Memphis, Tennessee had the highest violent crime rate at 1,851 crimes committed. Law enforcement officers around entire city say high dropout rates play a role in the increasing number of violent crimes committed. Because of this fact many organizations have been created to decrease the number of violent crimes and increase the number of high school graduates. Law enforcement officers add that if there is a 10% increase in high school graduates, there will be a 20% decrease in violent crimes committed. In Memphis that would mean 27 more lives saved every year and 1500 fewer assaults. The group says right now in Memphis just over half of the students complete high school in 4 years. Baltimore, Maryland the Baltimore police departments reported more homicides per 100,000 residents than any other jurisdiction. The rate of homicide per 100,000 was 43.5, nearly eight times the national average. Recently the number of violent crimes committed was 1,754, and the number is increasing. The increasing number has been reported to be because of lax laws in the state of Maryland. There is a revolving door for the justice system, meaning laws and sentencing are continually different. There have been acts implemented to create a more solid judicial system in Maryland. |