Factsheet on 2009 FBI Preliminary
Annual Uniform Crime Report
05-24-10
Author(s): Justice Policy Institute
Topic(s): Public Safety
Read the Fact Sheet Online
Crime fell in 2009;
States are safely reducing prison populations and saving money
The FBI released its Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report on Monday, May 24 with the news that the United States experienced a 5.5 percent drop in the number of reported violent offenses and a 4.9 percent decline in the number of reported property offenses in 2009. This drop in crime came at a time when prison growth rates fell from previous years (1) and when state corrections spending grew at a much lower rate than the previous year (2). As with many state-funded programs and services during the current, challenging economic times, corrections budgets are not growing at the same rates as previous years; and many states are looking for innovative ways to reduce the amount of money they spend on corrections while implementing more effective public safety strategies.
The Justice Policy Institute, a national research and communications organization focused on reducing use of the criminal justice system, has assembled key findings from these new crime and prison surveys to put the new figures in their appropriate context. For a more in-depth analysis of crime trends, and information on effective public safety practices, please visit our website at www.justicepolicy.org.
The number of violent offenses reported to law enforcement fell 5.5 percent in 2009 (3). While crime has been dropping nationally since 2007, this year’s drop was the biggest yet, and the decline was spread over all regions of the United States.
Source: FBI Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report 2009, Table 3
Crime is going down as states are putting fewer people in prison. The number of people in prison is still growing, but at a slower rate than the last few decades (4). The 0.8 percent growth during 2008 was the second year of decline in the rate of growth and the slowest growth in eight years. From 2000 to 2008 the growth of the prison population (1.8 percent per year on average) was less than a third of the rate observed during the 1990s (6.5 percent per year on average). Much of this change can be attributed to a drop in the number of people admitted to prison since 2006 and an increase in the number of people released.
States are curbing their spending on corrections. State spending for corrections totaled $52 billion in FY2008, a 6.5 percent increase compared to the previous year; but it is estimated to grow only 1.8 percent in FY2009 to $53 billion (5). In times of budget crises states have to cut funding for almost all services, including corrections, and are seeking alternative strategies that are both effective at improving public safety and promote better life outcomes for all individuals.
1 William J. Sabol and others, Prisoners in 2008 (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009) http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/p08.pdf
2 National Association of State Budget Officers, State Expenditure Report 2008 (Washington, D.C.: 2009) www.nasbo.org
3 FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report 2009, Table 1, www.fbi.gov/ucr/prelimsem2009/table_1.html
4 William J. Sabol and others, 2009
5 National Association of State Budget Officers, 2009
Read the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2010
Contact: Adam Ratliff – 202-558-7974 x.306 / aratliff@justicepolicy.org
Crime report shows crime fell in 2009 as prison growth rates decreased;
Drop in crime comes as states seek ways to reduce prison populations and improve savings for state budgets
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Reported violent crime in the United States fell by 5.5 percent and property crime by 4.9 percent in 2009, according to an analysis released today by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). The analysis, which was based on the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, released earlier today, also found that this drop in crime coincided with decreasing use of prisons from previous years. This corresponds with a national trend of states seeking ways to curtail corrections spending in light of the economic downturn. JPI applauded the news, saying it highlights that states can save money, promote alternatives to incarceration and still maintain public safety.
"Increased incarceration does not increase public safety," said Tracy Velázquez, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute. "The FBI's report shows that we can improve public safety and put fewer people in prisons, which means savings for taxpayers in addition to stronger communities. Investments in jobs, education and treatment are areas where states should focus their dollars, as all of these will help reduce crime more effectively and fairly than building more prisons."
According to the analysis, the 2009 drop in crime came at a time when the prison growth rates fell from previous years. While the number of people in prison is still growing, it is at a slower rate than the last few decades."Contrary to the conventional wisdom that locking people up makes communities safer, the data is clearly showing that crime is going down as fewer people are being put in prison," Velázquez added. "Rather than spending more money unnecessarily on policing and incarceration, we recommend that states increase their investments in people and communities, rather than prisons, as a better way of ensuring that public safety continues to improve."
The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to reducing society's use of incarceration and promoting just and effective social policies.
For a more in-depth analysis of crime trends, and information on effective public safety practices, please visit our website at www.justicepolicy.org.
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