Lead and crime (crossposted from FB)
Inspired by a deep thread discussion with a FB friend, I thought I'd call this to your attention. The "broken windows" and "stop and frisk" policing in NYC have been credited with reducing crime in NYC, even though crime was dropping during the same period across the US. Another hypothesis was that Roe v Wade caused the abortion of a generation of would-be criminals. Apart from the dubious logic, it doesn't explain how a similar decline in crime occurred in Europe, which wasn't affected by RvW.
A better hypothesis is that leaded gas was phased out about 20 years before the decline. Lead is a known neurotoxin. Neonates exposed to high levels have reduced intellectual capacity and blunted judgement. As lead disappeared from the air, a generation of kids were born and raised that were spared brain poisoning and grew up with more self-control. Since similar bans occurred throughout the world, it explains the declines in crime about 20 years later, when men reach their prime crime-committing years.
No, not all crime is explained by lead, but the drop to the lower current baseline could be. Correlation? Sure. But read the link:
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