The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) released an updated report on criminal activity throughout 2021. This report supplements previous CCJ reports, which can be accessed through the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL).

In this year-end update, 27 American cities are examined for criminal activity involving violent crimes, property, and drug offenses. Some key findings include:

• The 2020-2021 rate of homicide increased by 5%.
• 2021 aggravated and gun assault rates increased by 4% and 8% (based on a subset of just 12 cities).
• Domestic violence incidents in 11 cities increased by almost 4%.
• There was a 14% increase in motor vehicle lefts in 2021.

However, burglary, larceny, and drug offenses saw a decrease by 6%, 1%, and 12%. Drawing a correlation between the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic and crime rates, the authors insist that police reform is necessary in order to see less crime in America.

For more information, check out HSDL’s Featured Topic on Pandemics and Epidemics. Please note an HSDL login is required to view some of these resources.

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