CQ Researcher Report on Fighting Crime

CQ Press has released new City Crime Rankings. Check out this great report by Peter Katel on fighting crime.

Introduction to the Feb. 8, 2008 CQ Researcher report on Fighting Crime
Efforts to reduce violent crime are succeeding in some, but not all, areas of the country. The number of violent crimes fell by about 2 percent during the first half of 2007. But crime still grips parts of cities large and small, where guns remain plentiful and many young men are caught up in a cycle of attack and revenge. In Washington, D.C., for example, there were 181 killings last year, up from 169 in 2006. But in the capital and elsewhere, homicide rates are significantly lower than during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and early '90s. Experts attribute some of the improvement to better policing techniques, such as closely tracking neighborhood crime and quickly responding to upticks. But a countertrend of persistent violent crime is plaguing impoverished inner cities, where city officials and grassroots activists are struggling to keep young men from joining the ranks of victims and perpetrators.

* Can violent crime be significantly reduced in inner cities?
* Are "stop-and-frisk" programs the best way to cut gun violence?
* Does joblessness cause crime?

To read the entire CQ Researcher Online report, click here. [subscription required]

To buy a PDF of this report, click here.


Other related CQ Researcher reports on crime issues
Click to read the overview of the CQ Researcher report on Juvenile Justice.
Click to read the overview of the CQ Researcher report on Gun Rights Debate.
Click to read the overview of the CQ Researcher report on Public Defenders.