Getting away with murder

[seamusTX]

According to a recent FBI report, the homicide clearance rate has fallen to 61% nationwide. It has been on a steady decline since the FBI started keeping statistics. In the early 1960s, it was over 90%.

The decrease is attributed to gang-related, anonymous crimes where no clues can be found that lead to a suspect.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/13211 ... 09.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't find the primary source at the FBI.

This news is even worse than it sounds. A homicide is considered "cleared" when a suspect is charged or arrested. Some are never arrested because they evade the authorities. Some plea bargain to lesser offenses. A few are found not guilty.

About half of murders never result in a conviction for murder. The odds are much better than slot machines or the state lottery, and close to those for roulette.

- Jim

[bryang]

Wow! This is very interesting, I had no idea the numbers were so high, and this is a very sobering quote....

"We have killers walking among us. We have killers living in our neighborhoods,"

-geo

[Fangs]

I've been surprised by how many people have told me that it's impossible to get away with murder, because, "Haven't you ever watched CSI?!"

Yeah... and my 9mm is going to blow up that car, I saw that happen on TV too.

[seamusTX]

Someone who murders a person over a long-running dispute like a nasty divorce or debt probably will be caught, because many people know of the motive.

The classic corpse that washes up on the beach or is found in a burning stolen car is not likely to be solved.

- Jim

[casingpoint]

The decrease is attributed to gang-related, anonymous crimes

The Silent Majority doesn't give a hoot what the bangers do to each other as long as they keep it down in the hood. Problem is, the drug and turf related homicides and other violent crimes started moving outward years ago, and helped to give birth to the multitude of concealed carry laws which seemingly parallel an increase in justifiable homicides. Conclusion: the worse it gets for Middle America, the worse it will be for the gang bangers. Curiously, after a lull in 1990 and following 911 when people armed up in earnest, the justifiable homicide rate accelerated again like it did during the crack epidemic of the '80s. Now, a large part of the problem is a methamphetamine epidemic that begun in the 90's. Unfortunately this meth epidemic doesn't really involve the bangers as much as it does white kids from outside the hood, which increasingly brings the spin off violence of this drug culture to America's white and middle class enclaves.


Table 2.17
Justifiable Homicide
by Weapon, Private Citizen,1 1998-2002


YEAR AMOUNT
1998 196
1999 192
2000 164
2001 222
2002 225
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_02/html/web ... .html#t217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... able_N.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.trosch.org/tro/mpr-7g30.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[seamusTX]

Meth is even worse than crack in terms of violence, because people who use it are paranoid and irrational.

As much as we would like to think the number of justifiable homicides has a relationship to concealed carry, the majority of justifiable homicides by non-police involve home or business robberies.

However, homicide is pretty undeniable. The medical examiner has to rule on the cause of death, and a grand jury usually gets to decide whether a crime was committed.

In the background is the huge number of times that crimes are stopped without a shot being fired, and possibly not even reported to the police. This number can't be known with certainty, but I am confident that it is at least a million a year in the U.S.

- Jim

[Bunkins]

Meth is even worse than crack in terms of violence, because people who use it are paranoid and irrational.


- Jim

I totally agree with that..