OFI 1252: What Actually Happens To Crime Rates During Peak Migrant Labor Season?

As you know, I don't normally conduct interviews for our rural crime episode.  However, every now and then an article about rural crime will pop into my inbox and compel me to do just that.  This week I am featuring an interview with Dr. Diane Charlton, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics at Montana State University in Bozeman. Dr. Charlton and two of her colleagues collaborated on a study looking at the impact of migrant labor during peak work seasons to see whether or not crime rates increased.  Their results indicated that not only did crime rates not increase, they decreased when there was a large influx of migrant laborers and copious amounts of work to be done in agriculture. In today's episode we will discuss her research and findings.