Crime Rate Is Lower in Most ‘Prison Cities’
- Share via
SACRAMENTO — California cities with prisons tend to have lower crime rates than comparable cities without prisons. And a prison located near a city has no significant effect on property values, says a Senate Office of Research study released Friday.
Jerry Hawes, the consultant who made the study, said that while prisons do not deter crime, neither do they attract a criminal element.
In seven major felony categories, the study showed the average crime rate for seven cities associated with prisons was 22% below the average crime rate for 15 similar cities without prisons.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
