Why is the murder rate dropping? – By Joel Mathis (The Week) / July 21, 2023
After a pandemic-era spike in homicides, cities record fewer killings
Rising murder rates have been a central issue in American politics in recent years. That could be changing. The New York Times reported that a new survey of 30 U.S. cities shows a “nearly 10% drop in homicides” so far this year. Violent crime is still higher than it was before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, but crime experts are cautiously optimistic. “I would call the result heartening,” said Richard Rosenfeld of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. But he added that “we have a ways to go.”
Of the 30 cities analyzed, CNN reported, 20 saw a decline in murders, and 10 saw an increase. There were also fewer gun assaults, but more vehicle thefts, than during the same period in 2022. Overall, the study’s authors concluded that “levels of nearly all offenses are lower or have changed little” from a year ago.
The latest report confirms other recent findings that the pandemic-era spike in homicides is beginning to ebb. “Factors like an easing of the pandemic and political upheaval may play important roles,” The Christian Science Monitor reported. And it comes “amid a broader evolution of policing” following the George Floyd protests in 2020. “It’s really about putting officers in positions where we don’t force them to be adversaries,” said Georgia State University’s Thaddeus Johnson. Why are murder rates declining? And is that trend sustainable?
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