The ridiculous violence in N.O. (2 Viewers)

[RazorOye]

Yeah they really do need to do away with the juvenile court system.

I disagree.

First, there needs to be a system that separates youth offenders - I've seen as young as ten years old locked up - from adults.

You don't see a problem with that?

One of the biggest influences imprisonment has on kids is a change in their attitudes and their adoption of prison culture. Know what kids learn better/best while locked up? Commonly, it's how to be a prisoner or be a better criminal.

That influence is powerful enough with other juveniles - can you imagine the compounded influence if he is mixed in with adults?

Secondly, the vast majority of incarcerated youth are there for non-violent offenses. Most of the kids are there for school-based discipline issues or drug possession charges or probation violation (which could be failing a drug test or running away).

I don't think it's a good idea for a kid - especially a nonviolent first offender (like some I've worked with) - to be sent to an adult secure custody facility. A lot of these kids can be helped, rehabilitated, educated.

That isn't going to happen in an adult facility.

For me, a stronger, more flexible, juvenile system for kids who can be rehabilitated means fewer criminals when they grown up. More people contributing to/in society.

Your suggestion might very well increase crime. It will certainly increase the number of people in prison which increases the considerable expense already put on taxpayers for housing. We'll be paying in other ways, as well.

Third, there are mechanisms by which juvenile offenders can

(a) be moved to the adult system and tried as an adult for heinous crimes

(b) have their sentences extended beyond their juvenile age for offenses committed as juveniles without being tried as adults.

I've seen both done.

So it's not as if the system is without a means to try more violent youth offenders as adults of the crime merits that.

You might think it's not used enough or used properly.

But I think that should be more along the lines of what you should be suggestion.

To eliminate a system for the youth - most of whom are nonviolent - only adds a much more subordinating element in the lives of marginalized youth who already have plenty of subordination operating in their lives, and influencing their choices.

I think your suggestion moves us in a direction opposite of where we should be going.

 

[DomePatrol5657]

It's gotten way out of hand. It was always said that the shootings were just in certain areas. Not anymore. Wasn't a school bus shot at recently? A school bus!!! Wasn't there a shooting on Carrolton lately in daylight? It's gotten ridiculous. I rarely come downtown into the city anymore. I work at Michoud, which is the only reason I come as close to the city as I do. The only other times I go thru the city is for Saints games--and with that it's get to the Dome about 11:30 and head straight out after the game. It's just not worth it. Maybe I've just grown up, but it's just not worth it anymore.

 

[NYCsaint]

It's gotten way out of hand. It was always said that the shootings were just in certain areas. Not anymore. Wasn't a school bus shot at recently? A school bus!!! Wasn't there a shooting on Carrolton lately in daylight? It's gotten ridiculous. I rarely come downtown into the city anymore. I work at Michoud, which is the only reason I come as close to the city as I do. The only other times I go thru the city is for Saints games--and with that it's get to the Dome about 11:30 and head straight out after the game. It's just not worth it. Maybe I've just grown up, but it's just not worth it anymore.

There are a lot of things for grown ups to appreciate still. It sounds like it wasn't going to be your particular cup of tea either way. I don't mean that with any ill connotations or new Orleans snobbery. Just the outright risk for a Sunday morning brunch or post game stroll really isn't that high and the reward is a pretty awesome day if you are into the scene.

 

[GameBreaker]

Immorality and entitlement.

The EXCUSE of being poor is only relevant to an immoral person.

An immoral person will resort to crime. A moral person will rule out a life of crime as an option.

Add in a sense of entitlement and we have a complete breakdown.

An immoral person with a sense of entitlement is a dangerous person.

This is a great post!

 

[GameBreaker]

I think the thing people ignore about the long term solution of education is that the current drug dealers and thugs will also be working on the youth for the next 25 years also. You have to get this folks off the streets and away from the kids as you provide alternatives. Make these areas like militarized zones for a couple years and the thugs will leave and disburse. Increase education and recreation for decent folks at the same time. It's going to take a massive effort. education alone "ain't going get it done. People's in those neighborhoods are going to have to welcome and work with police and they are going to have to accept extreme measures and a few police incidedents as they clear this mess up. Or they can just keep killing each other and blaming everyone else for their problems.

The drug users aren't the main problem. It's the people who control the flow of drugs. Legalize it and watch the collapse of the criminal infrastructure.

 

[FLIPPY]

Blame the public school system as much as you want, but it all starts in the home.....you have to have parent(s) that care about your education and well being.

 

[mister pc]

A lot to chew on in this thread. There is a lot of frustration, and people have touched on some great points. guess I'll throw my two cents in as well.


The violence is being perpetrated largely by young kids, most of them school age. To me this means its glaringly obvious that the solution must include some form of youth programs. After school activities, youth camps, service organizations, anything and everything. Get these kids engaged in things that are constructive and positive. This kind of investment will pay off more than investing in jails, of that I am sure.

In neighborhoods where a lot of this violence originates from, there is no doubt a real lack of opportunity. A lot of kids don't see a model for success in life where they come from, except for professional sports and hip hop which are extreme long shots as a career. Low level minimum wage jobs at a corporate chains don't get you anywhere, and often times its not even enough to keep your head above water. Selling weed or whatever kind of "hustling", is seen as a way to make ends meet. Its a closed loop, you fall in with more and more criminals and once you get caught it becomes harder to get any other job with jail time on your record, so you have to keep hustling.

There are a lot of young single mothers who shouldnt be having babies but they do for whatever reason. With so many young black males getting killed or locked up or addicted to drugs, dad is often not around to influence the kid's life in a positive way. Most observers recognize that this is a problem but how do you fix it? The same people criticizing the young single motherhood epidemic as a problem, are the same people saying to lock up young black men on drug offenses and throw away the key. Louisiana is the most incarcerated place in the ENTIRE WORLD, so its no wonder dad isn't around. Again, its a closed loop.

now lets talk about NOPD. This is what Mayor Landrieu said when he was elected: "I have inherited a police force that has been described by many as one of the worst police departments in the country". Here is a link to the justice department investigation of NOPD: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/nopd_report.pdf
People in this thread have expressed frustration with the public refusing to work with NOPD, consider that there might be a reason for that. NOPD's corruption, ineptitude, and disregard for civil liberties makes it one of the worst police departments in the country. Nobody views them as helpful, everyone knows to just stay away from the cops.

Gun control - maybe its a problem that 15 year old kids have easy access to handguns? Duh? Adolescent kids don't use good judgement. Somebody in this thread dismissed the idea of gun control because people committed murder before guns were around. that's true. But killing someone without a gun requires a lot more work and thought put into it. Killing someone with the twitch of a finger is a whole different animal, it allows the act to be completely impulsive with no thought attached, and that's how lives get ended carelessly. If we can effectively reduce access to handguns its likely to translate into reduced homicide rate, but of course that is easier said than done.

The message in popular music that the kids listen to is alarming. The entertainers that put this stuff out are just entertaining. For example popular rap artist Rick Ross has songs that are all about selling dope and killing and whatever, but before he was famous dude was a corrections officer, not a drug kingpin. But the kids cant distinguish it as a fantasy and they are out there playing grand theft auto in real life. I'm not naive enough to say its all because of the music but I think that's part of it. I'm not even saying that music has to have a positive message, but there should be less actively poisonous content in popular music. Go back to talking about girls and stuff.

And finally I think Geldo's post struck a chord... American society as a whole has become increasingly selfish and materialistic. The principle of improving your own situation at the expense of someone else is not considered immoral anymore, its mainstream, its the American way. When Goldman Sachs can make money by hurting others economically, better believe they do it. Its the same mentality that the impoverished black kid has when breaking into cars and robbing people. The legality might be different, because wall street can take the money with computers and pens instead of guns, but the morality is the same. Enrich yourself at the expense of those around you. As a society on all economic levels, we need to evolve from this mentality and begin to see it another way: Enrich those around you, while improving your own condition. Flipping that switch will go a long way.

Wow, that was more than I meant to say. We are talking about complex social problems, its not just one thing. But I don't believe its a lost cause.

 

[krushing]

Blame the public school system as much as you want, but it all starts in the home.....you have to have parent(s) that care about your education and well being.

Exactly, and what you have here is parents that somehow don't even know that they should care, let alone care!! Without parents that care enough to even get their children to a bus stop for school, what make folks think they will get children to after school activities? WHAT A FREAKEN MESS!!!

 

[mister pc]

Blame the public school system as much as you want, but it all starts in the home.....you have to have parent(s) that care about your education and well being.

I'm trying to understand your point... is it

1) do absolutely nothing to fix problem, just whine about bad parenting
2) have the government tell parents how to raise their kids
3) something else?

 

[DomePatrol5657]

There are a lot of things for grown ups to appreciate still. It sounds like it wasn't going to be your particular cup of tea either way. I don't mean that with any ill connotations or new Orleans snobbery. Just the outright risk for a Sunday morning brunch or post game stroll really isn't that high and the reward is a pretty awesome day if you are into the scene.

Maybe grown up was the wrong choice of words. Maybe "changed" would have been better. I don't know. You're right there are things to do on a gameday. But other than Saints gameday or work, I find myself rarely travelling into the city. I find myself spending the weekeneds working in yard and bringing my oldest son to baseball games/practice. So, yeah, I take back the "grown up" wording.


What really aggravates me is the lack of cooperation a lot of the citizens provide the police. Example: the recent birthday shooting that killed a 5 year old. The newspaper articles stated that the intended victims weren't cooperating with the police. How are things going to get better if even the victims aren't willing to help. It's sad. Should there be increased patrols in certain areas? This probably would have Civil Rights groups screaming about racial profiling, but the fact is the vast majority of these crimes fit a certain profile(age, neighborhood). I don't know what the answer is, but something needs to be done. All it takes is one stray bullett on Mardi Gras Day and the damage to the city could be irreparable.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Maybe grown up was the wrong choice of words. Maybe "changed" would have been better. I don't know. You're right there are things to do on a gameday. But other than Saints gameday or work, I find myself rarely travelling into the city. I find myself spending the weekeneds working in yard and bringing my oldest son to baseball games/practice. So, yeah, I take back the "grown up" wording.

Right - and there isn't anything wrong with that. Everyone just has different priorities and interests.

But I just find it somewhat disingenuous to say that the city is just so much more dangerous than it ever has been, and going into the city in general is just way too much of a risk.

I don't see it like that at all. I hear my parents make similar arguments, but I think that this is what happens when every single incident is blasted all over NOLA.com, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Everyone hears about it, everyone keeps hearing about it, so people seem to think that it is happening much more than it used to, but the statistics don't really back that up.

Crime is a serious problem out there. Yeah, it does tend to happen in some random places, but that has always been the case. There was never some time in history where random crime didn't happen in decent neighborhoods or busy intersections. People just don't remember them, because they were infrequent, just like they are now.

I still think, by and large, people that aren't involved with illegal activity are still basically as safe as they ever were in the city.

Personally, I love living in New Orleans, and feel like the rewards greatly outweigh the risks, as much now as it ever has.

 

[FLIPPY]

I'm trying to understand your point... is it

1) do absolutely nothing to fix problem, just whine about bad parenting
2) have the government tell parents how to raise their kids
3) something else?

How do you fix bad parenting...? Who knows, unfortunatly, there's many out there that really don't worry about their kids enough to keep them from a life of crime...Some even encourage this life..Remember the mom that gave her son a gun and told him to kill the kid that beat him up...

How to stop it?? Please tell me...I was just stating that it all begins with parenting...Teaching your kids from right and wrong... A lot on here were blaming the school system; however, some kids are doing well in those schools, probably because their parents really care...

 

[parlorcitysaint]

Times have changed, and it's sad, but most of the issue is poverty. You live in that atmosphere, it's not easy, or good for that matter.

Not just in New Orleans, it's everywhere. Thing that gets me is the meth addiction. I've had a branch of my family lost to addiction of that crap, blowing up meth labs and trafficking, it's so screwed up.

I beg to differ. In the sixties and seventies, there were poor. We didn't see this wanton disregard for life. The difference between then and now is that we no longer have a moral compass that we had in quieter times.

Video games have gotten exponentially more violent with the passing years, news footage shows us horrors that we never would have seen in my youth. Sex and depravity seem to be the calling cards of every news stand publication and silver screen offering. Our kids have become so jaded to what would have given me nightmares as a 13 year old, that they think little of joining in with what we've allowed them as a society to think is acceptable.

The church is no longer the moral bedrock it once was. There too, scandal after scandal has caused the majority of the world to dismiss anything the (remaining few) good men there might have to say.

It's up to us.

Stop complaining about the state of things and mentor a young man or woman. Take someone under your wing and make your neighborhood a better place than you found it. Be a big brother. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Perform random acts of kindness.

Excuse me. Time to get off this box and live up to my own ideals.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

I beg to differ. In the sixties and seventies, there were poor. We didn't see this wanton disregard for life. The difference between then and now is that we no longer have a moral compass that we had in quieter times.

Video games have gotten exponentially more violent with the passing years, news footage shows us horrors that we never would have seen in my youth. Sex and depravity seem to be the calling cards of every news stand publication and silver screen offering. Our kids have become so jaded to what would have given me nightmares as a 13 year old, that they think little of joining in with what we've allowed them as a society to think is acceptable.

The church is no longer the moral bedrock it once was. There too, scandal after scandal has caused the majority of the world to dismiss anything the (remaining few) good men there might have to say.

It's up to us.

So if all of that is true, why in 2010 was the violent crime rate in the United States the lowest it had been since 1972?

There was a big spike in crime in the US during the crack epidemic, but violent crime has been a pretty big decline for a while now, yet so many people don't want to believe it.

(from the FBI) http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/Crime.cfm

<table title="Data table: crime, state level, state-by-state" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><th rowspan="3" id="year" valign="BOTTOM">Year</th> <th rowspan="3" id="population" valign="BOTTOM">Population</th> <th colspan="6" id="rate" align="CENTER" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" valign="BOTTOM"> Crime rate per 100,000 population <hr> </th> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="5" id="vcrime2" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" valign="BOTTOM"> Violent crime <hr> </th> </tr> <tr> <th id="vctot2" valign="BOTTOM" width="57">Violent Crime rate</th> <th id="murd2" valign="BOTTOM" width="57">Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate</th> <th id="rape2" valign="BOTTOM" width="57">Forcible rape rate</th> <th id="rob2" valign="BOTTOM" width="57">Robbery rate</th> <th id="aggr2" valign="BOTTOM" width="57">Aggravated assault rate</th></tr></tbody></table>

<table title="Data table: crime, state level, state-by-state" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1970</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 203,235,298</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 363.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 7.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 18.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 172.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 164.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1971</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 206,212,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 396.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 20.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 188.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 178.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1972</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 208,230,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 401.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 22.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 180.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 188.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1973</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 209,851,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 417.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 24.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 183.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 200.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1974</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 211,392,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 461.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 26.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 209.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 215.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1975</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 213,124,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 487.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 26.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 220.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 231.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1976</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 214,659,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 467.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 26.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 199.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 233.2</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1977</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 216,332,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 475.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 29.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 190.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 247.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1978</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 218,059,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 497.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 31.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 195.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 262.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1979</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 220,099,000</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 548.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 34.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 218.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 286.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1980</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 225,349,264</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 596.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 10.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 36.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 251.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 298.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1981</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 229,465,714</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 593.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 36.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 258.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 289.3</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1982</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 231,664,458</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 570.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 34.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 238.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 289.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1983</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 233,791,994</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 538.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 33.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 216.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 279.4</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1984</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 235,824,902</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 539.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 7.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 35.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 205.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 290.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1985</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 237,923,795</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 558.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 36.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 209.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 304.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1986</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 240,132,887</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 620.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 38.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 226.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 347.4</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1987</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 242,288,918</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 612.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 37.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 213.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 352.9</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1988</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 244,498,982</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 640.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 37.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 222.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 372.2</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1989</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 246,819,230</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 666.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 38.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 234.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 385.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1990</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 249,464,396</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 729.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 41.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 256.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 422.9</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1991</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 252,153,092</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 758.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 42.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 272.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 433.4</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1992</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 255,029,699</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 757.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 42.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 263.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 441.9</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1993</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 257,782,608</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 747.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 41.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 256.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 440.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1994</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 260,327,021</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 713.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 9.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 39.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 237.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 427.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1995</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 262,803,276</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 684.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 8.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 37.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 220.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 418.3</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1996</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 265,228,572</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 636.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 7.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 36.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 201.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 391.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1997</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 267,783,607</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 611.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 6.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 35.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 186.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 382.1</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1998</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 270,248,003</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 567.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 6.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 34.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 165.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 361.4</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">1999</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 272,690,813</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 523.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 32.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 150.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 334.3</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2000</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 281,421,906</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 506.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 32.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 145.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 324.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2001</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 285,317,559</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 504.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 31.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 148.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 318.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2002</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 287,973,924</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 494.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 33.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 146.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 309.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2003</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 290,788,976</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 475.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 32.3</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 142.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 295.4</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2004</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 293,656,842</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 463.2</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 32.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 136.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 288.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2005</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 296,507,061</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 469.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 31.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 140.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 290.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2006</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 299,398,484</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 473.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 31.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 149.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 287.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2007</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 301,621,157</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 466.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 30.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 147.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 283.8</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2008</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 304,374,846</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 457.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.4</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 29.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 145.7</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 276.7</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2009</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 307,006,550</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 431.9</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 5.0</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 29.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 133.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 264.7</td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row" headers="year" align="center" valign="BOTTOM" width="67">2010</td> <td headers="population" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 308,745,538</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 vctot2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 403.6</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 murd2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 4.8</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rape2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 27.5</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 rob2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 119.1</td> <td headers="rate vcrime2 aggr2" align="right" valign="BOTTOM" width="57"> 252.3</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[BHM]

So if all of that is true, why in 2010 was the violent crime rate in the United States the lowest it had been since 1972?

There was a big spike in crime in the US during the crack epidemic, but violent crime has been a pretty big decline for a while now, yet so many people don't want to believe it.

(from the FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics

Could it be that we are actually locking up more of these violent offenders?

I tried doing a search to find any explanation as to why the violent crime rate is dropping. Seems that the experts are baffled as well and nobody really has an definitive explanation. It was also mentioned that the rates were expected to rise especially during a recession but surprisingly, they did not.

There are some theories out there...

The election of a black President giving hope to young blacks.

The reduced demand for crack.

Smarter policing.

Easier abortions.

More violent offenders are locked up. (my thought as well)
Baby boomers grew up.

Growing number of camera phones.



BBC News - US crime figures: Why the drop?