Justice Department survey confirms downward trend in violent crime

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Violent crime in the United States continues to drop significantly despite the difficult economic environment, according to new statistics released Friday by the Justice Department.

According to the Crime Victimization Survey released annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2010 violent crimes dropped about 13% among U.S. residents ages 12 or older.

Crime has been declining for several years, but the decline reported by the survey for past year was about three times as great as annual declines recorded by the same survey during the previous nine years.

The Justice Department attributed much of the decline to a sharp drop in the number of simple assaults.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/16/us/violent-crime-decline/index.html

[Exultant Democracy]

1. This is great news once again. For some reason some people here hate this statistic

They state that since the data only comes from reported crime that it is meaningless. However in reality the amount of recorded crime is a great indicator for crime overall in society. In addition, during the last 20+ years as the crime rates have been going down, by all accounts there have been improvements in the reporting of crimes across the board and especially by victims of violent crimes like assault or rape.

[William769]

2. Violent crimes down, violent LGBT hate crimes up 13%.

And 2010 saw second-highest number of murders

[X_Digger]

4. FBI publishes a hate crime report, too..

2010's report is due out in November.

Here's 2009's- http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2009/index.html

[William769]

5. From the news so far this year 2011 is going to beat 2010.

[X_Digger]

6. There are a couple of questions, though..

What percentage of hate crimes get reported at all? What percentage of hate crimes get reported as such? Has media coverage of such reports increased (or is this perceived increase akin to the 'summer of the shark' phenomenon?)

The first two are particularly hard to determine.

[William769]

7. It is my understanding that hate crimes are being reported more often than not.

But that could still be debatable.

It's not " What percentage of hate crimes get reported as such?" it's what Law enforcement agencies list as hate crimes or not.

As to the "summer of the shark' phenomenon", I do not use msm, I use GLBT sources.

[TheWraith]

9. Actually I think X_Digger was looking at controlling for social variables.

In English: are such hate crimes actually becoming more common, or is it becoming more socially acceptable to report a hate crime that might previously have gone unreported, or been reported as a "regular" crime?

The answer to that question is relevant in how such cases are treated. If hate crimes are on the rise, there might not be much that can be done about it other than stepped up enforcement. However if it's becoming more socially acceptable to report hate crimes, that can be encouraged through other means like escalating such crimes to state or federal level investigators rather than leaving them with local enforcement.

[lurky]

8. Murders up, but other crimes down?

Well, it's easy for departments to brush smaller crimes under the rug, but murders kinda have to go on the books. Just sayin...

[X_Digger]

3. Continuing a decline since the early to mid 90's.

Crime is not correlated to poverty..

Crime is not correlated to unemployment..

Crime is not correlated to {lots of things previously considered 'common sense'}..

[Exultant Democracy]

12. When you use multiple regression it shows there is correlation with each of those

however they are not as large a determinate as the row v. wade influence, which has led to far fewer unwanted babies. Babies who would have driven up the crime rate had they been born.

[X_Digger]

13. Freakanomics makes that point, yes..

But it doesn't explain the severe inverse of those purported correlations during the great depression..

The period from 1920 - 1940 makes an interesting study. During prohibition, crime spiked, but during the great depression (and after the repeal of prohibition), crime dropped.

Similarly, the 90's compared to today- unemployment is higher now, but crime is down by 1/3-2/3 (depending on which crime you look at).

[AverageJoe90]

14. May I add to this?

Crime is not correlated to ethnicity, gender, or national origin.

Crime is not correlated to video game playing or television watching.

Crime is not correlated to religion, or the lack of it.

Crime is not correlated to 'spoiled' children.

Crime is not correlated to disability.

Crime is not correlated to social status.

Crime is not correlated to sexual preference.

I could go on for a while, I think. :p

[X_Digger]

15. *nod*.. there's a lot of 'common wisdom' that's flat out wrong. n/t

[No Elephants]

10. Even hit men can't get work.

Kidding!

[Quantess]

22. Haha!

:D

[joanbarnes]

11. Not counting Wall Street and "white collar" crime, but good news....

unless they are "jacking" with the numbers, like the employment stats.

[hack89]

16. Justice Department survey confirms downward trend in violent crime

Source: CNN

Violent crime in the United States continues to drop significantly despite the difficult economic environment, according to new statistics released Friday by the Justice Department.

According to the Crime Victimization Survey released annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2010 violent crimes dropped about 13% among U.S. residents ages 12 or older.

A clearer picture of crime in the United States is likely to emerge from a major FBI report scheduled for release Monday morning. The closely watched FBI Uniform Crime Report also is expected to show a continuing drop in violent crime throughout 2010. That report, based on detailed reporting by all of the nation's police agencies, provides breakdowns in all subcategories of crime.

A preliminary FBI report for the first half of 2010 showed a decline in violent crime of 5.5 percent. That is expected to hold up for the entire calendar year.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/16/us/violent-crime-decline/index.html

---

You have to go back 50 years to find lower rates of violent crime in America. Despite what Nancy Grace tells you, America is not suffering an epidemic of violence.

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. What about the Gigantic up tick in unprosecuted financial crime????

Hmmmmmmmmm Mr. Holder?

[fasttense]

18. Back in 2003 the bushes change the way crime data was collected and reported.

There were many complaints about the system and how it under reports crimes. I remember one police officer getting into trouble for telling the public that he was directed NOT to report about 10% of all crimes.

From the moment the new reporting system went into affect, the numbers dropped. As far as I know, Obama has kept the same reporting system in place.

Take the crime statistics with a serious grain of salt. Most police departments do not want to admit their crime numbers are high and are reluctant to report them.

[hack89]

19. I think you are wrong - I would like to see a cite please. nt

[lunatica]

20. Is this to lull us into a false sense of security?

We've been lied to in a systematic way regarding just about everything in our country. Why not lie about this? It makes us feel secure, and helps keep us asleep to the truth.

[Tom Ripley]

21. But...but...but....we need more surveillance cameras!

[wordpix]

23. there are more programs in schools---after school care, tutoring, etc.

The kinds of programs that help kids succeed as they grow up, even when their parents give up or are crackheads and alcoholics.

These are the kinds programs the freakshow repugs keep cutting