My first thought is pure economics. 1990 or so forward saw a massive increase in the standard of living globally on average. US GDP almost doubled over that decade, and I suspect the same is true for most of the industrialized world. So why isn't crime rising now, with big financial and unemployment problems? The countries with those problems are still consuming their past wealth to pay for current entitlements, which is keeping the social contract alive temporarily. And if that theory is correct, the next 10 to 15 years will see a meaningful increase in crime.
Another thought - just a half-silly toss out, but perhaps the Web played a role. It changed a lot of social behaviors, and that would have began in the early to mid 1990s in the industrialized world. It altered how and where people spend their time; how they do their shopping; how they communicate; how often they leave their homes; knowledge available when it comes to almost everything, such as instantly being able to look-up good / bad neighborhoods based on crime.
I first got online around 1994/95, at 14 years of age, and it's almost hard to remember time before the Web. I have to consciously remind myself that it wasn't always there.
Another thought - just a half-silly toss out, but perhaps the Web played a role. It changed a lot of social behaviors, and that would have began in the early to mid 1990s in the industrialized world. It altered how and where people spend their time; how they do their shopping; how they communicate; how often they leave their homes; knowledge available when it comes to almost everything, such as instantly being able to look-up good / bad neighborhoods based on crime.
I first got online around 1994/95, at 14 years of age, and it's almost hard to remember time before the Web. I have to consciously remind myself that it wasn't always there.