More unemployment, less crime

This from Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution,

With a lot more unemployed people, a lot more people are staying home, and they see more in their neighborhood," said Sgt. Thomas Lasater, who supervises the burglary unit of the police department in St. Louis County, Mo., where authorities recorded a whopping 35 percent drop in burglaries during the first six months of 2009.

An upside to unemployment. Cowen also notes another possible factor helping reduce burglaries,

The falling price of raw materials -- which had been producing copper and other thefts -- may be another reason for the change in trend.