Introduction
The enthusiasm to commit a crime may be diverse, and such factors as socioeconomic background or violent media can motivate individuals to make attempts violence. Weather conditions can also be considered the major influencer on the crime rate, and more new research is introduced to make people more aware of potential issues.
The relationship between the crime rate and weather conditions is economical, and the influence on human life is significant (Blakeslee et al. 833). Most of the studies were conducted in developing countries, as the rate of law violations is higher in these regions compared to developed parts of the world. Furthermore, Ranson stated that most results show that more crimes appear in developing countries with hot climates (Blakeslee et al. 833). Consequently, more effort should be made to find potential solutions to the increasing problem. This paper will cover the recent case from New Zealand where the relationship between weather and crime is significant. Moreover, it will explain what conditions influence the growth and decrease in crime worldwide and what types of law violations are the most popular in the weather-crime relationship.
Weather and Crime in New Zealand
The government of the USA has produced a legal law to protect against the spread of incorrect information regarding weather conditions. It states whether publishers should not post false information which does not correspond to the official Weather Bureau or other legal branches (Legal Information Institute). Those who break the law should be fined, and imprisoned for less than ninety days, or both judgments should be applied. This governmental regulation has received great value over the years as crime rate control has become easier by arresting offenders.
The researchers in this industry have studied the change in the violence rate at the end of the twentieth century and are the center of the research program in the United States. According to the latest evidence presented by Blakeslee et al., the murder rate in the South part of the country has always been higher, but the real cause of the problem was not identified properly (834). Some experts suggested that the increased level of violence is connected to cultural differences or economic instability (Blakeslee et al. 834). However, modern articles state that climate has a significant influence that law representatives should not underestimate. Stronger regulations should be introduced to decrease crime rates in several parts of the country. The development of artificial intelligence allowed professionals to dive into the education of specific weather conditions and predict possible behavior during sunny or cloudy weather. Even though people believe that urbanization and demographic are the main causes of law violation, it has become easier to evaluate this factor deeply using new technologies and weather changes in specific areas.
New Zealand is a country that includes various climatic zones, and it is easier for professionals to study human reactions to specific weather conditions. According to Horrocks and Kutinova Menclova, the New Zealand case findings have shown that the rate of aggression and irritation increases with the rise in temperature (2). Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand that when it is hotter than in normal conditions, the discomfort level overweighs the aggression, and people become more passive. The authors have introduced The General Affect (GA) model that shows when hot weather conditions rise the level of law violations. During the warm weather, more people leave their houses, allowing criminals to be murdered. Moreover, favorable weather conditions make transportation easier, and moving from one place to another becomes more convenient. Horrocks and Kutinova Menclova have also found that the rate of crimes during times of continuous rains does not decrease significantly (3). Domestic violence appears more often during poor weather, and the main explanation for this problem could be a lack of defenders. People who stay outside during the rain are rarely surrounded by bystanders who can help them.
Weather changes also influence policing regulations, and behavioral differences between police officers and those who break the law allow many studies to make correct predictions about the effect of the environment on people. For instance, foot patrol increases during fine weather, and murderers understand that they have more chances of being arrested for their illegal actions (Horrocks and Kutinova Menclova 5). However, more street murders may occur during the rain as officers prefer to stay in cars. Even though many experts in this area consider the influence of police, it stays a significant limitation that does not allow to provide correct findings with exact numbers.
With global climate change, crime rates increase, and it is a common problem these days. Blakeslee et al. explained that there is a 1,7 percent increase in the law violation rate with every degree centigrade in the temperature (845). During warm weather, the level of serotonin rises, and people become more impulsive. Most of the crimes are conducted outside, and the favorability of the weather does not stop the uprising trend. Hot temperatures change the brain’s chemistry, and this theory is one of the most discussed these days when analyzing the connection between crimes and weather. When it is warm outside, aggression does not appear, but people become more motivated to violate the laws. Individuals might lose focus on certain things, and more accidents might happen.
Climate changes rarely cause all crimes, and professionals distinguish specific types of law violations that are caused by the increase in temperature. For instance, Blakeslee et al. proposed that theft level increases during the annual peak of the abnormal heat (851). Moreover, shootings appear in many regions of the United States. When the temperature increases by 10 degrees, nine additional accidents appear. The change in the weather might not affect criminal damage to properties or assaults. Nevertheless, frequent weather fluctuations negatively affect the rate of narcotic distribution or burglary. Consequently, while controlling the crimes around the cities, police officers pay more attention to law violations caused by weather conditions to prevent the increasing crime rates.
Some experts studying the influence of weather on human behaviors have recently found out that different temperatures influence sentences related to committed crimes. According to Sanders and Brizzolara, one of the most significant mood influencers is humidity (Jakub and Pina Sanchez 4). The researchers have examined several groups of people to understand their behavior during the sentencing. However, the study showed some limitations, like people who have a better mood while rainy than those who are happier on sunny days. Weather conditions are closely related to the decision-making process in real-life cases like court sentences. Jakub and Pina Sanchez suggested that people often receive more loyal sentences when there is no rain and the temperature is not extreme (6). Nevertheless, these assumptions were produced based on the existing literature, and it became crucial to compare theories with practices by visiting several judicial sitting to provide the most realistic conclusion.
The initial study was conducted in the Czech Republic, which has continental inland weather. The researchers have visited courts under different conditions to identify whether the length of a non-suspended prison sentence is influenced. The results have shown that there is no relationship between sentencing and change in weather (Jakub and Pina Sanchez 12). Moreover, there was a prediction that different genders have diverse reactions to environmental conditions and influence sentencing. However, the authors could not approve of this fact, and gender stereotypes do not play a significant role in this research.
Nevertheless, professionals managed to find the relationship between weather and crime sentencing and understand how it might be changed. For instance, atmospheric changes like increasing wind speed may make punishments stricter (Jakub and Pina Sanchez 12). Similar results are related to the changes in humidity and atmospheric pressure. During windy days, the probability of receiving harsh sentencing increases by 0.016 percent (Jakub and Pina Sanchez 13). Consequently, the results show that weather influences people’s behavior, and the correlation between weather and crimes is significant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the relationship between weather conditions and crime rates is taken these days seriously. More experts in this area are trying to understand potential changes in human behavior during different temperatures and climate changes. The official sources have produced a specific law that controls the rate of crime caused by the changes in weather, and more police officers are trained to understand how the aggression appears in this case. Moreover, by understanding the influence of warm and cold weather, experts analyzed different types of crimes and how sentences are produced to control the problem.
Works Cited
Blakeslee, David et al. “In the Heat of the Moment: Economic and Non-economic Drivers of the Weather-crime Relationship.”Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 192, 2021, pp. 832-856. Web.
Jakub, Drapal, and Jose Pina Sanchez. “Does the Weather influence Sentencing? Empirical Evidence from Czech Data.” International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, vol. 56, pp. 1-12.
Horrocks, James, and Andrea Kutinova Menclova. “The Effects of Weather on Crime.”University of Canterbury, pp. 1-39. Web.
Legal Information Institute. “18 U.S. Code § 2074 – False Weather Reports.” 1948, Web.