THE NATIONAL STATISTICS ARE ANALYZED FOR EVIDENCE OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME AND ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FORCES. FINDINGS WITH REGARD TO LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM TRENDS ARE SAID TO SUGGEST TWO HYPOTHESES: (1) LONG-TERM TRENDS IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN TERMS OF CRIME ARE A FUNCTION OF NATIONAL CAPABILITIES IN BOTH THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SECTORS; AND (2) DEVIATIONS, EITHER IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC CATEGORIES OF CRIMES OR SHORT-TERM TRENDS, FROM THE GENERAL INVERSE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INCIDENCE OF CRIME AND NATIONAL CAPABILITIES ARE RELATED TO SPECIFIC COUNTERVAILING TENDENCIES WITH REGARD EITHER TO POLITICAL OR ECONOMIC CAPABILITIES. THE COMPARISON OF STATE STATISTICS REVEALS THAT, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE GENERAL INCREASES OR DECREASES IN CRIME, THE STATES TEND TO MAINTAIN THEIR STATUS IN RANKINGS FOR GIVEN CRIMES, PARTICULARLY AT THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF THE SCALE. A REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE INCIDENCE OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME -- PARTICULARLY RIOTS -- IS EVIDENT. GREATER INCIDENCE OF RIOTING APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER LEVELS OF URBANIZATION AND/OR LOWER FOODGRAIN PRODUCTION PER CAPITA. INCIDENCE OF CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS AND FRAUDULENT PRACTICES APPEARS TO BE A FUNCTION OF THE RATE OF URBANIZATION, WHILE PROPERTY OFFENSE RATES ARE RELATED TO THE PROPORTION OF CASTES AND TRIBES IN A POPULATION. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)