Chicago’s murder rate is spiralling out of control. Killings in the Windy City have already surpassed the 500 mark this year, more than New York and Los Angeles combined. The city hasn’t experienced a single day without a homicide since February of last year and the murder rate is at a 20-year high. The majority of the victims are young black men from a small number of neighborhoods in the city.
With an average of 12 people shot every day, shootings and homicides have become a grim normality for some residents. In 2015, 2, 988 people were shot and 2016′s figure already stands at 2, 949. In order to illustrate the sheer extent of violence in Chicago, a BBC report compared the number of deaths with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2001, Chicago has experienced 7, 916 murders (as of September 06, 2016). The number of Americans killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was 2, 384 and 4, 504 respectively since 2001.
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Statistics and Facts about Violent Crime in the U.S
Violent crime in the United States refers to murder, rape and sexual assault, robbery, and assault. Violent crime in the United States has fallen over the last two decades, however, in 2012, the number of reported violent crimes rose. Majority of violent crime in the United States consist of aggravated assault charges. Although, like other violent crimes, reported assault cases have also decreased in the United States over the last decades. Yet, violent crime rates may not always be precise. Crimes that remain unreported can often skew rates. Imprecise crime rates can also propagate uncertain relationships, such as one to the economy. Increased crime rates have been associated with both falling and climbing economies in the United States. Demographic changes and high levels of drug use in the local community are often associated with increase crime rates. Greater accessibility to abortion and lower exposure to lead has also been proposed as reasons behind decreasing violent crimes.
This chart shows homicides in Chicago compared to American war dead in Iraq & Afghanistan since 2001.
You will find more statistics at Statista
Murder is defined as the intentional act to kill and often includes the intention to cause great bodily harm, as one would realize the possibility of causing fatality. Generally, each state has its own classification for murders, commonly under first- and second-degree murder. The District of Columbia has experienced some of the highest rates of murder in the United States with 13.9 per 100, 000 inhabitants. Guidelines for murder sentencing also differ by state. Many murder victims were between the ages of 20 to 34 while murder offenders were most often of a similar age. Many murder victims were slain by someone they know, often a family member, neighbor, or friend. Similarly, in many of the reported forcible rape cases, the victim often knows the offender. Victims of serious violent crime have experienced socio-economic problems and often suffer from emotional and physical symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Crimes committed involving guns have also decreased in the United States. However, the number of robberies involving a firearm still makes up a large proportion of the total figure. Many U.S. citizens are unaware of the drop in violent crimes associated with a firearms and gun ownership in the United States is still among the highest in the developed world. At the time of the offense, many state prison inmates that possessed a gun had purchased it from an illegal source. Variable gun ownership among regions in the United States has also been considered for its influence on crime rates.
