How economic policy impacts crime – new video uploaded to AP Video Hub

Storyline

Jillian Carr is an associate professor of economics at Purdue University. In this video, she explains how economic policies affect crime in intended and unintended ways. Carr says that economic policy primarily impacts crime because it impacts people’s resources. When people lack resources, they are more likely to commit crimes. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has a primary goal of feeding people. By giving people this resource, the program has an additional unintended consequence of reducing crime. Economists need to think of all the likely outcomes when implementing a policy to make sure that it accomplishes its goal without having unintended negative consequences. For example, Carr studied a juvenile curfew implemented in Washington, D.C., that was meant to reduce gun violence. However, more gunshots were reported after the curfew was implemented because it was easier to commit crime when fewer people were around.