the ones most lacking. They think the new commandment says, “Love me or I’ll destroy you and your church.” They sit around waiting for other people to love them. How easy it is to see the speck of lovelessness in another’s eye but miss the log of self-centeredness, hypocrisy, and anger in your own eye (Matt. 7:3-5).
Alexander Strauch

Another perspective on why crime fell in the 1990’s

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In May (2022), Veteran Navy SEAL Jimmy Graham delivered a one-word answer when asked to reveal the most powerful preventative deterrent to violent mass shootings:  “Jesus”. I agree with Jimmy – the lack of a desire on the part of mankind to model their lives after, and follow Jesus as Lord of our lives leaves us with no good example to follow. There is no suitable replacement. Without Jesus, it’s garbage in, garbage out.

In 2004, Steven D. Levitt published an article titled “Understanding Why Crime Fell in the1990s: Four Factors that Explain the Decline and Six that Do Not“. 

Here are two graphs Steven presented:

Notice the decline from 1990 to 2000

The question is, what drove the decline? Keep in mind that there may be multiple causes (x’s). Steven gave one possible cause for the drop: the justice of punishment (eg. incarceration) for crime.

Notice the rise in incarceration rate from 1990 to 2000

But what could motivate people to not WANT to commit crime? For a follower of Christ, their love of God can be more powerful than the temptation to do evil.

Notice the spike of “interest” in “religion” from 1990 to 2000

I think that a strong justice system and a strong following of Jesus are the biggest solutions to crime.