The 10 US States With the Best Crime Management

In recent years, there have been calls for prison reform in the United States.

The crime rate in the United States has varied from time to time, reaching its peak between the 1970s and 1990s. Since then, crime has been declining at an encouraging rate. Crime reached a historic low between 2016 and 2017 despite the notable incidences in some of the major cities such as Charlotte, Chicago, and Baltimore. Chicago alone accounted for 20% of the national increase in murders in 2016. However, people in urban areas are safer walking on the street today than they were in the past 30 years. The population of state and federal prisons is also slowly decreasing due to the ongoing prison reforms. Crime rate also varies from state to state as do the incarceration rate. Here is a look at some of the states with the best crime and correction

States with the Best Crime Management

Maine and New Hampshire

Maine and New Hampshire are the top two states in crime management. According to the FBI Crime Report, about 20 crimes per 1,000 people were reported in Maine in 2016, way below the national average. Several cities in Maine reported less than one violent crime per 1,000 people. Property and violent crimes was also few in Maine. Maine is the safest state for the public and the state with the second-best criminal justice system of all states. New Hampshire has embraced technology to help improve crime prevention. Some of the cities in the state have reported zero murder and rape incidences. New Hampshire has the best criminal justice system in all states while it is the 3rd safest state for the public.

New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts

New Jersey is the third state with the best crime and correction. The violent crime in the state has significantly declined over the years with most cities becoming safe to live in. New Jersey is the 4th safest state for the public, behind Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Its criminal justice system is the 8th best of all states. Some of the violent cities in New Jersey include Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch. Virginia is the 7th safest state for the public while its criminal justice system is the 11th best in the US. Virginia’s violent crime rate is below 200 per 100,000 people and has been decreasing steadily since 2006. Massachusetts is also one of the safest states in the US. it is one of the states that take pride in low violent and property crime rates. Its criminal justice system is the 4th best of all states after New Hampshire, Maine, and Hawaii. It ranks 14 in terms of public safety.

The Other States with Best Crime Management

Other states in the US that have some of the best crime and correction include Idaho, Vermont, Connecticut, Kentucky, and New York. Vermont and Idaho are among the top ten safest states for the public.

Measuring Crime and Correction

To rank states by crime and correction, two general measures are used: property and violent crime rate and the management of the prison system. The overall score is divided into corrections and public safety. Correction measures the criminal justice system of the state while public safety is concerned with the rate of violent crimes such as assault and murder. Statistics on crime management assists in decision making on which state to settle in.