Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration released a detailed report Monday on crime in Connecticut. Here are some highlights.
Reported crime is at its lowest level since 1967, dropping 2 percent from 2016 to 2017
The crime rate has not been this low since Democrat John Dempsey was Connecticut’s governor and Lyndon B. Johnson was president.
Overall crime has been dropping for the past four governors
The peak of crime in Connecticut was 1990 during the final year of Democrat William A. O’Neill. The long-term trend has been downward, including dropping by about 15,000 crimes during the tenure of Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
Murders were up overall in 2017
Murders statewide increased in 2017 to 105, but that was below the peak of 215 in 1994.
Hartford, Bridgeport saw murder increases
There were 29 murders in Hartford in 2017, compared to 14 the previous year. Murder was up in Bridgeport to 21, compared to 10 in 2016.
Heavy drug use before prison
The state budget office reported that “almost everyone in prison admitted to using illicit drugs before arriving in prison. Among prisoners, marijuana use was virtually ubiquitous.’’
Drugs kill after leaving prison
Drug overdoses “are probably the single most common cause of death among prisoners within 60 days of release from prison,’’ the report said.
Drug arrests are down
After the legislature decriminalized drug possession in 2015, those in prison for possession has dropped by 79 percent.
With crime down, the prison population is at a 24-year low
While the number of males behind bars has dropped consistently, the total for women has held steady. The prison population drop is about 23 percent.
How are the numbers compiled?
The FBI releases the statistics each year on the major index crimes of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. The crimes have fallen from 176,531 in Gov. Lowell P. Weicker’s first year in 1991 to 72,911 under Malloy in 2015 and 71,883 in 2016.
How long has crime been falling?
Crime has dropped in 23 of the past 26 years in Connecticut, according to state statistics.
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