Crime stats lowest in 30 years

For a variety of reasons -- poorer economic conditions chief among them -- experts thought that the U.S. crime rate would be higher in 2002 than it was the year before. They were wrong.

Violent and property crimes tumbled to their lowest levels since records were first kept 30 years ago, according to a recent Justice Department report.

Crime rates in this country have dropped more than 50 percent in the last decade.

The annual survey said there were about 23 million crime victims last year, down slightly from the year before and well below the 44 million recorded when reports began in 1973.

The rate of violent crimes, including rapes, robberies and assaults, was about 23 victims for every 1,000 U.S. residents 12 or older last year. That compares with 25 victims in 2001 and 50 in 1993.

The study doesn't include the most violent crime of all: murder. But FBI statistics report a 0.8 percentage point rise in the murder rate over 2001. Crime continues to decrease in every other major category, crossing all household income, racial and ethical lines. Crime is down in cities, suburbs and rural areas.

The reasons for the decrease in crime are numerous. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft credits citizens for being more willing to report crimes than they were before.

People aren't as willing to accept crime as a part of their lives and aren't as afraid to come forward and make sure criminals are brought to justice.

There's also been a strong sense that fighting crime is everyone's responsibility. It's no small feat that citizens have helped beat back crime.

Experts also say the drug trade has become less violent. There has been a drop in gang membership. Home-security systems have improved.

But the low rates are also a tribute to police, prosecutors and judges across the country. Law enforcement has improved in both prevention of crime and in the capture of criminals. Sending people to prison for lengthy sentences is also providing a deterrent. However, stricter prison sentences have exacted a price: At the end of 2001 more than 5.6 million adults -- one in every 37 U.S. adults -- were either in state or federal prison or had done prison time in their lives.

Efforts must continue to keep people on the straight and narrow through probationary measures and youthful education.

Lower crime rates shouldn't lead to complacency. Crime is still a problem in this country.