Or at least, it is according to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report:
On the whole, reported incidents of violent crime fell across the country, with a tiny decline in the Northeast -- a scant 0.2 percent -- and a large drop of 7.8 percent in the South. In terms of population, mid-sized cities (500,000 to 999,999) saw the greatest declines in violent crime and property crime, at 8.3 and 4.8 percent, respectively. Hopefully, as crime continues to decline, policymakers will begin to reevaluate their commitment to the high incarceration status quo, as the steady march of lowered crime is only partially related to our astronomically high prison population.
-- Jamelle Bouie
