Buffalo State College:

Buffalo NY

14 July, 2021

1:13 PM

Description

Press release from Buffalo State College: Laurie Kaiser July 14, 2021 Gun violence, a longtime scourge on urban areas, has jumped to alarming proportions over the past year as communities have also coped with the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, 2020 ranked as one of the deadliest years in decades in numerous medium and large cities, including Buffalo. And shootings have saturated the country for the first half of 2021 as well. Scott Phillips, Buffalo State College professor of criminal justice, noted the reasons behind the spike are varied and complex. There is no simple answer, he said. However, he conducted research on the coronavirus's role and co-authored "When COVID-19 and Guns Meet: A Rise in Shootings" with Dae-Young Kim, Buffalo State assistant professor of criminal justice, for the January 2021 issue of the Journal of Criminal Justice. Phillips discusses some of their findings here. Name: Scott W. Phillips Title: Professor of criminal justice Bio: Phillips joined the Buffalo State College faculty in 2001 and has done extensive research on law enforcement, administration, and management issues. He holds a doctorate in criminal justice from the University at Albany, a master's degree in criminal justice from Buffalo State, and a bachelor's degree in legal studies from the University at Buffalo. Early in his career Phillips served as a police officer with the Houston Police Department. What role has COVID played? Statistical analysis tells us that COVID has played a role in the rise in gun violence. It's hard to say exactly what aspects of COVID contributed. We know that people were more crammed together for months because of stay-at-home (SAH) orders, some without jobs or care for their kids. And this caused strain. Gun violence is linked to general strain theory. People are losing jobs, and they have been increasingly isolated, which leads to anxiety and depression. There's also evidence that alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic, especially among unemployed individuals. Also, not everyone followed SAH orders. Motivated offenders would converge with potential victims in private and public settings. When you mix high unemployment, alcohol consumption, and gun purchases, people are likely to end up being in fights and other crime-producing situations increasing the potential for gun violence. The fact that the courts shut down during a portion of the pandemic likely contributed, too. What else can you share about patterns of violent behavior? When you look at Buffalo, the data showing where the violence has occurred has stayed consistent since 2010; it hasn't expanded or been reduced. I have noticed one change: People have been incredibly brazen in their use of guns, shooting right out in the daylight, in front of witnesses. I can't figure out this brazenness and absence of fear. This press release was produced by Buffalo State College. The views expressed here are the author's own.