ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how including time can sharpen images of changing patterns of crime and illuminates the contributions of competing theories developed to explain them. It examines the competing claims of deterrence theory and reaction arguments concerning crime and punishment. The chapter investigates whether the presence of police represses crime, as deterrence theory would maintain, or whether policing is more likely to inflate offence rates, as reaction arguments suggest. It focuses on the emergence of civilization of Europe in general, and on France between 1852-1914 in particular. The chapter shows that the relationship between urbanization and crime and can be viewed as an examination of the growth of policing as the reason for this association. It focuses on the relationship between policing and crime, an issue that is of considerable importance in contemporary America. The influence of policing on crime may also depend on the length of time between cause and effect.
