POPULATION AND CRIME RATE IN CITIES 2
Changing Demographic Crime in regards to Immigration
Introduction
The crime rate of a place of residence depends on the population of people residing there,
the immigration rate and the demographic characteristics of the population. Cities have a high
crime rate than small communities because the population there is characterized by anonymity
(Reid, 2015). The increase in city population increases the chances of people with criminal
tendencies meeting other people with the same tendencies which can support them in criminality
(Reid, 2015). Cities also lack a primary social control from parents and the society at large. In such
environment, the moral prohibitions are normally weakened resulting in social disorganization
which results in the rise of juvenile crime.
Impacts of Demographic Changes Crime Rates in America
Controlling immigration and changing population demographics in cities is a good move
in reducing city crime rates (Ferraro, 2016). Change of city demographics involves the shift of
population structure with regard to birth rates, immigration, and life expectancy. Immigration
increases the population of the city by introducing new residents (Ferraro, 2016). Both the society
and the police have little information about immigrants, some of which may be criminals escaping
the jaws of justice. For instance, the undocumented immigration after the lifting of immigration
ban in 1986 led to the increase in the population of American citizens. As a result, the American
government’s effectiveness in controlling both the population and the borders was reduced
resulting in the increase in crime rate (Ferraro, 2016). A reduced birthrate implies the increase in
the number of elderly people in the society as compared to the youth. Elderly people have a lower
rate of offending as compared to the youth thus the rate of crime would reduce in the long run
(Reid, 2015).
