What is causing the crime rate to increase (or decrease)?

Beginning in the 1990s, the crime rate in the United States dropped precipitously. For example, the number of murders in New York City decreased from 2,245 in 1990 to 494 in 2007. Similar reductions for all kinds of crime, ranging from murders to assaults to auto thefts, were reported across the nation. It is now 2018, and it seems to many that the crime rate has been steadily increasing across the country. Is the crime rate actually going up, or does it just seem that way because we see and hear about crimes more often through social media and online news sites? First, do some preliminary research to find out whether the crime rate is increasing or decreasing. Then, write an essay on what is causing this change in the crime rate. You can focus on the country as a whole or just a specific area. You can focus on a certain type of crime or crime in general. Write your own causal analysis argument answering the question, “What is causing the crime rate to increase (or decrease)?