An Examination of Cross-National Crime Trends and American Exceptionalism

• In Event: International Perspectives on Criminal Justice Policies

Abstract

It is now well established that the United States has higher incarceration rates than any other Western nation in the world. Imprisonment has risen independently from crime rates. While we know that crime rates have generally been on the decline in most nations over the course of the past decades, recent analyses comparing the crime trends of the United States and other countries are lacking. Using longitudinal data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the current study compares crime trends over several decades between the United States and several other nations. Trends are examined for homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, assault, and motor vehicle theft. Given that the high incarceration rates in the United States are not a result of higher crime rates when compared with other nations, this analysis seeks to better understand some of the factors underlying the phenomenon of American exceptionalism.

Authors

• Beth Fera, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

• Lila Kazemian, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY