Higher Education Helps to Prevent Crimes, Study Shows

Studies have shown repeatedly that higher education helps to prevent crimes, from murder to theft. In fact, the Common Good Forecaster, a United Way project, indicates that even one more year of education can make a difference in crime levels.

For example, the Forecaster points out that if every adult in New Mexico were moved up one schooling level (e.g., high school drop-outs would become high school graduates), the murder rate would drop by over half.

Similarly, the incarceration rate would fall by more than 60 percent. The number of people who return to prison after a previous incarceration would also drop.

The Forecaster proves that education has a powerful and positive effect on crime prevention. Even small additional amounts of education have the ability to reduce the number of serious, violent crimes.