Mass Live U.S. homicides jump nearly 30% in 2020 due to too much free time, criminologist says 2020 was a “unique situation,” and not part of a long-term trend, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston. The uptick is due to several factors, including people generally having too much free time amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Other factors include conflicts over politics and race.