Crime is down; why do people think it's worse?
Crime is on people's minds -- and according to a Gallup poll released this week, many think crime is getting worse:
But crime isn't getting worse. In fact, violent crime rates have been on a steep 10-year decline, and the average U.S. resident is less likely to be victimized than anytime in recent memory:
This is especially true in Southern states, which historically have had higher violent crime rates. To take just one case, here's how murder rates per 100,000 people have plummeted in the South over the last 10 years -- note that only West Virginia saw an increase, and it was slight:
STATE -- 1996 MURDER RATE / 2006 MURDER RATE
Alabama -- 10.4 / 8.3
Arkansas -- 8.7 / 7.3
Florida -- 7.5 / 6.2
Georgia -- 9.5 / 6.4
Kentucky -- 5.9 / 4.0
Louisiana -- 17.5 / 12.4
Mississippi -- 11.1 / 7.7
North Carolina -- 8.5 / 6.1
South Carolina -- 9.0 / 8.3
Tennessee -- 9.5 / 6.8
Texas -- 7.7 / 5.9
Virginia -- 7.5 / 5.2
West Virginia -- 3.8 / 4.1
So why so people think crime is up? I agree with Texas blogger Grits for Breakfast that a leading cause is local news coverage, where each night's story lineup is driven by "if it bleeds, it leads."
Combine that with national TV's endless parade of cop shows and court coverage, leavened with bouts of politicians stirring up crime hysteria (usually with racial overtones), and you have the makings of a national perception about crime far out of pace of reality.
But crime isn't getting worse. In fact, violent crime rates have been on a steep 10-year decline, and the average U.S. resident is less likely to be victimized than anytime in recent memory:
This is especially true in Southern states, which historically have had higher violent crime rates. To take just one case, here's how murder rates per 100,000 people have plummeted in the South over the last 10 years -- note that only West Virginia saw an increase, and it was slight:
STATE -- 1996 MURDER RATE / 2006 MURDER RATE
Alabama -- 10.4 / 8.3
Arkansas -- 8.7 / 7.3
Florida -- 7.5 / 6.2
Georgia -- 9.5 / 6.4
Kentucky -- 5.9 / 4.0
Louisiana -- 17.5 / 12.4
Mississippi -- 11.1 / 7.7
North Carolina -- 8.5 / 6.1
South Carolina -- 9.0 / 8.3
Tennessee -- 9.5 / 6.8
Texas -- 7.7 / 5.9
Virginia -- 7.5 / 5.2
West Virginia -- 3.8 / 4.1
So why so people think crime is up? I agree with Texas blogger Grits for Breakfast that a leading cause is local news coverage, where each night's story lineup is driven by "if it bleeds, it leads."
Combine that with national TV's endless parade of cop shows and court coverage, leavened with bouts of politicians stirring up crime hysteria (usually with racial overtones), and you have the makings of a national perception about crime far out of pace of reality.
Labels: crime, criminal justice
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Return to Facing South's main page