Wilson and Cook, who teach public policy at Harvard and Duke, re- spectively, reject the theory that the unemployment rate is directly linked to the homicide rate. They do not, however, deny that "economic conditions may have some effect on the crime rate," which includes many types of crimes against property.
In 1976, JEC Chairman Hubert Humphrey stated that a "1.4 percent rise in unemployment during 1970 is directly responsible for . . . 1,740 additional homicides." Humphrey...