Texas 2004 Crime Statistics are out

East Texas Review has lots of numbers:

The 2004 Texas crime stats are out. While crime overall remains stable, some categories are showing significant change. Murder rates continue to plummet from all-time highs a decade ago, but drug and alcohol-related crimes are increasing. The good news is that overall crime has fallen significantly since the early 1990s.

During that period, Texas invested heavily in new jails. This has reduced the rate of inmates being released early, which is important because 30 percent re-arrest rate for paroled offenders out three years (based on a Legislative Budget Board report last January).

Arguing against that link is the fact that Texas' crime statistics reasonably reflect national trends. The state crime statistics are reported under the Uniform Crime Report, using a standardized formula that allows comparison with national figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). A glance at the numbers show Texas is well in line with those statistics.

In 2004, for example, violent crime decreased by 2 percent nationally and 2.1 percent in Texas. The statistics show two pictures: the number of crimes and the crime rate, adjusted for population and reflecting the number of crimes per 100,000 persons. Unless otherwise noted, all numbers in this story reflect only the crime rate.

Like I said, lots of numbers, nothing especially surprising, except that rape has increased, when all other violent crimes have decreased.