Economic Misery & Crime Waves: The Second Great Depression and the Coming Crime Wave, and What We Can Do About It

• NCJ Number: 228030
• Author(s): Severin L. Sorensen
• Date Published: March 2009
• Length: 212 pages
• Sale Source: Sikyur Publications
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Overview Text
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book assesses the causes and consequences of the current economic misery, which the author calls the "second Great Depression," the associated risk of a crime wave, and what can be done about it.

Abstract

The author documents crime waves that have followed every sharp economic contraction since 1954, typically within 1 year of the economic decline. He predicts that the current second Great Depression will also result in a crime wave, but with a wider scope and greater severity than any crime wave since the first Great Depression. Also, times are different and modern technology has changed opportunities for and the methods for crime. The author outlines a strategy for preparing for the coming crime wave, at the levels of public policy work, in local communities, and at home. He proposes a "defense in depth" general strategy, which is a defensive strategy adopted by militaries and security professionals in combating complex security threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. Defense-in-depth strategies use multiple security measures and countermeasures to protect assets (people, places, processes, and valuable objects), detect intrusions, and safeguard assets. Such strategies minimize the likelihood of success for the determined offenders, as multi-layered defenses deter them from assaults. Resolving employment and income problems must be an integral part of any comprehensive strategy for preventing crime. Defensive strategies must also review laws and focus on crimes that have the greatest impact on society; review criminal justice systems, their structure, and performance; and focus on situational crime prevention at specific places. Tactics should include targeting and incapacitating serious habitual offenders and focusing on crime hotspots. Fraud-related crimes, which are known to increase during sharp economic declines, should be targeted. A 107-item bibliography, 108 notes, a subject index, and appended policy recommendations for a crime-control policy related to a crime wave