While the desperation associated with unemployment has led a number of non-criminals to begin committing crimes, one crime that has gone down nationwide is burglary. Houston criminal lawyers believe the reasons are not all that shocking –as more people lose their jobs, they spend more time at home. With more people at home during the day, burglars are finding it a lot harder to break into homes without being noticed.
“With a lot more unemployed people, a lot more people are staying home, and they see more in their neighborhood,” said Sgt. Thomas Lasater, supervisor of the burglary unit of the police department in St. Louis County, Mo. His department has seen a 35% drop in burglaries in the first six months of the year.
The rates vary drastically by city. In Houston, they have risen a small amount in the last year, but only after going through a substantial drop in the two years prior.
To read more about the phenomenon, see that article in the Associated Press. Image Via arvindgrover [Flickr]
Tags: burglary, crime rates, recession, statistics, unemployment