CRIME RATES ARE GOING DOWN

Fewer Americans said they suffered violent crimes last year than at any time in nearly 25 years, although rates of rape and sexual assaults didn't decline in 1997. The information comes from the U.S. Department of Justice.

A household survey reported nearly 35 million crimes against people in 1997 from rape to purse snatchings. The number declined from 37 million in 1996, and from nearly 44 million in 1973, the survey's first year. The survey included about 800,000 people in 43,000 households. It covered robbery, rape, assaults and lesser property crime. The intent is to gauge how many people are crime victims, regardless of whether victims report the incident to police.

The nation's violent crime rate declined nearly 7 percent last year, the survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded, to an estimated 39 violent crimes per 1,000 U.S. residents over the age of 12. The rate dropped from 42 per 1,000 in 1996 and from 48 in 1973.

It is great to see such declines on what appears to be a continuing basis. With lower rates of violent crimes, we appear to be reaping the benefits of building more prisons and tougher approaches to repeat offenders. Some commentators may decry these approaches, but this much is axiomatic: As long as one of these toughs is behind bars for a long stretch, he can't rape your wife, your mother or your sister.