Long known as one of the most deadliest cities in the United States, Baltimore’s crime rate decreased over throughout 2007, 2008 and 2009 but the city has long been known as a bastion for overall crime. In 2013, Baltimore experienced a jump in homicide rates of 7.3 percent, which was one of the highest levels in the nation surpassing Detroit, New Orleans, Cleveland and Oakland (Reuter, 2014). The goal of this paper is to determine why Baltimore has such a high rate of crime compared to other cities in the United States. In order to determine this demographics, the weather, the type of crimes committed and the reasons why crimes would be committed will be examined.
One of the factors debated among criminologists is the role weather has to play in spikes in crime. Many feel extreme heat could trigger aggressive reactions in people causing them to commit crimes. That could account for the increase in homicides in Baltimore last summer or could have absolutely no effect. It will be interesting to determine if indeed weather is responsible for Baltimore’s high crime rate, as the seasonal temperatures are quite high due to the city’s location.
Many have theorized Baltimore experiences such a high crime rate because of the presence of drugs and gangs. The majority of homicides in Baltimore are the result of drive by shootings which directly correlate to being the product of such a situation. But why Baltimore? Maybe the answer to that question is researching the unemployment rates in the city and comparing them to other cities with that population size. It appears that Baltimore
has a higher murder rate then Chicago or New York City. Both locales have much higher populations.
A cursory search on the Internet has revealed many residents of Baltimore are extremely frustrated and live in fear because of Baltimore’s crime rate. Reactions range from opinion pieces in the Baltimore Sun to various blog posts and posts on social media. Tax payers are concerned about the amount they spend in taxes for police protection and do not feel they are receiving the quality of service to allow them to feel safe in their homes. In fact, citizens are extremely vocal about the situation and the head of police is under intense pressure to discover some kind of solution to Baltimore’s crime problem.
In my personal experience, downtown Baltimore is not a place that does feel safe. People roam the streets at odd hours and the skin on the back of your neck rises when placed in these situations. There is plywood and bars on the windows of nearly every establishment. This situation is apparent even nearby such Baltimore landmarks as Camden Yards, the Inner Harbor and Pimlico Racetrack. An individual definitely must be cautious during their stay in Baltimore.
Therefore, this paper will examine numerous factors such as weather, unemployment rate, population demographics, the incidence of drugs and gangs in the city in addition to scholarly articles produced by criminologists in regards to what causes crime. All these elements will certainly play a part in deducing why Baltimore has such a high crime rate and has for several decades. Much has written on the subject but there still appears to be no definitive explanation.
Bibliography
Fenton, George and Broadwater. “Why Baltimore’s Homicide Rate Is So High.” Baltimore
Sun. Web. June 29, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.baltimoresun.com.
Hess and Frohlich. “10 Cities Where Violent Crime is Soaring.” Time Magazine. Web.
February 12, 2014. Retrieved from http://time.com/6729/10-cities-where-violent-crime-is-soaring/.
Jeffrey, C.R. “Criminal Behavior and Learning Theory.” Journal of Criminal Law and
Criminology. Web. September 1965. Retrieved from
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/.
Reutter, Mark. “Baltimore’s Jump in Homicides in 2013 defies national trends.” Baltimore
Brew. Web. January 2, 2014. Retrieved from www.baltimorebrew.com.
Sullivan, Joanna. “Stop Explaining Away Baltimore’s Soaring Murder Rate.” Baltimore
Business Journal. Web. February 3, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news.
Taylor, RB. “The Impact of Crime on Communities.” The Annals of the American Academy
of Political and Social Sciences. Web. Retrieved from
http://ann.sagepub.com/content/539/1/28.short. 2012.
