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the Functionalist Perspective 173

Figure 6.1 How Safe Is Your State? Violent Crime in the United States

Violent crimes per 100,000 people. WA
Safer than average 314 VT ME
(122–274) MT ND 130 122
Average safety OR 272 225 MN NH 167
(280–408) 252 ID 268 WI NY MA 467
221 SD 392
RI 257
More dangerous WY 269 249 MI CT 281
than average 196 IA 490 PA NJ 308
N NJ 308
(435–660) NV NE 274 366
DE
660 UT 280 IL IN OH DE Safest
21
CA 213 CO 435 315 315 WV VA 621
441 321 KS MO KY 315 214 MD D
548 8
369 455 243 NC DC 1. Maine (122)
AZ NM OK TN 613 363 1,330 0 2. Vermont (130)
AR
408 589 480 505 SC 598
MS AL GA 3. New Hampshire (167)
270 378 403
TX LA
450 549 Most Dangerous
AK FL
639 542 1. Nevada (660)
2. Alaska (639)
HI
263 3. Delaware (621)
Note: Violent crimes are murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. I estimated Minnesota’s rate, based on
earlier data and reduced rates since then. The chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is more than five
times higher in Nevada, the most dangerous state, than in Maine, the safest state. Washington, D.C., not a state,
is in a class by itself. Its rate of 1,330 is eleven times higher than Maine’s rate.
Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2013:Table 314.

Fear, however, centers on street crime, especially the violent
stranger who can change your life forever. As the Social Map TABLe 6.2 Women and Crime:
above shows, the chances of such an encounter depend on
where you live. You can see that entire regions are safer—or What a Change
more dangerous—than others. In general, the northern states
are safer, and the southern states more dangerous. Of all those arrested, what percentage are women?
Crime 1992 2010 Change
Gender and Crime. Gender is not just something we do.
Gender is a feature of society that surrounds us from birth. Drunken driving 13.8% 23.7% 172%
Gender pushes us, as male or female, into different corners in Burglary 9.2% 15.3% 166%
life, offering and nurturing some behaviors while it withdraws Stolen property 12.5% 19.8% 162%
others. The opportunity to commit crime is one of the many
consequences of how society sets up a gender order. The social Car theft 10.8% 17.5% 158%
changes that opened business and the professions to women Aggravated assault 14.8% 21.5% 145%
also brought new opportunities for women to commit crime. Robbery 8.5% 12.2% 144%
From stolen property to illegal weapons, Table 6.2 shows how Larceny/theft 32.1% 43.9% 137%
women have taken advantage of this new opportunity.
Arson 13.4% 17.0% 127%
In Sum: Functionalists stress that just as the social classes Illegal drugs 16.4% 19.1% 116%
differ in opportunities for income and education, so they
differ in opportunities for crime. As a result, street crime is Forgery and counter- 34.7% 37.7% 19%
feiting
greater among the lower social classes and white-collar crime
greater among the higher social classes. The growing crime Illegal weapons 7.5% 8.4% 11%
rates of women illustrate how changing gender roles have Fraud 42.1% 41.4% 23%
given women more access to what sociologists call “illegiti- Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States
mate opportunities.” 2013:Table 338 and earlier years.