By Johnna Pinholster
VALDOSTA — Finding answers to why violent crime is committed takes into account a variety of factors.
Economics, age, race, weather, population density all play a role in violent crime.
Dr. F.E. Knowles Jr., assistant professor of criminal justice at Valdosta State University, has not delved into the specifics of the incidents that have occurred in Valdosta and Lowndes County.
He can, however, delve into the generalities of violent crime and its most common stimulators and perpetrators.
“In the last 20 years or so, we have enjoyed a downturn in the instances of violent crime as reported by the Uniform Crime Report,” Knowles said. “We’re not really made aware of that, the general public is not made aware of that, but that has been the case. We are rather lead to believe that we live in the most violent time ever and that’s simply not the case.”
Though the trend has been downward, that doesn’t mean communities can’t see periodic spikes upward, he said.
“We should see these at first glance only as isolated incidents,” Knowles said.
To tie the incidents together, they would have to occur over a chronological period with a spike that is maintained over time, which would constitute a trend, he said.
Trends affect policy in regards to dealing with violent crime, Knowles said.
There are elements in today’s world that exacerbate crime, he said.
“The economic downturn for one thing is always going to have an effect on the crime picture,” Knowles said. “You would think it wouldn’t really reflect with an economic downturn except maybe on robbery, but it does affect homicides because people have less tolerance of each other when they are on edge about things.”
Other factors include high unemployment, dense populations and dense urbanization.
“It would have been a more predictable scenario if these events had happened in June, July or August,” he said.
With hot weather, people are out more, out later and the heat can make people irritable and quick to anger, Knowles said.
“Racial unrest can enter into it, if in fact violence crosses racial lines, which in a majority of cases of violent crime it does not cross racial lines. It stays within a racial category,” he said.
White on white crime or black on black crime is a matter of association, Knowles said.
Many communities have de facto segregation, and, without knowing the reasons behind homicides, they can be linked to the people the victim associated with.
Most perpetrators of violent crime are males between the ages of 16 and 24, Knowles said.
“Sometimes you have to wonder what their motive is,” he said. “Sometimes it’s merely to gain street credibility and recognition.”
The socialization of males in recent decades and how masculinity is represented could be a factor in them believing violence and aggression typify male behavior, Knowles said.
One homicide might give rise to another if in fact there is a cycle of retribution put into place, Knowles said.
“That’s the oldest form of justice there is,” he said. “Having the inclination is not criminal; acting on the inclination is criminal.”
In reference to the incidents in Valdosta and Lowndes County, Knowles said he would classify them as spikes — spikes that he thinks will again recede.
“If it doesn’t recede again, if we see a continued escalation or an escalation from this, then we need to be concerned,” he said. “If frequency increases, we need to be concerned about potentially a trend, but that’s certainly not to dismiss the importance of these tragedies.”
There is a difference between crime and crime that indicates a trend, Knowles said.
Knowles doesn’t believe people are motivated to be violent by violence.
“Typically, fairly well-adjusted folks watch a movie that is riddled with homicide and we don’t go out and commit a homicide,” he said.
