Sunday, July 14, 2013

Teen homicide drops to lowest level in 30 years

Homicide rates among teenagers and young adults have dropped to the lowest level in 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported National Public Radio.

That's good news, but it still means about 4,800 young people under age 25 were murdered in 2010.
Teenagers and young adults remain more likely to be killed than older adults, and homicide is a leading cause of death in the young, behind motor vehicle accidents.

Homicide rates have dropped steadily since an uptick in the early 1990s, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The homicide rate for people aged 10 to 24 was 7.5 per 100,000 in 2010, compared to 15.9 in 1993.

That mirrors a long decline in crime overall. There are plenty of theories for why that's happened, including better policing, higher incarceration rates, and the economic boom of the 1990s. But none of the theories have really been proved.

Indeed, scientists are at a bit of a loss to explain why we're seeing fewer murders and other crimes. "In short, we don't know," said Dr. Matthew Miller, an associate professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The usual suspects don't seem to explain it."

To read more: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/07/11/201098723/for-youths-fewer-homicides-but-still-many-deaths

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