Above: Comparative Crime Statistics for homicides alone. Note Canada at 610 and Mexico at 20,585. Also significant is the crime rate per 100,000, which for homicides in Mexico is ten times Canada. The highest rate per 100,000 is Honduras at 82.1%. Statistics from UNODC, 2010 data. More statistics below.

By  Gina Hari



The World keeps getting smaller. Increasing international business means travel around the world is a necessity for Americans. Competitive prices and holiday packages have made travel for pleasure across the globe easier, less costly and accessible to almost everyone.

However, violence rates in popular destinations are holding back many globetrotters from unnecessary travel. The media runs headline after headline detailing…

Above: FBI chart clearly shows 2010 rates dropped significantly over 2009. Recently released 2011 numbers indicate a further significant drop—all this during an economic downturn, normally a harbinger of increased violent crime.

By Karanja



United State of America Crime Trends summary 2011



Research by criminology experts indicates a correlation between mounting poverty and an upsurge in crime rates. Tracking statistics since World War 2, reveals an upsurge in violent and property crime rates during recessions.

However, contrary to popular thinking—that the recent economic meltdown would result in the increase in number of crimes due to youth unemployment in USA—reports show that the crime trends are trending to a record low. Reports indicate a…

Member Story By JENNIFER CARTER



There are no solid numbers available for the exact amount of unsolved crimes and murder cases that remain unsolved for the United States in the year 2011 as of yet, but most states do have assumed counts. Some states have submitted their numbers as record, but it will be another few months at the earliest before any will be recorded as true and factual. These numbers are always subject to change due to the discovery of crimes committed prior to the beginning of this year that are still unknown to the authorities.

Nationwide, initial reports are showing smaller numbers than the same time last year in regards to cold cases (those cases that are still unresolved in that no new leads or arrests have been made).  Obviously, this…

An unidentified male bank robber who most recently held up a bank in Thousand Oaks, California, is being sought by the FBI and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, as well as multiple police departments throughout California who are investigating a total of 12 bank robberies now linked to the bandit.

Bank surveillance photographs of the bandit, nicknamed “Mr. Magoo,” had been released to the media previously and a new photo of the most recent bank robbery is now being released.

The bandit is described as a white male with a calm demeanor. During the robberies, the Mr. Magoo Bandit uses a note to demand cash and warns victim tellers that he does not want to receive bank security devices. In some cases, the bandit has even thanked the victim tellers for the cash. Victims have described the bandit as calm, and when seen leaving the bank on foot, does not appear to be nervous or even in a rush. The Mr. Magoo Bandit does not attempt to disguise himself…

More and more people are living beyond 65 years, and elder abuse in the US is on the rise.

The problem of elder abuse in nursing homes has been in the news in the State of Oregon. About 13 percent of the population is 65 years or older and nearly 76,000 Oregonians are age 85 or older. The Department of  Human Services (DHS) received 20,000 calls reporting alleged abuse of the elderly or physically disabled in 2010.

According to an article in an Oregon paper, the Register-Guard, from November 2009 through April 2011, Lane County Adult and Protective Services (APS) received 866 complaints about incidents of neglect or abuse in long-term care facilities under its jurisdiction.

Of these, less than half were substantiated by APS caseworkers and only one-quarter of those…

Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudian Arabian Ambassador to the U.S., target of alleged assassination plot by Iran.

Two individuals have been charged in New York for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.

The charges were announced by Attorney General Eric Holder; FBI Director Robert S. Mueller; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

A criminal complaint filed today in the Southern District of New York charges Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam…

New data gathered from the latest census and the Center for Disease Control's National Vital Statistics System reveal that states that perform or recognize same-sex marriage have lower divorce rates for all couples compared to states that do not recognize or ban same-sex marriage.



Five of the ten states with the lowest divorce rates are among the eight states that perform or recognize same-sex marriage. In 2009, the divorce rate for these states was 41.2 percent, compared with 50.3 percent in states without same-sex marriage. That rate increases to 53.2 percent if one does not include Nevada, which has a significantly lower divorce rate than most states due to the marriages performed for out-of-state couples in Las Vegas. These numbers also do not include Vermont or Iowa divorce rates, since…

The FBI and police in Huntington Beach, CA, and Irvine, CA, are seeking the public’s assistance with information leading to the identity of an unidentified male bank robber who attempted to rob a bank in Huntington Beach and then successfully robbed a bank in Irvine earlier today.

At 11:15 a.m., the suspect attempted to rob the U.S. Bank at 20002 Brookhurst St. in Huntington Beach. When he did not receive any money from the teller, the suspect decided to leave the bank. A short while later, a man matching the description of the suspect in the Huntington Beach attempt robbed the Bank of America at 18622…

More than $2.5 trillion has been spent on unwinnable war on drugs.

President Nixon formed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and coined the term "War on Drugs" in 1973. While he started a global movement to combat the creation, sale and use of drugs, world leaders today claim this war has failed. This perception is largely based on the war's poor track record, which has many advocacy groups and politicians calling for national drug policy changes. These changes could include legalizing or decriminalizing certain drugs and drug-related charges in an effort to focus on more productive strategies.

President Eisenhower appointed a committee in 1954 to "stamp out narcotic addiction," but it was President Nixon's announcement that the new DEA would engage in "an all-out global war on…

Justice, or "Jim Crow" in a new guise: many witnesses who helped convict Davis of murdering a police officer recanted, some claiming police pressured them to finger Davis. 

The man who many believe was wrongly convicted of murder is to be executed tomorrow in Georgia after his appeal for clemency was rejected today. Troy Davis was convicted in 1991 but since the trial several of the witnesses who helped convict him have recanted or modified their testimony. Some said that they were pressured by police to finger Davis because the victim of the crime was a cop. Others who did not testify have said that another man at the scene admitted to the crime.

The doubt regarding the fairness of his trial and the integrity of witnesses was sufficient that prominent figures such as former…