PHILADELPHIA – As homicide rates in eastern cities rise by leaps and bounds, a flood of possible theories have poured into explain the statistics. The most controversial so far holds that the cities don’t have enough new immigrants.
According to the Associated Press, proponents of the theory believe that hardworking immigrants decrease crime rates among black men. University of Pennsylvania criminologist Lawrence Sherman points out that homicide rates increase in cities where poor black communities are isolated and segregated. Immigration upsets the segregation pattern.
Furthermore, New York City, which has a high number of immigrants, has managed to resist the trend, cutting its yearly homicides 75 percent since 1990. Other cities with high immigration rates and decreasing homicide rates include Los Angeles and Chicago.
Even illegal immigrants are given credit for reducing crime. Some experts believe illegal residents are especially motivated to keep their heads down and stay out of trouble.
Other explanations for the rising homicides include higher unemployment rates, loss of funding of crime prevention efforts to anti-terrorism preparation, and failure to implement reforms such as stricter gun control.
