I’m glad that Kevin Drum is pushing the lead-reduction explanation for the drop in juvenile violent crime. He’s right; the statistics suggest that the best crime reduction policy we could pursue is an aggressive effort to remove lead dust from the environment, especially in urban areas where people are closely concentrated. Reduced exposure to lead appears to lower people’s proclivity to commit violent acts, and it tracks better than changes in poverty levels, the unemployment rate, or anything else.
I gotta say, though, ever since I started paying close attention to gun violence in this country, I’ve been worrying that people are too satisfied about the reduction in violent crime. It’s a double-edged sword. The more it goes down, the fewer people are committed to bringing it down more. It is certainly not at an acceptable level.
