Every summer, crime rates tend to trend upward. Crime gets to become more common, the police make more arrests, and then the crime rate declines again in the fall.
This trend is consistent, so it’s clearly something that is happening for a reason, but what is the reason? Why is it that the summer months would lead to higher crime rates? There are a few potential factors to consider.
Longer daylight hours
For one thing, summer days are significantly longer, so people tend to spend more time outside. This also happens just because the weather gets warmer. More people being outside leads to an increase in personal interactions, and some of these interactions turn into criminal events – cases of assault, theft and more.
Physical discomfort
Interestingly, some believe that actually being hot in higher summer temperatures can lead to physical discomfort that makes someone more irritable and more likely to engage in criminal behavior. They point to things like increased blood pressure or an increased heart rate, which can go along with the high temperatures. This doesn’t cause everyone to commit crimes, of course, but could make it more likely.
More free time
In some cases, research shows that crime rates are going up for young offenders, such as high school students or college students. Part of the reason for this may simply be that they have more free time. They spend most of the year attending classes and doing homework, but having free time can lead to issues like reckless driving, underage drinking and illegal drug use.
Have you been arrested and are you facing serious allegations? Be sure you understand all of your criminal defense options.
