Crime is down, but we’re still worried

Guests: Matthew Friedman, Ralph Taylor and Tracey Meares

Crime is down, yet anxiety and fear are up. Why are we so frightened and what scares us? What does this tell us about humans and fear? We’ll talk with MATTHEW FRIEDMAN, the Economics Fellow in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, about how about media reports about “spikes in crime” conflict with statistical data. Temple University Criminal Justice Department professor RALPH TAYLOR will talk about his research into reactions to crime. And we’ll take a look at how some politicians capitalize on the public’s fear of crime, with TRACEY MEARES, the Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law at Yale Law School.