Defeating the bad guys

打败坏家伙们 （1）



副题：America's plunging『跳进的；突进的』crime rates have attracted attention across the world, not least in Britain. What's the secret?
美国犯罪率高涨不止已经引起了包括英国在内的全世界的重视。其原因何在呢？

[1] For the past six years, crime rates have been falling all over America. In some big cities, the fall has been extraordinary. The latest figures released『发布；发表』by the FBI, for 1997, show that serious crime continued to fall in all the largest cities, though a little more slowly than in 1996.

[1]6年来，美国各地的犯罪率均有下降。在某些大城市，下降幅度尤为惊人。根据联邦调查局最新发表的数据显示，1997年，所有特大城市的严重犯罪率继续下降，尽管下降的幅度与1996年比起来稍微小了一些。

【背景知识】

在美国的一些大城市，犯罪率下降的幅度非常之大。1993年到1997年，纽约城哈莱姆的暴力犯罪率下降了39%，一度很恐怖的南布朗克斯地区的暴力犯罪率下降了45%。与1980年相比，入室抢劫率下降了20%。调查显示，在1994年，有31%的美国人认为居高不下的犯罪率是这个国家最急于面对的挑战，而到了1997年，只有14%的人这样认为。

[2]Violent crime fell in all. Property crimes『入室抢劫罪』have fallen, too, so that the rates for burglary『偷盗』and car – theft『偷车』are lower in America than they are in supposedly『据称；据推测』more law - abiding『守法的』Britain and Scandinavia.

[2]暴力犯罪率下降了。入室抢劫犯罪也下降了，所以在美国的盗窃和偷车行为比据称更守法的英国和北欧国家还要少。

[3]Why this has happened is anyone's guess. Many factors - social, demographic『人口统计学的』, economic, political-affect crime rates, so it is difficult to put a finger on the vital『极其重要的』clue. In March this year, the FBI itself admitted it had "no idea" why rates were falling so fast.

[3]人人都在猜测犯罪率下降的原因。社会、人口、经济和政治等因素都对犯罪率产生影响，因此难以明确指出最重要的因素是什么。今年3月，联邦调查局自己也承认它并不知道犯罪率下降这么快的具体原因是什么。

[4]Politician, the mayor of New York, will cite his concept『概念；思想』that by refusing to tolerate『忍受；容忍』 tiny infractions『违法；违反』of the law - dropping litter, spray - painting walls - the authorities can create a climate『风气；气氛』in which crime of more dangerous kinds finds it impossible to flourish『繁荣；兴旺』. That was called "Broken Windows"; if one window in a building was left broken, it argued, all the others would soon be gone. The answer: mend the window, fast.

[4]纽约市长，作为政客，引述了他的思想。即对象乱丢废弃物，在墙上乱画这类无足轻重的违法行为决不姑息，从而制造一种气氛。在这种气氛下更严重的犯罪无法泛滥。这被称为“破窗理论”；一栋建筑上如果有一扇窗坏了，按这个理论，其他所有的窗子很快也会坏掉。结论就是：修好这扇窗子，要快。 -------

[5]The metro system in Washington, DC, was the first place where drew public attention, especially when one passenger was arrested『拘捕；逮捕』for eating a banana. The policy seemed absurdly『不合理的；无稽的』pernickety『爱挑剔的』, yet it worked: in a better environment, people's behavior improved, and crime dropped.

[5]华盛顿特区的地铁系统是首先引起公众注意的地方，特别是在一个乘客因乱扔香蕉皮而被拘禁时。这项政策看起来是那么的挑剔，但是它确实发挥作用了：在改善了的环境中，人们的行为举止转变了，犯罪减少了。

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