So far I can think of several explanations.
1. The end of the top hereditary social class that was nearly complete by the early 1960's. Could the presence and activity of our hereditary upper class have been a restraint on crime. Could the classes' replacement by others have lead to some form of incompetence?
2. Did the vast migration of women into the work force and rise of divorce for the period from 1960 to 1980 have a direct or indirect cause of the crime explosion?
3. Did the loosening of the bonds of sexual restraint and the explosion of drug use by young people (baby boomers) contribute to the crime rate explosion?
4. Was it the hippies and the era of social rejectionism that is the explanation?
5. Was it the vast movement of blacks from the South to urban areas that began in the mid-1950s?
6. Was it the school integration movement and the subsequent urban disruption that followed from white flight to the suburbs?
7. Was it simply the age range of the giant baby boom?
Your opinion is sought. Write a comment.Hopefully, future research will give us an answer to this vital question of social structure and social cohesion.