Homicide In The United States.....

[LSN80]

Is at it's lowest rate amongst causes of death since 1965.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12012/1203021-84.stm

When I picked up my local paper today and saw the headline, I was pleasantly surprised. I wondered where amongst "causes of death" it had dropped to. Perhaps to 8th? 10th? Could it possibly have fallen out of the top ten in terms of causes?

Turns out, homicide in the United States is now out of the top 15, as it's tumbled all the way to 16th. According to reports issued from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, this is the first time homicide has failed to make the top 15 in any year since 1965. I see two major trends here:

1. Homicide is Down: This is the obvious one. But why is homicide down, and on such a decline? For one, in my county and it's surrounding areas, Homicide is down 25% from last year. The first step has been the decrease in family violence. Laws have become stricter, and homicide has been taken out of the home as a result. Looking back to even earlier this decade, domestic violence was greeted by a visit by police, and a slap on the wrist. In 2012, offenders are being locked up, and for significant amounts of time. This seems to be the biggest factor in the decline, with other factors including better police work, educational programs beginning early aimed at deterring violence, and the largest segment of the countries population now being people 50 and older. Criminologist James Alan Fox of Boston explains:

"Younger people, who are more likely to commit or fall victim to murder, now make up a much smaller share of the population. The risk of homicide declines with age, and the risk of death by diseases increases."

On one hand, that seems to be a cause for celebration. On the other, rates of death have increased with Alzheimer's disease, kidney disease, cirrohsis of the liver, Parkinson's disease, and pneumonitis. Which leads to the second trend:

2. With the increase of life expectancy, death from disease is on the rise: As I stated earlier, the largest population of people in the United States is now those in their 50's, as compared to those in their 20's from just 5 years ago. According to FBI reports, homicide has begun to fall significantly since 2006, so this is hardly coincidence. And while heart disease and cancer remain 1 and 2 on the list of cause of death, the percentage of people who die from both, respectively, has decreased. Medical care has improved significantly since then as well, so people are living longer, fuller lives. People with both a heart condition and Alzheimer's were more likely to die 10 years ago from a heart attack. Today, those same people are living approximately 6 years longer on average, dying from Alzheimer's instead.

So what does this mean? It's a reason to celebrate. Homicide has been in the top 15 causes of death in the United States since 1965, and has now been overtaken by more diseases that plague the elderly. I'm hardly rejoicing in any death, but to see that people are living longer, fuller lives is a cause for rejoicing. So while the medical system in the US is flawed as ever, it's also apparent that competant doctor care is on the rise. Deaths in the United States are down from 2.7 million to 2.4 million overall from 2010 to 2011. It's hardly a stretch to say that the decrease in homicide is a factor, which means something is working.

You can visit the center For Disease Control Website for more information, but the list of the top 16 causes of death in the United States can be found here:

Spoiler

1. Diseases of the heart(On the decline)
2. Malignant Cancer Neoplasms(On the Decline
3. Chronic Repiratory Disease(On the Decline)
4. Cerebrovascular Disorder, or Strokes(About the same)
5. Unintentional Deaths(On the Rise)
6. Alzheimer's disease(On the Rise)
7. Diabetes(On the decline)
8. Nephritis, or Kidney Disease(On the Rise)
9. Pneumonia and the Flu(On the Rise)
10. Suicide(On the Decline)
11. Septicemia, or Infections(About the same)
12. Chronic Liver Disease(On the Rise)
13. Hypertensive Renal Disease(On the Decline)
14.Parkinson's Disease
15. Pneumonitis related to choking amongst elderly(Rising)
16. Homicide(On the decline)

How much of a cause for celebration is the decline in homicide in the United States?

What factors would you contribute to the decline of homicide in the area of the U.S. where you live?

For those who live outside the U.S., does homicide appear to be on the decline as well, or in actuality?

Any other discussion or thoughts on this topic are welcome and encouraged.

 

[Mustang Sally]

With the increase of life expectancy, death from disease is on the rise.

This reminds me of a comedian who was talking about how overweight people could make themselves look slimmer: "Fatten up the people around you so you don't appear as heavy in comparison." In other words, it's not so much that the number of homicides has declined, it's just that every other cause of death has increased to the point that it makes it look as if less people are murdered. There are a lot more people in the country than in 1965, and a lot more diseases to die from (no one died from AIDS in 1965. It hadn't been "invented" yet). So, if murder statistics stay the same or decline even slightly, it looks as if homicides are on the decline.

Homicide is Down

But is it the number of homicides that are down or the percentage of homicides?

Probably a little of both. Interestingly, I remember a study done by a couple of sociologists some years ago, seeking to explain why there were fewer violent crimes (including homicide) over the last few decades. Surprisingly (or maybe not) they determined that the number one cause of the decline was legalized abortion. Before 1973, abortion was illegal and many disadvantaged children who might have been aborted were born and grew into lives of crime. After abortion was legalized, many of those who might have grown to commit crimes were never born and the crime rate dropped......not immediately, of course, because it takes these young people 15-20 years to grow old enough to start committing crimes. Sure enough, the sociologists noted that the years 1988-93 were when the crime rate started dropping significantly, coinciding with the advent of legalized abortion.

NOTE: Needless to say, Pro-Life folks went apoplectic when they read the findings of the sociologists, accusing them of "advocating abortion as a means to decrease crime." The sociologists claimed they weren't advocating anything; but rather simply trying to explain a cause and effect.

At any rate, as there are numerous reasons why the homicide rate (or percentage) has dropped, this is one more possibility to toss in the pot.