Oluwatunmise Alabi
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic which took the world by storm in 2020 had a profound impact on societies across the world. New Jersey was not immune to the crisis. Between the confusion-induced panic of the unknown surrounding the pandemic, the mass layoffs, the lockdowns, and the growing economic pains, New Jersey experienced a spike in crime. This research study aimed to explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and crime rates in New Jersey counties during the year 2020, while also comparing the crime rates of 2020 to the previous year. Using publicly available data on COVID-19 case cases [1] and crime rates from official government sources [2] [3], we deployed crucial data mining techniques such as outlier detection and the Pearson Correlation Coefficient to investigate any potential links between these two variables. It was concluded that there is a significant correlation between the effects of COVID and certain crime rates in New Jersey counties. Furthermore, it was determined there was a significant change in crime rates from 2019 to 2020 which can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Index Terms
- Mining COVID-19 and NJ Crimes
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