Is crime seasonal? Experts say yes, incidents spike in summer months
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — It's often believed that hotter temperatures lead to more crimes. A report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statics says exactly that — that you're more likely to be a victim of a violent crime during the summer.
Jon Gould, dean of UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology, says there are several reasons why crimes go up in these months. Longer days mean more opportunities to be outside as people have more time on their hands.
We're still in the midst of trying to figure out exactly what's going on with the rise in crime. The good news is that, for the most part, the crimes that we've seen go up that are violent crimes have been between people who know one another. I know that doesn't necessarily sound like a wonderful thing, but what it does mean is that when you're walking down the street, the risk of being attacked by a stranger is not substantially higher," he said.
Homicides in Bakersfield are only going up. In a city council meeting last month, Bakersfield Police Department Chief Greg Terry said the department recorded 18,796 violent and property crimes in 2021, topping 17,617 crimes recorded in 2020.
Homicide cases jumped from 45 to 60 between 2020 and 2021, and Sergeant Robert Pair with Bakersfield Police told Eyewitness News last month that 2021 was a larger crime year all year long.
Traditionally, there is an expectation in the community that crimes of violence go up during the summer months. 2021 was an outlier where it maintained a rate throughout the year, regardless of the climate," Pair said.
Kids and teens being out of school can also lead to more incidents in the summer because of a loss of safety net provided by being in school. Tina Jones, founder and CEO of the nonprofit PTSD Clothing and Accessories Support Group says she used to be one of those kids.
"I just hope that parents do start paying more attention to their kids, because when I was trying to tell people what was going on to me, nobody wanted to hear it, they said, 'Keep that quiet, keep it to yourself,'" she said.
She says her organization aims to keep kids busy during those months so they stay out of trouble and harm's way.
"We've gotta step in somewhere, and give kids hope, and that's what I'm doing is giving them hope," she said.
