Crime in Canada and the United States - Comparative Trends and Explanations

• NCJ Number: 81893
• Journal: Criminologie Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 51-84
• Author(s): I Waller
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 34 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: French
• Country: Canada

Annotation

The growth of crime rates in the United States and Canada are compared and interpreted, with emphasis on similarities and differences between the two countries.

Abstract

Graphic representations of crime tendencies show that from 1965 to 1968 the rates of violent crime and murder rose faster in the United States than in Canada, as did the rates for property crimes, business crimes, and drug use. Rapidly rising crime rates have increased financial losses and injuries. Efforts to provide for damage compensation have been inadequate in both countries. Victimless crimes such as alcohol abuse and traffic offenses are considered very serious in both countries, even though certain jurisdictions discourage police from arresting and prosecuting ordinary inebriates. Changes in the crime rates are attributed to demographic shifts, increases in the goods available, growing frustrations for underprivileged individuals, and a lack of social contacts among developing juveniles. Rates are believed to be higher in the United States than in Canada because of the heritage of cultural violence, drug use, the existence of racial ghettos, poverty, and tolerance of firearms. Crime in the United States is also related to problems experienced by the black population in school, family, and job, leading to drug use and delinquency. The number of guns, glorification of criminal acts, the mobility of property and persons, and the high level of anonymity are aggravating factors. Imprisonment is more common in the United States than in Canada. The rate of growth of crime and concomitant expenses emphasize the need for systematic crime control policies and for social action to promote an open society, diminish frustration, improve interpersonal relationships, and methods of protection. Effective programs must be developed to reduce crime rates and victimization. Tables, graphs, and a bibliography of 61 entries are included.