Pubdate: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 Source: Winston-Salem Journal (NC) Copyright: 2003 Piedmont Publishing Co. Inc. Contact: http://www.journalnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/504 Note: The Journal does not publish letters from writers outside its daily home delivery circulation area. CREDIT FOR CRIME DROP As fast as the politicians and thumbsuckers are running away from blame for the Northeastern blackout this month, various politicians and experts are taking credit for news that crime continues to drop. But there is no one politician, interest group or even anti-crime strategy deserving of all of the applause. Instead, the drop in crime is the result of a great many factors. The U.S. Justice Department reported Sunday that during 2002, violent crimes and property crimes dropped to their lowest levels in the 30 years that records have been kept. There were approximately half as many crime victims in 2002 as there were in 1973, when these crime studies began. The good news came from all around the country, from every region, in both cities and small towns, for people of all ethnic and racial groups. Crime is down significantly, especially in the past decade. Attorney General John Ashcroft immediately credited the criminal justice system. And the Associated Press quoted proponents of alternatives to incarceration taking credit for themselves. No doubt a line of politicians will form before the TV cameras in coming weeks to claim that they, personally, made this happen. Ashcroft is certainly correct in saying that police, judges and prosecutors helped make this happen. In the past decade, the federal and state governments have spent enormous amounts of money building more prisons. It's an expensive way to fight crime, but prison gets violent criminals off the streets. They've also spent to hire more police, prosecutors and judges, and give them better equipment. Across the country, police departments found more effective ways to combat crime. In New York City, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani led efforts at greater community policing and a no-tolerance policy on petty criminals. Credit also goes to those who proposed structured sentencing laws, because they create more certainty in punishment. And credit goes to those who argued for alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Those alternatives are less expensive, thus saving money to imprison more dangerous inmates, and they work better with first-time offenders. Credit should also go to a society that has come a long way in recent years in understanding that there should be opportunities for success open to all citizens, regardless of race and ethnic background. There are probably many more groups who deserve applause. So, maybe it is best said that all of American society deserves the benefits of safer streets because all Americans played some role in this improvement. The challenge ahead is to continue the work so that our towns, cities and rural areas become even less dangerous. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom