USA vs. Germany: Is CRIME *Really* a Problem?

In Part One on our mini-series on crime, we take a look at the big picture of crime in America vs. crime in Germany. Where are you safest? Who has the bigger problem with violence? And what does that say about our crime prevention policies and policing?
Episode 95 | #USA #germany #americaningermany #crime #police #prison #safety #expatlife | Filmed February 1st, 2023
👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:
00:00 Intro
01:57 The Problem with Measuring Crime
06:21 Property Crime in Germany vs. Property Crime in USA
10:00 Violent Crime
13:17 America's Crazy Prison Statistics & Jail Churn
16:37 What the Public Gets Wrong about Crime
18:51 Are Americans More Homicidal by Nature?
Other Great Videos on this Topic:
When people from the USA visit GERMANY by @RadicalLiving and @NALFVLOGS
• When people from the U...
Germany or USA? This is where we REALLY feel more free! w/ @NALFVLOGS (Part 2) | by @FelifromGermany
• Germany or USA? This i...
German Police vs. American Police by @PassportTwo
• German Police vs Ameri...
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Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog​ to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎

[@bernhardneef7996]

Ashton, you dared to dig deep into a very difficult subject. And it came out to be a clear, non-biased and thoroughly investigated report. This cannot be honourd enough. 👍👍👍👍

[@jjns5600]

With all due respect, she's reporting diplomatically general data analysis, which doesn't address the obvious question for which this video is titled. It's a simple matter of historical and current-event statistics that the United States has a dire problem with crime, which is obviously also egregious compared to Western European countries. Which is to say, she's blabbering about nothing much but general information which can be easily ascertained on Google. Yet another liberal-based and generally evasive blabber-mouth...she's done absolutely NOTHING here, except try to sound smart.

[@witty2u]

I totally agree! - I sometimes even thought to myself this needs a lot more recognition.

[@jjns5600]

@@witty2u Her commentary unfortunately doesn't lend much to the reality of how American society, in too many ways, is falling apart and in crisis...the very reason why her family made the decision to move to Germany in the first place, as are so many other Americans, expatriating to Europe. I'm also very aware of the cultural and societal realities, traveling to Europe myself and having friends who live there as well.

[@johnkitchen4699]

Unfortunately I moved to the USA on retirement as my kids both married Americans and have given us grandchildren. I love the family, but desperately wish they would move back to Europe. We would move back in the blink of an eye. Incidentally speeding in cars is a crime - the prevalence of speeding in the USA is much higher than in W Europe. The death rates on the roads is approximately 4 times higher than in W Europe. Add that to the impact of crime in the USA

[@jjns5600]

@@johnkitchen4699 John...the annual fatality rate in the U.S. from automobile accidents is 46, 000. It's insane!!! There is a level of social and cultural carelessness and irresponsibility which greatly displaces Americans from their European counterparts...from how they raise children, conduct business affairs and live life, period! As an American who has friends in Germany/Netherlands, and who travels there rather frequently, I totally understand your sentiment. Then Europe is a much older society as well, that's went through its drastic sets of challenges too! IThe immigration crisis is the latest alarm that all of Western Europe is trying to cope with, where people don't want to assimilate, but want to yield all the social benefits and opportunities of living there! I hope your children then eventually come to see the logic of your wisdom and experience, and change their minds!

[@ThePixel1983]

You really have become the big, neutral, analytic channel comparing Germany and the US and I love it! Always supported by facts and not judging. ❤️

[@aeolia80]

as someone that has lived and grew up in areas of California that many would call "dangerous" (and yes, I did hear gunshots most nights, and no they weren't cars backfiring), I never realized how stressed I was holding myself vigilant without even realizing it until I moved out of the country, first to South Korea (on the south coast), then to a suburb city near Paris. It was like a weight had been taken off my shoulders when I got to Korea that I never knew was there. With the areas that I grew up in I used to brush off how dangerous it could be (like me knowing gang signs because we had actual gang members at my middle school and classmates dying from random gun violence) like it wasn't that big of a deal. Even in the town where I live now where there are neighborhoods that many in France and Ile-de-France would consider "dangerous", it's nothing compared to where I grew up, nothing, I feel safe, much safer than had felt back home

[@cento13]

So very much the same! Grew up in some of the poorer, more gang dominated areas of California, before moving to northern Europe, and... it's a night and day difference. Went from keeping my hand on my pepper spray just for a walk to a convenience store a block away, where I was followed and harassed multiple times, where police helicopters overhead with spotlights on were a regular occurrence to... walking alone at any time of night with headphones on. And seeing many other women doing the same. And yet that "perception" issue is so real. My city has a reputation for high rates of crime with multiple nordic crime noir series set here, but it is far and away the safest place I have ever lived.

[@1ch0]

I can very much imagine this!

[@aeolia80]

@@cento13 omg!!! the cops in the helicopters with the spot lights were everywhere in my neighborhood growing up, it was quite a bit annoying, one time I was driving home from a friends when I was 18 at like midnight and I was followed by one with it shining on me for like 2 miles, I was super scared

[@alyson42]

@@aeolia80 I’ve realized that just hearing the helicopters all the time gave me anxiety when I lived in SoCal

[@LyricsQuest]

You're pretty lucky to live in area with sensible weapons laws. Much of Europe has a handle on this issue while the wild west just loves that wildness, it seems.

[@karstenkailer4669]

I lived in Offenbach for a while, did social-work in and around Frankfurt, visited my sister in Berlin-Neukölln, went out in Köln-Kalk, have been on holidays in the Ruhrgebiet, slept in a park in Karlsruhe...never even SAW a crime. I feel pretty safe here.

[@quinntinmann]

As a soldier stationed in Germany 🇩🇪 I love the fact that it’s so safe here don’t have to worry about shooting or carjacking etc.

[@skaarphy5797]

I would say you don't have to actually worry about that in the US either. It's much more likely to become a victim of either in the US, that's true, but statistically it's still extremely unlikely. Unlikely enough, in my opinion, that under most circumstances it shouldn't be a thing that occupies one's mind in the slightest.

[@quinntinmann]

@@skaarphy5797 that’s true but let’s be honest we often avoid certain areas especially at certain times to protect ourselves in the US you don’t have to do that here in Germany I’ve been to big cities here walked at night felt safe nothing happened can’t exactly say that about New York or Chicago.

[@ragingmonk6080]

I was a U.S. Military Police in Germany from 1991 until 1994 and crime in Germany has gotten worse since then. You are not safe by any measure, crimes are not reported. My wife was German when we met and I still have family and friends there. So I am up to date. German Police are reactive, not proactive. If they come when called they do nothing most of the time. That has not changed. My brother in-law and his wife came to America on vacation. He said that they know that their small town is full of drugs and guns. But the drugs are sold in bigger cities like Frankfurt. His town is the safe heaven that is under the radar. It is a pressure cooker and eventually will explode. But it was bad when I was there. We busted a drug boat with 1 million dollars worth of drugs. Never made German news. Confiscated guns off criminals, never made German news. We had a Turkish German born citizen cut one of our mechanics from the middle of his triceps to his elbow for talking to a Turkish girl. Not reported in German news. Well American MP's are not there now. Germany has a different style of crime than America. But as an American that has lived in Germany and dealt with their crime. I chose America because I have grown up with or style of crime and react accordingly. Do not let your guard down troop. Trust me on this.

[@popelgruner595]

@@ragingmonk6080 Yeah sorry that's bogus. You are projecting some weird US fantasy on Germany. Best wishes from the K-Town Area.

[@peter_meyer]

@@ragingmonk6080 Um, why should US MP news be on german news? It's a US operation, most likely not even in cooperation with german officials. Oh, and of course there's still US MP in Germany. And it will be as long as there is US military in germany.

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

If Prisons are privat "Companies", it seems to me to be logic, to have as many inmates as possible.🤔

[@TypeAshton]

We are going to make a special video on incarceration in the US, but at least in the United States... Private prisons incarcerated 99,754 American residents in 2020, representing 8% of the total state and federal prison population. And it doesn't appear that there is a uniform approach nationwide. At one end of the spectrum, Montana incarcerates half of its prison population in privately run facilities, but in another 22 states, private prisons are not used at all.

[@maxking3]

@@TypeAshton Don‘t forget that inmates are encouraged to work i.e. in call-centers for airlines and car rental companies. Given that the prison population is overwhelmingly non-white, it can be considered modern slavery.

[@JojOatXGME]

@@maxking3 I don't see how the fact that prisoners are mostly non-white affects your statement about slavery. (I mean it matters in general, but not for the definition of slaves I would say. In the history, most slaves were non-white of course.) It would be more interesting how they are encouraged to work, and what they get in return.

[@franzjosefkerkhoff592]

@@JojOatXGME I am not sure if most slaves were non white. There have been slaves all over the world throughout the time.

[@scb2scb2]

As someone who worked for national tv in the netherlands i think one of the biggest crimes is the movement of all news to clickbate reporting where fear sells is the only logic. Part is our own fault we have the tools to at least quickly google some stats ourselves as you point out thats far from perfect but should give us some counterpoints during discussions but on avg we are too lazy to even do that. One small example this week i had a discussion we all have about generations and that this one has less respect for the law, crime it was all better when they where kids but looking at some statistics from dutch government showed at least a hint that both crimes and murders where higher starting in the 60,70 and 80's and came down in since the late 90's until now. What is a crime in reporting is that this misinformation makes large groups (female, older, minority's) change their ways when its not needed. The constant fear and also the constant blame on whole generations and groups not based on facts but the stories for clicks being told. Thanks for a great video again impressed with the width of your topics and i hope it makes people think they too can use the powerful tools as google we have today to factcheck the stories we are told and filter them.

[@samfetter2968]

Word. This comment needs more likes. Thanks for it 🥰

[@seeibe]

Crime has gone down while fear of crime has gone up. I think it happened right when I was in elementary school, one day I was living in a safe country, the next day I was expected to be afraid of going alone outside as a child.

[@arnodobler1096]

Exactly. Journalism has always been a fast-paced business: Who's first? But that has become even more extreme in these times. It's already being reported, there's nothing to report yet, because there's no information, only speculation. And Murdoch & Co. are a plague.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@seeibe It's similar to reporting about electric car fires. Turns out, internal combustion cars are far more likely to burn, so much so that almost everyone has seen at least one incident in person. But _because_ that is a far more common thing, it's no longer newsworthy. Electric cars, on the other hand, are a hot new topic. But then, ask a random member of the public, and because of that reporting, they will think that electric cars are more likely to burn. The pretty much unavoidable fact that news is never representative, and that we are really bad at interpreting this, is a serious problem; I have no clue how we can solve that. Well, almost no clue - I argue that schools should teach everyone at least enough stats to be able to interpret the statistics we are confronted with in daily life. That solves at least a small part of the problem.

[@frankteunissen6118]

It’s actually quite simple. About 80% of crime is committed by men between the ages of 16 and 36. That cohort as a share of the population has decreased since the waning of the baby boom. Therefore you expect crime to decrease proportionally with it. So the real crime rate goes up or down as crime deviates from this demographic trend: if crime decreases at the same rate as the 16 - 36 male cohort decreases as a share of the population, then in fact the crime rate is unchanged. If it falls more quickly, then crime is down. If it falls more slowly, then crime is up.

[@stevefl7175]

Growing up in NYC in the 70s-80s, there was one factor that was true then that I believe is true to this day in the US. Don't get involved in drugs, don't get involved in gangs, and your odds of being involved in crime, particularly violent crime, drop dramatically. It seems like whenever you hear of a crime, it eventually comes down to drugs or gangs, or it's a domestic issue. It's relatively rare that you will be involved in violent crime if you keep away from those. For perception, the difference is two things. One, unless you're middle aged, you weren't around for the serious crime times. But the big difference is national news. In the past crime happened, but unless it was around your neighborhood you did not hear about it. Now a crime happens across the country and it's all over the news. Fear sells, so it's hyped.

[@hellfreezer3037]

Back then, u sorta have to go outta ur way in order to find crime or ghetto. But nowadays, it’s just spread ubiquitously

[@Novusod]

I was around in the tri-state area in the 1980s and the crime was horrible in those days at least if you listened to the news. One story I remember was the infamous sneaker killings where young people were being murdered and the only thing taken was their shoes.

[@donaldduck2621]

Thanks for the video. ❤ Here in Austria, we have about 40 to 80 murders a year - for a rate of 0.4 to 0.8 per 100.000 - which is similar to the low German rate mentioned in the video. Even in Switzerland, where gun prevalence is very high, the murder rate is the same as in Austria or Germany. The murder rate of 7-8 per 100.000 in the US is more than 10x higher than in Western Europe and even increased after the pandemic, whereas it didn't increase (or fell) in Western Europe.

[@airlag]

I heard, Kanada has the same amount of firearms per people as the USA but also ten times less murder like the countries mentioned above. All these countries are doing something way better than the USA. I can't really see the reason from the distance. I'm a cynical pessimist. I say it's because frightened people are easier to manipulate, so it's in the interest of plutocratic governments to keep the perception of crime high and not pursue violent criminals too much as long as they kill each other instead of the rich people. That would be one of the hardest reasons to change.

[@SharienGaming]

@@airlag eh that last part is a bit too conspiracy theory nonsense - i think the premise is fair, frightened people are more easy to manipulate, which is why so much of the political discourse, especially from the extreme right, revolves around who you should be afraid of... but the conclusion is simply that: frightened people also are more likely to resort to violence but even that is just an aspect another massive aspect is the way policing works in the US and how cops are trained, as well as the commercialization of prisons... the US has a major interest in keeping as many people incarcerated as possible, because that makes the prison industrial complex tons of money... so sentencing is harsh, rehabilitation nonexistent and police is trained to think of themselves as warriors, but also to be frightened of a massive invisible enemy that could strike at any time... add on top of that the fact that the US intentionally keeps a large part of their population in poverty, so that their megarich can maintain low wages to maximize their profits... with all that you have a recipe for a lot of people turning to crime, because they are out of options, then being brutalized by police and imprisoned over and over again...which leads to desensitization to violence and a likely return to crime now throw easily available firearms into that mix and guess what the result is

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@airlag I'd say you're half right. Follow the money: it is easier to sell guns to frightened people. Every time a school shooting occurs, some conservatives loudly proclaim that the liberals are coming for your guns, _and gun sales rise._ And the gun industry pours a lot of money into the NRA, for which they lobby hard to keep things as they are. (There was a time when the NRA was for stricter gun laws. I believe that was before they got significant industry money.)

[@JM-1963]

@@KaiHenningsen All in all, it's a scary logic :/

[@jjns5600]

@@KaiHenningsen It goes beyond the money, it reflects the familial and social decline of American society, plain and simple. We've become a much more violent-minded society over the decades, with the polarization of film, music and above all, an ingratiated sense of individualism, which is unrealistic and unwholesome. When reasonable people wake up to this reality and reverse our iconic trends and reject several iconic archetypes, then our society will begin to truly heal!

[@am-wq4ys]

Dear Ashton, this is my first comment EVER on KZbin. Let me see if this works as I like it to work. 1. I have been following your channel now for maybe a year or so and I think it is great. Congratulations! 2. Being a German, a true Kartoffel or Spießer as we say, now living in Frankfurt, having lived abroad for long time, I can say that the (real and felt) security here is an asset of this country. Yet, the discussion between people interested in politics and social development like me, is fierce these days and years. There is much more tension in the society these days and the general notion is that things are continiously declining in many senses, not only economic senses. 3. You and your family seem to be THE PERFECT immigrants! You are MOST WELCOME to our country, may it be YOUR country some time soon, I wish it for you. You are smart, intelligent, positive, willing to learn, even willing to learn our difficult German language (because learning it proficiently is no option but necessary to settle and get true and long term friends). The meta message above all your videos is "I like it here in Germany"! And us Germans, we like it, if people like our country, like probably all people all over the world like it when you like their country. Yet, consider one thing: I understand you live near Freiburg. This is one of the best areas to live in Germany or maybe even in Europe, for many reasons, your videos have mentioned many of those reasons. Therefore it is nice and understandable that you and your husband shine like the sun in all of your videos. I wish you the best. Good night and thank you!

[@TypeAshton]

Ah wow thank you so much for such a kind comment! Sincerely appreciated, thank you for watching!

[@aw3s0me12]

German is for english speaker NOT difficult! >> They just forget/or lack knowlege mostz of the time (also on the german side!) that English is lit. a german _Diale(c)t ~ Diale(k)t_ >> If we watch *old english* and compare it to german/old german we see clear, that our words are lit. the same, but like in a _slang,_ partly differetly spoken. > bavarian or swabian dialect,... hardcore spoken no normal german speaker can understand the context transportet. *Now imagine* how this dialekt would look like _written!_ Old English *had the same articles as in german! Anything today "english speaker would complain, old english had into it!* Also counting was the same! And to this day from number 20 on got changed. From 1-19 english counts just as orginal. English *deer* sounds not only like german *Tier* it IS the same, with THE SAME MEANING, in *old english* before it got changed. "Small deer" ment *"small creatures" *not* a specific one! >> You can switch lit. any english word ending with *Y* with a *G* to get the german word! Also the other way arround! _Old english ~ German:_ Day ~ Tag Dæy ~ Tæg Dæg ~ Tag ᚦæg ~ Tag _ᚦ is a germanic _*_Rune,_*_ which old english lit. was written in!_ ᚦ stands mostly for *th* but sometimes also for *T.* _>> Press on your android mobil phone, on trhe keyboard on the letter T for a bit, *Rune ᚦ* pops up!! *Root of german letter Ä or ä:* Das A mit Umlaut = *Ä/ä,* wurde erst als AE geschrieben, teils zusammengezogen *(Æ/æ).* Später entwickelte sich daraus ein A mit einem kleinen E darüber *(Aͤ/aͤ). The A with umlaut = *Ä/ä,* was first written as AE, partly contracted (Æ/æ). Later it developed into an A with a small E above it (Aͤ/aͤ). *England was written different!* England > Ængland > Ængleland > *Land of the Ængles* _England is named after the Angles (Old English genitive case, "Engla" - hence, Old English "Engla Land"), the largest of a number of Germanic tribes who settled in England in the 5th and 6th centuries, who are believed to have originated in_ *Angeln, in modern-day northern Germany.* >> So _English,_ means language of the Angles! Which were by majority german germanic tribes. The german word *Buchstabe* is the root of english word *Letter* Buchstabe consists of 2 _(shortened)_ words: >> *(die) Buche + sta(e)be* >> *(the) beech + stick(s)* The beech is the most common Tree typ in EU. *Germanics,* did cut small, same lenght *sticks (stæbe/staebe)* and carved in *run-LETTERS.* _Which were thrown to read the oracle, to get _*_"the meaning of smt"_*_ ._ //// *Why german *BOUNDS* _multi_ words together to make a new word?* >> _Similar to MATH !!_ 1+7+3 = *11* Each number has a own *"meaning"* which combined, in our case, results in *11* a total NEW meaning! > Traceable back to *"How you get there* I used above *BOUND* with intent, bc the root of german language *BINDING* words together comes from: *>> Rune Binding* /// ... English,.. is veeeery easy to *decipher* once you know which key letters to switch with another. >> And once you know, old english was basicly german. >> A lot of english word meanings orgi. written as in german and meaning the same, got changed over time > _modern English_ >> And dun forget, all the stuff like Articles etc. englis speakers find difficult to learn in german, once also was in > _old English_ Cheers

[@aw3s0me12]

>> There is a fantastic uTube video you can watch explaining way more HOW *to read* German as a english speaker WITHOUT knowing German at all! *How anyone (including YOU) can read German* _>> German and English are part of the same language family. That means you can tweak German words to make them look a lot more like their English equivalents. In this video, I'll show you how._ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJbFhI2ofdKmf5Y

[@JohnMckeown-dl2cl]

Another interesting video. Having lived in both countries, I have seen the differences in how crime is perceived in both places. A caveat is that my view is a bit old since it has been some time since I actually lived in Germany. To be honest I did feel "safer" when living in Germany. From a personal point of view this came from many factors. A few stand out from the majority. One is how prevention/security works. Examples like locking your car, even in your driveway, is mandatory or that houses are constructed in a manner that makes security a bit easier (better door locks, sturdier windows with better latches and rolladen) removes the factor of "crimes of opportunity" from the possibilities. Secondly is (and this is sensitive) firearms. There are just less of them and gun ownership comes with a greater emphasis on responsibility. The level of training that I had to go through to get my hunting license in Germany compared to what I did in the US is very telling. In Germany it was 30 hours compared to the US where it was 4 (and only because I was under 16, otherwise it would have been 0). Purchasing a firearm is also more complicated with more checks and you actually have to have a license first and a reason for your purchase. Guns are not banned, it is that you cannot just walk up and buy one with only money and an ID. Third is the criminal justice system. Rehabilitation and correction take priority over incarceration and punishment. Except for a small portion of those convicted (think Baader-Meinhof members) the focus is on returning the person to be a productive member of society. It is viewed as a better solution to give the person a second chance with proper guidance than just warehouse them for 5 years and then send them out into society with the label "ex-con".

[@tinkerwithstuff]

Both here, and even in the US, the vast majority of gun crime* happens with illegally possessed firearms, so the comparison of hurdles to _legally_ obtain guns is kinda moot. If you sent all street gangs to Mars, gun crime would be much lower also. * (note _crime_ not "gun deaths" like some people like to show to distort the view - people killing themselves by gun where available seeping into the numbers whereas elsewhere they kill themselves by other means, ... )

[@KaiHenningsen]

Even with the Baader-Meinhof people. Several have already been released from prison. Some, of course, got long sentences, mainly because they actually killed people.

[@johnclements6614]

@@tinkerwithstuff The suicide rate in the US is about 16,1 /100k and in Germany 12.3. Is the US a more depressing place to live/ not treated or is it easier for Americans to kill themselves. Or both.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@kara1460 Well, there were already in Germany, too. But here was reacted, after the school shooting of Winneden 2009 f.e.: the weapons law was tightened in Germany. The number of school psychologists in Baden-Württemberg was doubled. The father, a sports shooter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter - he had not properly locked away his weapons.

[@JohnMckeown-dl2cl]

@@tinkerwithstuff I agree heartily about the illegal guns, but you have to delve deeper. How many of the "illegal" guns originated in "legal" sources? It is very common for the illegal guns to have been bought in Georgia or Virginia where the rules are very lax and then taken to be resold improperly in New York and New Jersey where the standards are more stringent. I think it was around 2005 that the NYPD reported statistically 42% of the illegal guns they seized had been bought legally in other states and somehow "magically" appeared on their streets. The I-95 import corridor is pretty infamous in the northeast among people trying to halt the numbers on the street. That is where the hurdles do make a difference. If you can buy 5 handguns in one purchase or a MAC-10 "with no questions asked" then you have the start of a problem. Another interesting thought brought up in another comment is that the father of a "school shooter" was prosecuted for manslaughter because of his irresponsible storage of legal guns where someone who was not supposed to have them was able to have access.

[@aerobirdseven979]

I see this in context of education. As an academicly educated person, I have always believed in and being tought from an early age that talking things out is the far best way to solve a problem. My mother used to say that "you start to quarel when you are out of good arguments, so keep on talking to look smart". Later in life, the feeling of having won an oral argument made me feel very good. So now, I tend to look down on people who resort to physical violence and crime as a little less intelligent despite knowing that I'm wrong. There are many smart prisoners around, no question and I am priviliged to have been given the chance to move upward socioeconomically. So to the question of rehabilitation of prisoners and here is a big difference between the U.S and Europe. Firstly, decent treatment of inmates is a measure of how civilized the society you live in are. Whereas I believe those who advocate longer and stricter sentences emphasize revenge as a motive, I think there are plenty of motives for shorter sentences, decent treatment of inmates and rehabilitation. I like to pay taxes to and live in a society where all people are teated with respect, only then can you demand respect in return. I also believe that treating people with understanding furthers rehabilitation and lowers the "returnrate" That makes a financial gain to society as well. I would rather spend money on children, free education and wellfare than on prisons.

[@TherconJair]

What you witness as "people with better education resort less to violence" is simply their Socioeconomic background: poor people have less access to education. This is also the reason why foreigners have a higher incidence rate - they tend to be poorer. Same holds true for single mothers. It's not that they need a man to control their children, it's that they are generally poor because they can't work a full time job and they don't have access to good jobs.

[@lynnm6413]

After we just had a judge let a younger Afghan rapist go with community service only, just because he ‚was drunk‘ and thus couldn‘t be held accountable‘ in Germany, I have to disagree with you… He likely would have been killed under Sharia law and now he doesn‘t even get a prison sentence. If I were that woman I would see Justice done, so even though I have a PhD in molecular genetics, you must consider me ‚less educated‘ DonÄt really agree

[@stephanteuscher6583]

Great video as always! A little plea to your Mord / Totschlag differentiation: Totschlag also needs intent. If the intent isn't there it's not a Totschlag. The difference between Mord and Toschlag lies in attributes that are defined in the Mord-Paragraph (§ 211 StGB) like some motives and others. They have nothing to do with intent.

[@p.s.224]

Most Germans don’t even know this, so I hope more people see your comment

[@LeyCarnifex]

I was checking if anybody had said that yet, that bothered me too. It seems to be a common misconception, I wonder where people keep getting that from? Maybe from US crime dramas, I guess. Actually had a dude at a metal festival try to lecture me on that and "correct" me when I told him that's not the difference between Mord and Totschlag - _after_ I had informed him that _I study this shit_

[@c.w.8200]

When I was a child we visited the US and I didn't know much about the crime rate but what made me feel extremely unsafe were the cardboard walls, I got so paranoid that someone could just break through the walls I couldn't sleep the first night, my feeling of being safe was apparently linked to our thick brick walls in Europe.

[@sangfroidian5451]

Love your content, informative, concise, intelligent and so balanced.

[@B.A.B.G.]

I gotta say, Ashton: Sehr gut gemacht. To make arguments when comparing data from two entities is always tricky and I've been dreaming of doing just that. Analyzing correctly, finding underlying reasons for why the data presents itself that way, statistical significance, how representative the data is, how the laws that shape the framework (in which the population polled is found) skew the data. That would be followed by mathematical-statistical correct statements with margins for variance in human behavior so that decisions can be taken that would be effective be it in economics, business, anti-crime, or other endeavors. You motivated me to go at it. So thank you.

[@hansweith4947]

"never trust a statistic you havn't manipulated by yourself" LOL. all correct you said. it is difficult and I appreciate the effort made. Thanks to Ashton

[@grandmak.]

Another thoroughly researched video, thank you, Ashton !

[@TypeAshton]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. ❤️

[@danilopapais1464]

Thought the same. If I would do an award show for KZbin videos involving Germany, I would give this one an award (or at least a nomination) in the "best research" category (best editing I would give to "My Merry Messy Life").

[@liferethought]

Yet another important topic and well covered. Very much looking forward to next weeks (finally!!! :) You're doing an absolutely lovely job keeping these accessible, yet in-depth and fact driven! Kudos! A true contribution to social growth.

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much Gerad!

[@udomann9271]

Ashton, again a good report on that difficult subject, many thanks.

[@volkerwendt3061]

This was - as always - a very well-researched and well-thought-through video. I always enjoy these and it's easy to 'smell' your academic background. Many many thanks fir these and I'm really looking forward to your next one.

[@kriswillems5661]

You're making very high quality content. Cultural differences between countries are not mainly about funny tasting food, they are about important issues like this.

[@ohrosberg]

I'm blown away. The way you elegantly dive into controversial topics in a logical and scientific way is simply amazing. Top notch. Thank you!

[@awijntje14]

My Sunday morning wouldn't be complete without an episode from the black forest family!! This year already has seen you tackle some very hard topics which included some of the best research I've seen in a while (definitely on par with "knowing better", "not just bikes" and "climate town" I'd say) and this episode is no exception!! From my perspective I feel like in the EU we are more "interested" in understanding why someone chooses to commit crimes and address those through policy where as the US seems to be mostly interested in punishing someone as long as possible (I.e. even after "paying your debt to society" you often can't vote, jobs are limited etc). Guns is going to be a very interesting topic and I can't wait to see what socio-economic factors come into play or how the media/NRA/gun-industrie shaped the national debate. Anyways keep up the great work!!

[@wirlitsch-kanzleifurarbeit4084]

Great video with a difficult topic!

[@MikeS29]

I love your channel. I can't get enough!

[@defaultminerlp4433]

It is a rare pleasure to see this much nuance, statistically substantiated analysis of related factors and actually useful, well sourced data, in such a short video, let alone on such a weighty subject. This is truly a gold standard for informative and responsible communication of statistical data on contentious issues. It is wild that a freelance KZbin video has a level of quality in this regard, that you barely find in professional formats.

[@TypeAshton]

thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video.

[@arnodobler1096]

Great Video and great great Work and Research, Ashton 👏My Sunday morning routine

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much Arno! We always look forward to your comments.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@TypeAshton Oh thank you 😳 Nice Sundy

[@slimyelow]

I live just a few kilometers south of Freiburg, on the Swiss side of Laufenburg.

[@sphhyn]

Your videos are great!

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much!

[@JojOatXGME]

Germany has something called "Offener Vollzug" (open prison). Is there something similar in the USA? If you get into an open prison, you can leave the prison during the day as long as you have a good reason. For example, you can still go to work outside of the prison.

[@Rogerthatidea]

Yes, it is called the Huber Law. This varies from state to state. They may need to wear a tracking device, depending on the perceived risk factor.

[@marie9814]

uh, excited for next week's video. you do your research very thoroughly so I'm eager to find out to what conclusion you've come.

[@grmpflz]

Again a great analysation of differences between Germany and the US. In my opinion, your last question of "are Americans more homicidal by nature" is not only about the gun laws. I think it is quite complex and has to do with the history of the US and its look on the worth of life. In the beginning, there was a struggle to survive in the new world and law was far away by distance. So respect for life of others, especially competitors, slaves, natives and also animals (mass killing of buffalos) was (and still often is) on a low level: Pure survival of the fittest. And there seems to be a deep wish to gain richdom in any way possible, even by violence. There is a society now, that doesn't take care of each other, and what we call social caretaking by law is diffamed as socialism/communism in the US. I think US gun law is the consequent result of the development of its society. And a badly educated police, that parts of the society don't trust, often using brutal force instead of deescalating, is like an explosive for society.

[@NoxAtlas]

That's a great take. I'm not pro gun because I find it quite scary as a German that it's so easy to get firearms in certain countries. But other countries don't seem to have the same issues like the US regarding guns. It seems reasonable that the problem is deeply rooted within American culture. But I still think that this nation should have stricter gun laws because it would be an easy short-term solution to decrease certain tensions. Compare it to a child brought up in a rough household and showing aggressive tendencies because nobody bothers to grant them any emotional support. If you know that this child is unstable and gets aggressive, you wouldn't leave it alone with tools that could be used as a weapon. It's not an attempt to take away the child's freedom but an act of damage control to make sure the child won't hurt anyone either intentionally or by accident.

[@lazystart]

From my perspective in western WA, there seems to be an increase of crime associated with large homeless encampments. There's also a lot of reporting of catch and release with homeless people because the local DAs don't want to press charges. I'm not sure what the actual numbers or rates are, but it is definitely something that you can feel or see when an encampment starts getting set up nearby. I'd probably argue that even if reported or actual crimes don't necessarily go up, the general feeling of safety drops. An example from two years ago when an encampment was setting up in some woods near my neighborhood, there was an increase of cars getting broken into at the nearby park and ride and while no one broke into any of my property, I have video of people not from the neighborhood coming up to my door or seemingly casing the place from the street. Encampment got cleared out, that all went away. That's one thing I've noticed in the time I've spent in Germany lately, is it seems that they don't let the homeless problem take hold at the scale that the US does.

[@malouasounds]

There is another aspect to consider in this comparison of statistics. Germany is likely to have by far the greater population density.

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

33 vs 323 inhabitants per square kilometer as the national averages for USA and Germany.

[@kayneahnung3661]

I really love how much effort you put into these comparison videos! That has to be a ton of work, and I really feel it is under appreciated! Absolutely great work every time! Oh and btw:you are an incredible family - so many things you do and think really ring a bell here.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much for the kind words. Sincerely appreciated. ❤️❤️

[@capistev]

Another well-researched video, thank you! However, I'm surprised that you didn't mention 'gangs', which account for a large percentage of the homicides and other crimes...

[@Cowboy-in-a-Pink-Stetson]

I really love these information videos of yours. It's like being in a lecture at uni. Are we going to have an exam at the end of the semester? 😁

[@RustyDust101]

Yepp, for certain. This topic is definitely being covered, so internalize the info given. 😂🤣

[@Jan_Seidel]

Looking forward to next week :)

[@RenePatrique]

Something that blows my mind is that some prisons in the US are corporations which you can invest in. "GEO Group" for example is in the portfolios of Jim Simons (Renaissance) and Michael Burry (the short-seller from the movie "The Big Short") delivering them a return of +29.1% in the last 12 months. - This (the fact, not the returns) leaves me speachless here. Unbelievable stuff.

[@chkoha6462]

And it's Sunday again! Breakfast,Coffee and a new video.This has become my weekend routine

[@TypeAshton]

SUPER cool, that we are part of your Sunday routine. Thank you!

[@chkoha6462]

@The Black Forest Family easily!can't wait for the gun control topic next week,this will be interesting for sure

[@James-is2dr]

Another great vid 👍. When I lived in Germany early 80s (Lahr) I realized early on it was a somewhat insular Ilife in that as a non-speaking foreigner I was often not as aware of daily occurrences such as crime as my German neighbours. Having said that my perception was Germany seemed pretty safe, you rarely seen the Polizei (even though the State Polizei School was only couple kms from where I lived). Can’t remember seeing criminal activity even at night around drinking establishments. West Wing - was a big fan.

[@SharienGaming]

heh your comment reminded me of something a friend from uni once said - he lived in one of the rougher parts of town a while back and said he felt really safe there, because he heard a lot of police cars going by regularily... he didnt seem to quite understand the implication of that^^ but yeah i rarely see police either here... most of the time i see police and their vehicles is when there was a collision between multiple cars and they have to collect evidence to determine who caused the accident... well and of course at big events you usually see some police organizing traffic or keeping an eye on the situation... but i think most that they usually need to do is make sure drunk people arent driving and ticketing people who park in places they really shouldnt... because big events often lead to people parking wherever they can see a spot that fits the car XD ive honestly never really been afraid of crime here... maybe ive been a bit worried about pickpockets when im in a crowd of people, but thats pretty much it

[@madrooky1398]

Good job Ashton, your whole approach, a well considered and informed perspective on subjects is something so many media networks could learn from you. *Im not looking an you FOX, because you guys are hopeless...

[@peter_meyer]

A dry topic, very well presented. Thanks, Ashton. Oh, you might order additional space for the comments next week. Not sure if YT would be able to cope.

[@TypeAshton]

This will be a video with some very passionate comments for sure.

[@narve7337]

I have several fixed sunday.-youtube appointments, including Peruns military economic assessments of the ukraine war, Maxim Katz videos about russian society and politics, VAGA BONDs videos about his travels doing freight train hopping and of course your videos and I'm so looking forward to enjoying my youtube-sunday again outside in the sun once spring arrives :) About the topic of this video: I generally feel safe in Germany and I have never been the victim of a crime personally. My parents once had electronic devices stolen from their kitchen around 15 years ago, which was terrible of course, but the circumstances (they live in a small village, never locked their door, had 2 kids with other kids from the neighborhood seeing the place and the situation regularly) made us believe that these were not "normal" burglars but youths from the village, which is still not okay but a very different threat from hardened criminals traveling around looting homes ... I personally (in the USA and Germany) see the issue rather with media coverage, reporting and the police actively advertising for an increase of their competences and budget than an actual increased threat from crime and I consciously refuse to be scared of something that I never actually met in person or through friends/acquaintances. Greetings from Hessen to the Black Forest!

[@RustyDust101]

Thank you, Ashton, for another well researched, fair, and (as far as I can determine) unbiased video on a difficult topic. Your scientific background is definitely showing. It is such a breath of fresh air in a setting (KZbin, or any online media, for that matter) so prevalent with dramatic overstimulus. My assumption on why we consider crime (in both countries) to be an ever increasing problem: with the rise of social media as well as ever more dramatic and populistic reporting of crime it gets to be in the public attention a lot more than in the decades before the turn of the millenium. Every Jane and Joe now has a phone, often taking a video of crimes, that INSTANTLY hit the public, without even the slightest bit of filtering on wether it has been reported to the police as a crime, or if it has already been resolved by the time the video hits the media. With media outlets clamoring for the newest dramatic video, often again not considering wether it helps or aggravates the situation, just to get the views, or to support their lobbyist group's agenda, there are fewer and fewer limits on what and HOW something gets reported on. Views are all that counts as it brings ad revenue. Profit trumps all. That's why despite crime rates dropping constantly (as per statitstics) the attention we give to crime rises constantly. At the same time we get used and desensitized to crimes ever more, requiring greater and greater drama to drag us out of our blasé attitude towards violent crime. It is a vicious cycle of having to report ever more horrible crime just to get a few views or clicks on a report, leading to ever greater acceptance of violence and crime per se. We as a society are similar to a drug addict building up a tolerance to their favorite drug, requiring more and more of the same substance to give us the same 'kick'. Until we overdose. I don't know how close Germany is to 'overdosing', but the USA definitely requires massive rehab to get off its massive dosage right as of this moment. Note again: this is an assumption NOT based on statistical or scientific data; it is JUST a gut feeling.

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much! Yes, I too think that the spread of information is so wide, and the accessibility to information so great that we are often flooded with stories that can often distort perception. And then, as you mention, we become more entrenched in our camps - it feels difficult to find balance these days.

[@scifino1]

Small correction: The difference between Totschlag and Mord is not about intent. Totschlag and Mord both describe the intentional killing of another human. The only difference is that Mord also requires the killing to meet at least one of certain qualifications, such as cruelty, bloodlust or base motives (= homophobia, racial hatred, etc.). If an intentional homicide does not meet these qualifications, it is Totschlag.

[@Fulcrum-27]

no, this is still "Mord" even without lesser motives. Killing somebody due to bloodlust or racial hatred is called "Mord aus niederen Beweggründen" (murder by base motives). The big difference between murder or homicide is indeed if it was intented/planned (long before the initial attack happened) or not. if you kill somebody just the moment you realize he/she betrayed you by punching him/her to death then it is homicide. if you just leave the place but then return to kill that said person (meaning after you had time to realize what's going on and had time to literally plan it) then it was murder. this is the certain difference what makes a homicide becoming real murder. and if you murder for lesser reasons (racism, money etc.) then it was murder by base motives, which makes the judgement even harder (yes, more than 15 years prison are possible even in Germany).

[@bencoomer2000]

Kind of reminds me of people were INCREDIBLY worried about my wife in LA and it's "crime wave" and she felt safer there than in Colo Spgs. And looking at the stats, she was safer. The perception of how dangerous places are in the US is wildly skewed. I think in part by intent and in part by osmosis of all the crime dramas we have.

[@kupferdrachevideosfurdich8733]

Next weeks video should include a swiss section, as legal gun ownership is especial high there, which low gun related deaths.

[@TypeAshton]

It's looking like it will. I'm finishing up my notes/research over the next couple of days.

[@mina_en_suiza]

As I see it, in all developed countries, the form of crime that does most sustainable damage to the fabric of society is white collar crime (including corruption). Still, it is the most underreported and overlooked form of crime and often very leniently punished. PS 1: In the very famous book "Freakonomics" by Levitt & Dubner, the steep decrease in crime in the US is mostly attributed to Roe vs Wade (recently revoked by a deranged SCOTUS). PS 2: In the video, the difference in incarceration rates is mentioned and the data is explained in detail for the US, but the part for Germany is missing, I think.

[@johnclements6614]

There is also a theory that the removal from lead in fuel has increased intelligence and so reduced crime.

[@alondro666]

I didn't know there was a difference between jail and prison... Had to google that :)

[@Skyduke]

As always Ashton, well done.

[@courtneymcwilliams6571]

You go girl!! Talk about hitting a controversial topic! I love it! I love how you stick to data and not opinion (that’s important too) but for things like this it’s nice to see what it really looks like. As Americans living in Germany we get these questions and comments a lot from family and friends.

[@ct751]

A small remark: In German criminal law, "Totschlag" refers to intentional homicide in which the murder characteristics listed in the Criminal Code are not present. This means that Totschlag must be added to the statistics in any case. In Germany, intentional homicide is only considered murder if one of the following characteristics is present: - Killing for the lust of murder - Killing for the satisfaction of sexual urge - Killing out of greed - Killing for otherwise evil motives - Killing is done insidiously, cruelly or by means dangerous to the public - Killing serves to enable or conceal another criminal act

[@p.s.224]

This!

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

the point is, that manslaughter in the US is similar to the german Totschlag in its definition, meaning that an intention is not neccesary. Negligence is another topic. Both in 1st and second degree murder the intend to kill is relevant, similar to the german Mord, the difference here is, that there is made a distinction on pre planning (1st degree). Manslaughter and Totschlag are more due to Affect (situational response for example but without intend) Negligence is more like causing death via traffic accidents due to street racing etc.

[@ct751]

@@zhufortheimpaler4041 This is a common misconception. "Totschlag" requires intent without exception - without intent there is no Totschlag. "Simple" intentional killing of another person is Totschlag per se under German law. Only if the additional "Mord" characteristics are present, then Totschlag becomes Mord. So, Totschlag in Germany and manslaughter in the USA are different concepts.

[@mowana1232]

I live in a German city that is much bigger than Freiburg. We top the German crime statistic per 100K inhabitants. Crime incidences are more than double the German average and they have increased over the last years. People here have been adjusting their every day behavior to this and I don't think it is necessarily because they watch more crime shows. Neighbors and friends talk and if you become the victim of a crime or an attempted crime, chances are you are pretty rattled and share it with others. These stories then spread like wildfire and people adjust their behavior. I know of a burglary gone wrong in my neighborhood (one of the victims, an elderly lady, died of a heart attack when the burglars held her daughter at knife point), a robbery in a parking garage in my street again involving a knife, attempted street robbery on a street traffic island, multiple incidences of pickpocketing on public transport (my son among others), multiple sexual harassments on public transport and other public spaces (I was a witness to two of them). If you speak to people, you will hear that a lot of people, especially the elderly, don't go out at night anymore, that people avoid using public transport especially at night, and men chauffeur their daughters and wives around to protect them from sexual harassment. Although crime rates are double the national average, I think the real figure is much higher. People don't go to the police, if they think there is no point to it. If there is a negligible chance that victims get their property back or the perpetrators are caught, most people here won't bother. The best reported crimes are those that involve an insurance claim. For all others something really bad, like bodily harm, has to happen for people to report it. An exception to this are the tourist spots. Seems that visitors from small town Germany are less used to it than we sadly are.

[@peter_meyer]

Are you afraid of telling that you live in berlin?

[@mowana1232]

@@peter_meyer No.. lol.. well, maybe in the sense that I value my privacy very much and didn't want to make it too obvious. I admit that it was kind of stupid when I also say that my city tops the crime statistics. However, I also think that not only Berlin suffers from these problems.

[@witty2u]

You are brilliant... 👏 All your videos are EXTREMELY well done and they even get BETTER, who knows HOW that is even possible, because each of them is perfect already. 😀🤗💕 Thank you... It is much appreciated. ❤️ Just curious... Where do you get all the footage from?... And is there a software that you could recommend? ( You see, I have zero knowledge about video making, or I probably would know. 😁)

[@lorrilewis2178]

I relocated from the suburbs of a large American city to the Appalachian region. Our local crime rate is so low, we have the highest safety rating there is. At the same time, the local citizens are armed to the teeth.

[@Fuerwahrhalunke]

1+1=2. You will think twice before you attack when you know that the person you are about to attack is armed and will kill you before you can do anything. That's a good and logical thing. I wish this would be the case in Germany.

[@lorrilewis2178]

@@Fuerwahrhalunke The locals who have families that go back here for generations, teach their children to use guns and to hunt as a practical skill. It was a real culture shock when I first moved here to see a local newspaper run a story about an 11-year-old boy who killed his first deer. The caption noted that his family would not go hungry that winter. A lot of non-hunters don't realize something biologists know - deer without natural predators overpopulate and die slow deaths of sickness due to overpopulation. The hunt keeps them healthier. I was once on a two-lane road in a long valley and the sparse traffic had come to a halt. I got out of my car to ask what was wrong. Deer roam everywhere here, and a driver had accidentally hit one and severed it's hoof. There was no saving the deer. Did someone call the authorities? No. Some man in a truck had a gun on him and put the poor injured deer out of it's misery. It's a different world in the mountains. 🤔

[@arnewengertsmann9111]

Personally I don't see anything wrong with owning guns..... to a point. There is no real reason to own automatic or semi automatic rifles in my opinion for example. That said, I do believe that owning a gun should come with some responsibilities, for example the responsibility of storing them savely. Here in Germany you have to put them in a safe and your amunition separated into another place (doesn't need to be a safe). So that there can't be any accidents. Another thing is proper training and licensing. It may be fine, where you live, as those people show their kids how it is done, but that can't be guaranteed all over the US or any country. So people should be mandated to have some training and licensing, so they know what to do.

[@lorrilewis2178]

@@arnewengertsmann9111 I have lived here for just over 20 years now and have never seen local news reporting a gun accident. So, yes, the locals are responsible. I'm not sure what the rate of accidents is elsewhere. One thing that might surprise a lot of people is that 62% of the gun deaths in the US are from suicide rather than crime according to the CDC.

[@Omti9]

Very interesting report. You really went into the crime statistics and specifically picked those that could be easily interpreted. I'm kinda wondering if the others also matched. Anyway, yeah it seems the main problem with crime is that people hear too much about it in the media.

[@Balligat]

@Omti9 In case you want to support a certain view that tells viewers that you are perfectly *impartial* would you choose the 'others' that don't match? Just look at the comments: The pupose of looking to ".. elegantly dive into controversial topics in a logical and scientific way .." is served. Only that *science* is based on facts.

[@tobiasehling6314]

just out of curiosity: what kind of statistic are you missing or how would the missing conclusions, which may have be drawn out of other statisitics, change the outcome of this video. Again, i ve got only very basic knowledge of crime statistics in both countries, so im very interested in your answer.

[@sudipdas9389]

Awesome video as usual! Looking forward to the next episode. Interestingly, I live in Switzerland and it’s one of the prime examples of the disparity between gun ownership and gun-related crimes. Hope you’ve covered that 😉.

[@bromson4459]

Yes, that is the thing there are many ways to do gun control. Arguably Switzerland and Germany take opposite approaches but still work reasonably well. "Only" the usa are the outlier here. I also feel like the us equates any control or hinderance to aquire a gun as a magic spell that will evaporate any gun immedeately.

[@silentviper88]

Cartheft might also be higher because in Germany you find less old cars which are easier to rob for semi professionals. In Germany you have high numbers in car-part theft - mostly in the middle and eastern areas where they smuggle the parts to the baltic countries to repair crash damaged cars imported from the USA that have a title and can not be sold in the US anymore but have no title in Germany.

[@ElinT13]

I just love your videos, Ashton, your neutral and fair evaluation of facts and differences - thanks so much! I would really like to vote for you as Kanzlerin for Germany one day. 🤗

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much for such a kind compliment. Although I will say - whether it is Kanzlerin or President, such positions have far too much stress and responsibility for me. 😉

[@Balligat]

@ElinT13 Sometimes it's not what is said - but what is left out that counts. Comparing different sources of statistics for different parts of the same topic seems to be an unbiased, *'neutral and fair evaluation'* as you call it - but is it really fair to pick only those statistics that support ones own view?

[@ElinT13]

@@Balligat You know what? Why don't you try to do a better evaluation. It's always easy to look at the work of others and criticise.

[@Balligat]

@@ElinT13 Good idea, I may eventually do this ...

[@stuarthenderson6582]

Okay, I started following because I lived 40 minutes south of Freiburg for 8 years in a little town called Kandern and loved living in Germany, and enjoying the Germans and their culture, . The first video of yours I watched was about medical care, that included quite a few video clips of the Universitätsklinikum Freiburg. Because I had two forms of cancer while living there, for long periods I needed to travel there daily for various tests, surgery, or chemo or radiation treatment. I thanked you then for memories that sustained me through the ordeal, like the fragrant smell of the beautiful linden trees on campus in June or the fountain and pool on the main plaza. Since then I have watched and enjoyed most of your videos. Finding out your husband is an avid cyclist (as I am, probably riding a number of the same trails) and works in that industry, watching you build your home, and learning of your education (urban planning, transportation, and passive solar housing are passions of mine) has all drawn me back to this channel repeatedly. You've done some pretty bold videos, this being one, and the next one of gun control should be a doozy. If anyone can approach it dispassionately and objectively, it's someone like you. You LOOK so dang cute and perky, but you've got a very good mind, gather excellent data while also avoiding being judgmental. I'm actually praying for your next video, and rooting for you. Don't rush it, and I know you will do a great job.

[@arnodobler1096]

Nice that you have survived the disease well and thank you for the kind words. Greetings from Lake Constance

[@wora1111]

This is not an immigrant channel any more but has grown to become a lot more.

[@Borlingr]

hey Ashton, i love your videos! Can you maybe make a video comparing german and american prisons?

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there. This Sunday's video will be a HUGE one covering gun control legislation. But the Sunday after will be prisons.

[@durchschnittlicherzuschaue9733]

Totschlag is also an intentional killing, it just lacks the specific aggravating factors of Mord, like killing for robbery, to hide another criminal offence, for sexual gratification, etc. etc.

[@p.s.224]

This

[@michaelkloters3454]

Hi ashton, as i said often before,you`re my favourite american "journalist": again a well researched very informative video! like you i can`t wait for the next week episode. btw ihpoe your pregnancy goes well best wishes to you and your two and a half boys from Michael/Hannover

[@mummamarsh1180]

Gday Ashton, are you sure you didn’t want to be a journalist at uni? You are without a doubt one of the best KZbin presenters covering each topic meticulously. Well done and thank you for such an informative channel. 👍👍👍

[@TypeAshton]

Really glad you enjoyed the video! I think this is going to be a really interesting mini-series. ❤️

[@blechgewitter450]

A very warm thanks for another digging into the data. I like the open minded view in both directions on your channel. Well, a murmured comment i'd like to add: violence and offences correlate with empathy and social liability, a thing i've tried to impart to my kids,- now 17 & 19 yrs . And this was a harsh job sometimes, but the result was worth it. When i see, that minor crimes here in germany are dropped by the police or justice because of overloaded courts, i have an assumption why in the us there are those 2-6 week imprisonates and here they are rather ununsual. I'm very interested in your upcoming episode about the weapon grail, the major reason, actually i'd never think about a visit to US instead of canada 🙂

[@icecoldparasite8439]

I really love that you talked about the perception of violence. Its an aspect that is often left out of the discussion around crime. I think it would be interesting to discuss what might have changed in the past years in both Germany and the US to increase people's fear of crime. Is it the constant reporting in the media? Or fear of losing the few possession/life savings one might have in a random act? Or maybe if a certain crime is committed every day, even if its still bad its less scary. However if it only happens once in a blue moon, it is perceived more intensely? Love your videos!

[@johaquila]

Part of the explanation in Germany is probably that the population is getting older. The German population pyramid hasn't been a pyramid for a long time; it's already top-heavy and is getting more and more so. This is relevant to subjective crime statistics because people's tolerance for crime and aberrant behavior decreases significantly as they get older. Throughout the ages, old people have been complaining about the unruly youth who they felt were far worse than they themselves had been. Similarly, many people feel that crime keeps going up even if it actually goes down -- simply because they are getting older. Therefore any analysis of the subjective experience of crime needs to be done separately per age group, or normalized in some way, if you want to draw conclusions about actual crime.

[@peterparker219]

Very very interesting topic and greatly presented. 👍🏼 To me a question instantly came up when you announced next week's topic: what about "legal killing" or "defensive gun use" in both countries ? Are there statistics at all or are these cases ignored because there is no judicial proceeding following such an incident ? I'd assume that there is a very high number of cases in the US and a figure close to zero in Germany, but it's just speculation. Would be great if you include that matter into next week's episode. Greetings from Berlin 😉

[@Skoell1983]

13:15 Totschlag is intentional killing. Mord is the same as Totschlag, except that certain characteristics have been fulfilled to have a Mord, especially concerning the reason or how someone was killed. However, the intent is necessary for both. What you meant was probably "Fahrlässige Tötung" or "Körperverletzung mit Todesfolge".

[@p.s.224]

This.

[@helgabruynooghe4306]

As always, I enjoy watching (and learning from) your video's. As an European, I know how stupidly controversial the gun-owning topic is (second ammenment?) in the US. Not so long ago I came across some info that the Swiss have the most % of gunowners in the population worldwide (I did not research that to see of it is valid) and the least shootings.... It all is about how to handle these deadly things and be responsible with it. Even young people seem to handel them...

[@herbybey7698]

Some myths about Switzerland and guns are circulating the internet. Let me give you my perspective. The rate of gun ownership is high due to young men serving in the militia, getting their personal weapon and the whole culture that surrounds all of this. Pretty much every little village has a gun range, for example, because the soldiers in active service are expected to train at least once a year. Shooting is also a sport for some, including teenagers. Most people who own guns are either pursuing a hobby or are obligated to have one for national defense. On the other hand, self-defense is an uncommon reason to own a gun around here. When it comes to the dark side of the story, it's not true that Switzerland has the least shootings per capita compared to other countries. Only if you look at the number of gun related crimes per gun owned instead of per capita things are looking pretty good. While mass shootings and homicides involving guns are fortunately pretty rare, suicides are not. Guns kill here too - most often their owners and in even more tragic cases other family members too. As for me, I chose to return my assault rifle after I left the military. I have no use for a tool that is optimized to kill humans with great efficiency and accuracy. It would make me less safe even though I learnt how to handle it properly.

[@hansweith4947]

@@herbybey7698 Thanks Herby. I just wanted to write an equivalent comment. As a Swiss, you attend the military only a short time but take the rifle home for obligatory training for years as ". in fact, the entire Switzerland is on arms permanently" LOL. as a neighbor and often visitor of Switzerland, I confirm the safety feeling is comparable to Germany. Great comment. 👍

[@patrickhanft]

As always, brilliantly researched! But with this topic, this discussion about why people perceive a rise in crimes, while it really is going down makes me always curious and I think it its worth to think more intensely about it. I have not done any research about it, but as you already pointed out, one aspect of this might be the value for some politicians in campaigning which implies, that there might always be someone interested in having our societies live in fear, what a dystopian idea … However, just because politicians might be interested to talk about this topic, this alone does not explain the rise in perception. So the other question for me is the media reporting on crime and how it might have changed. Without research I can only assume, but my personal perspective is, that while I don't think we have really so much more media coverage of crime than in the past, I get the feeling that we have no more coverage on crimes on a larger scale. So coverage that formerly had been local might now be regional and crimes that in the past would have been covered regionally are often now on a national level. I think this makes crime now feel be more seriously and more important. But my perspective here is personal and only applies to my German media perception. Does anyone else share this idea? Finally I think that this rise in perception of crime could concur with other expectations. I think over the last decades many western societies have seen some concentration of wealth and therefore a growing inequality in wealth distribution between different social classes. And my idea here is that many people might subconsciously aware of these social structures and expect more crime as a result of growing inequality. Perhaps the expectations precede the actual occurrence of the development here.

[@merrydiscusser6793]

One very interesting statistic I saw was for a certain period of time murder rate dropped by a few percent, but the rate of murders reported in news increased by 500%. We humans aren't really used to instantly getting told all the bad events in a whole country. For most of history you would only hear about murders in your own settlement and, with a delay, in the neighboring ones. Now you get told everything bad that happens all over the world. And of course unserious news likes to bring up shocking things to keep people hooked.

[@johnclements6614]

Here in the UK there are many more hours of TV being broadcast. They have to find a variety of stories to broadcast.

[@Danny30011980]

In terms of perception I would also make a distinction of pre- internet age and post. Nowadays lots of stories get shared and shared again, we see it thousandfold if something happens. With people adding their -sometimes not really objective- assumptions or in cases deliberate false claims, on starting a new stream making everything sound way more dangerous and altering the perception of people than what it maybe was in the pre Internet age where it would be in the TV news and newspaper as sole sources

[@Garalor]

nice vid. you should make a video looking into Prisons (and handling of prisoners) in Germany(europe) vs US. e.g. trying to escape is not an punishable offence in Germany... because its in human nature to do that. (as long as you dont harm anybody) ;) also our system trys to rehabilitate people and prepare them for life after prison.. for sure not perfect, but it can work. you should take a look into that. kind regards

[@gladiool88]

Hi Ashton, I'm really curious to see your next video about gun control, because as someone from the Netherlands, I've always found the European view of the US gun problem to be very simplistic. "Americans should just be smart like us, ban guns and they would have no more shootings!" Because I've always wondered: if all European countries legalized the unregulated sale of firearms tomorrow, would we really have the same amount of armed crime, gangs and school shootings within a year? My gut feeling says no, because I think in general people aren't "born bad", but resort to crime due to a lack of other opportunities, financial problems, untreated psychological problems etc. I'm convinced that providing free and accessible education makes fewer people see joining a gang as the only way to achieve some status in society, the state providing everyone with a safety net in terms of income reduces the number of armed robbers and free healthcare reduces the number of mentally ill people deciding to shoot up a mall or school. In short: I have a feeling that our social welfare system in Europe does more to prevent gun violence than actual gun laws and I would be very curious to see if statistics back this up. I feel these factors don't get the attention they deserve in the firearms debate, which often only centers around the guns themselves and not on the reasons people resort to them. In that regard, I find it ironic that US conservatives saying "guns don't kill people, people kill people" might actually be right, but at the same time show no interest in actually solving the root causes of this in their society.

[@nfp911]

your pronunciation is really good Dr. Ashton 😉

[@David_Baxendale]

As an irish comedian once said on stage... People are scared of rising crime, but violent crime has actually gone down. Now when your that, some people say "but the fear of crime is is going up". Just replace crime with Zombies - we have no zombie attacks but the fear of zombie attacks is rising.. (That's from memory and it is part of a wider sketch, if anyone is interested I can try to dig out a link to it). Joking aside, I think what makes people scared is not the most is not what they read in the media, it is what happens next to them, in their area etc. If someone tries to take a child, or someone gets attack in the street, mugged and no one is caught, that makes people feel unsafe.

[@pepe82s]

Thanks for the great video! Could it be that there's an error in the graphics at 7:40? If the one is per 100.000, and the other per 1.000, it'd mean that crime in Germany is roughly 10 times as high as in the US for property crime and violent crime. And 350 property victimisation's per 1000 households in a year seems high even for the 90s 😅

[@DanielRomanLott]

Hey Ashton, great content as usual😄. My family, 2 daughters my wife and I live close to you in Karlsruhe, Germanys best cycling town (for your husband maybe of interest💪🏻😎). Proud that you guys like Germany so much. Hope you’ll visit Karlsruhe too. Best wishes, Daniel

[@DisinterestedObserver]

Yet again, Dr. Ashton takes on a subject that requires nuanced interpretations and delivers. Bravo! 👏 I’m not surprised by the discrepancy of the murder rates between the two countries. Yes, your next episode is going to delve into one of those key factors but I have a feeling that it isn’t as simple as Toby states. As a broadcaster from The Netherlands explains a lot of people’s view of crime is driven by broadcast media. One key thing that is missing from a general survey of people’s perceptions are those DOJ and FBI statistics which show that a person’s risk is hardly uniform across the population. Some of that difference is the result of stricter laws in some states which I’m looking forward to hearing about next week. My state has strict gun laws and a much lower than national average murder rate but even here there are areas that have a disproportionate number of gun related crimes. When a small but identifiable subgroup of the population is illegally carrying weapons and feels little restraint in using them when “disrespected,” it is hardly surprising that the murder rate is skewed and high in some locations. A whole different series would be needed to address the social, economic, family, and political reasons for that. Fixed an autocorrect typo that changed “delved” into “devolved” in second sentence.

[@pavelmacek282]

It's funny as even though I live in Berlin with probably way higher crime numbers than Freiburg, B-W, where Ashton lives, I don't lock the door from my apartment (only if going on longer holidays) and never felt the need to do so..

[@Deadlyhallow]

1. Motor Vehicule Theft: In the US it is especially in rural areas common, that people leave their cars unlocked and even leave the key at the car. If you do this in Germany and the car gets stolen, insurance is allowed to refuse compensation due to gross neglicience. And what is more, police may have an unlocked car towed away at your expenses to prevent a criminal offence. 1. Penalties for misdemeanors: In the US it is common to hand down sentences of a few weeks or even days in jail for misdemeanors. Monetary fines for misdemeanors are often not more than $1000. In Germany jailtime less than 6 months is the exeption, and below 1 month is not possible. But in Germany much higher monetary fines can be handed down. It fits the income of the convicted and is calculated in daily net wages. It can be as much as a yearly income. So a prominent football player was a few years ago fined more than 500000€ for driving over a long period without a valid driving licence. 20 years ago a former idol contestant was fined 25000€ for driving without DL and causing an accident.

[@wolfgangloll2747]

Maybe it's because I haven't visited enough countries yet, but I couldn't feel much safer than I do here in Germany. Even more surveillance would be unpleasant, on the other hand I live in a big city and have no problems to walk alone at night and do not worry much if I forget to lock the apartment.

[@frankbarenbach6044]

Since many years, I live close to Stuttgart and used to left my convertible open when I parked somewhere. Sometimes, I forgot to close it over night. Nothing was ever stolen out of the car. Just once, a pigeon left a greeting. 🥴 I was 10 days in Madrid and got mugged. 🙄

[@matshjalmarsson3008]

Statistics is tricky, in Sweden the number of rapes has gone up (which the far right blames on immigration), but during this time of increased immigration the laws has changed to include more variants of sexual abuse to be labeled as rape...

[@michaelz.7140]

I was once mugged by a "gang " of 10 16-year old non-germans in Freiburg. They hit me with their bare fists. They stole my phone. Fortunately I had still my old phone, because my new phone would arrive a few days later. This would be devastating if the brand new phone would have been stolen. I tried to signal to the tram driver that i had an emergency but she only thought I missed the tram. So I went to the nearest restaurant and said: you need to call the police, I got mugged. They brought me to the backrooms where the criminal police arrived with 3 cars and searched the perimeter. they found some people but they didnt find my phone :( the next day I was presented with 50 photos of potential attackers, but I am very bad at remembering faces, and it was dimly lit. so unfortunately i couldnt identify them :/ I hope they shat themselves as they were taken by the police...

[@eisikater1584]

Oh my dear! You touched two topics I wouldn't dare talk about, rape and gun control. I have strong opinions about them, but I rather keep them to myself. Thanks anyway, this was an outstandingly courageous video.

[@solidstate9451]

I read in an Interview with a german police officer, hat crime rates have gone donwn when hitting children became illegal. Raising a child with love and without violence makes the child less vulnerable to become a criminal.

[@arnodobler1096]

true. Violence begets violence

[@solidstate9451]

@@tyberiuszXIV So you tell me that mostly people who were violent immigrated to the US? Because there is more violence than in Europe.

[@leonk.3739]

This is a great and very detailed video analysis. I'd like to mention though that the difference between "Mord" and "Totschlag" has nothing to do with the fact that it was planed or not. A "Mord" is a "Totschlag" with some additional factors such as doing out of joy or to hide/allow an other crime. Both "Mord" and "Totschlag" need "Vorsatz". I hope that helps you. Keep up the great work 😊

[@westfale520]

There are also distinctly different levels of crime. There is a difference whether you have to be afraid of having your wallet stolen in certain parts of the city or you have to be afraid of being shot. It is also a mistake to put people and especially young people in prison too quickly. In the prisons you become even more of a criminal and also get the best connections. In addition, a penal system should lead to people being reintroduced into society and not simply locked away. Prisons must be humanistic, not revangschist. And death penalties or prison sentences that add up to 60 or 100 years are not possible .

[@Richman0815]

As a German, I have to say that I am not afraid for my life, for example when it comes to robberies with firearms. It doesn't feel like that at all. But we have extreme problems with burglaries. I live in a small town that is well connected to the A1, A3, A48 and A64 motorway network. And here is being stolen and burgled like crazy. I've already had 3 bikes stolen. 2x of it from your own property. My neighbor's house was broken into and that was unfortunately not uncommon. The Romanians drive through every place during the day to scout things out and at night they simply drive up in the van. The burglaries are usually not noticed until the next day or even later, so that the perpetrators are long gone. The detection rate is sub-par. I even got a bike and a motorbike stolen from the garage. The only thing that helps is private provision, good locks, lighting systems. Cameras etc... That doesn't detract from good police work.

[@MydieLy]

I just came back from visiting my Partner who's staying in Cleveland for a year. The difference between where we both lived for ten years (quaint German University town) and Cleveland is... wow. I've never felt so on edge my entire life. Granted, that city -is- especially crime-riddled, but the overall air of "you just don't do this here" with things I considered totally normal... was frightening

[@betaich]

Hi Ahston great video, slight nit pick by me, but don't worry even most Germans get this wrong: Totschlag in Germany involves intent, to qualify as murder it just has to meet other criteria for the offender. A murderer in Germany is a person who killed someone intentionally and during the deed also fullfilled one of the so called Mordmerkmale. Totschlag is also the intentionally killing of a person but without the Mordmerkmale.

[@p.s.224]

This

[@stefanaltenkamp6192]

Forget to mention, how great your videos are. A topic to look into to follow up this video could be, how the two countries deal with crime, eg. the sentencing and the prison system. A lifelong sentence in Germany is different from the US and the underlying rationale of imprisonment seems to be totally different.

[@TypeAshton]

For sure - I think we will make a video in this mini series that takes a look at sentencing and the prison system.

[@WolfsFriend42]

Property crime in America is now spiking in a massive way.

[@tjjorritsma3985]

The West Wing is a great tv show and surprisingly bingeable. It can also help people improve on their vocabulary due to the fantastic dialogues. Good luck with the next episode it's quite the contentious subject .

[@TypeAshton]

One of the greatest TV shows, in my opinion.

[@1ch0]

@@TypeAshton I may have to watch it now. ^^

[@taragwendolyn]

Well worth it... one of my most prized DVD box sets. So many brilliant episodes and poignant moments. I need to re-watch it again hehe

[@aresee8208]

I have lived most of the last 30+ years (except for 2 years in Germany) in the center of a city known for crime, Baltimore, Maryland. However, I grew up in a part of New York State known as the Mid-Hudson Valley. There, as kids, we would wander in the woods and stay out all day unsupervised. We would also leave the front door unlocked. Not in Baltimore, of course (though the truth is we have left it unlocked, just not on purpose). Anyway, I prefer Baltimore.

[@TheDane_BurnAllCopies]

20:13 yes.

[@miarabea401]

Great video! Just a tiny correction. This is a really common misconception, but the difference between "Mord" und "Todschlag" is not intent. Both offenses are committed with intent. The difference lies in the "Mordmerkmalen". There are eight charactaristics of murder such as greed, cruelty, to satisfy sexual urges, or to conceal a crime. If at least one of those characteristics is met, it is a "Mord", if not it is a "Totschlag". So the statistic includes both.

[@SirHeinzbond]

Ah Sunday, Black Tea and Ashton and the Black Forest Family Video about a content that is, as always made up really good. You maybe a Nerd Ashton, unfortunately the German versions is sold out on Market so i can't tell its truth or not, but only Nerds can do the work without any open bias as you did on this video... thank you both for another high quality video and have a nice Sunday!