homicides fail to decrease, news at 11
Jan. 4th, 2009 05:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chelidonThe state of New Hampshire just announced for 2008, the exact same total reported number of homicides statewide in 2008 as in 2007, at 19. And yes, that's for the whole state, for the entire year.
The NH murder rate per 100,000 people was the lowest in the nation at 1.1/100,000 (.0011%). New Hampshire also had the second-lowest rate of overall violent crime in the nation. The only other U.S. states besides NH with murder rates below 2 per 100,000 (.002%) in 2007 were Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. I don't know what to make of that, but there it is. Except for Hawaii (which has its own unique culture, as I can safely say, having grown up there), they're all cold states, and almost half are the far northeast states There well may be many other correlations (average income, average education level, population density, etc), but, you know, if I have to trade cold winters for a minimal homicide rate, I'll take it.
From the list of 2008 homicides, the weapons of choice were:
1. Guitar, boot
2. Firearm
3. Sword
4. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
5. Motor vehicle
6. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
7. Firearm
8. Weapon not specified (still under investigation)
9. Firearm (justifiable homicide, self-defense)
10. Pool table
11. Weapon not specified (information not released)
12. Weapon not specified (traumatic injury)
13. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
14. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
15. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
16. Baseball bat
17. Baseball bat
18. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
19. Axe
Clearly, guitars, pool tables and baseball bats really need to be better regulated in NH.
The NH murder rate per 100,000 people was the lowest in the nation at 1.1/100,000 (.0011%). New Hampshire also had the second-lowest rate of overall violent crime in the nation. The only other U.S. states besides NH with murder rates below 2 per 100,000 (.002%) in 2007 were Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. I don't know what to make of that, but there it is. Except for Hawaii (which has its own unique culture, as I can safely say, having grown up there), they're all cold states, and almost half are the far northeast states There well may be many other correlations (average income, average education level, population density, etc), but, you know, if I have to trade cold winters for a minimal homicide rate, I'll take it.
From the list of 2008 homicides, the weapons of choice were:
1. Guitar, boot
2. Firearm
3. Sword
4. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
5. Motor vehicle
6. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
7. Firearm
8. Weapon not specified (still under investigation)
9. Firearm (justifiable homicide, self-defense)
10. Pool table
11. Weapon not specified (information not released)
12. Weapon not specified (traumatic injury)
13. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
14. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
15. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
16. Baseball bat
17. Baseball bat
18. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
19. Axe
Clearly, guitars, pool tables and baseball bats really need to be better regulated in NH.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 01:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 12:46 am (UTC)(and snakey will tell you that the weapon of choice even in the UK is generally a baseball bat. not sure why that is given it's not exactly a national sport over here!)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 01:02 am (UTC)And yeah, those guitarists are definitely dodgy! ;>
no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 05:45 pm (UTC)and yes, my mother always told me to watch out for those guitarists....
Isn't a Pool Table a "Stabbing Weapon"?
Date: 2009-01-05 01:25 am (UTC)More appropriately, recognizing the Cold State correlation is but a part of what I've noticed in NH, VT, and ME. "Hardiness" is the best word for it. It's the state of a community that understands what their neighbor, either down the road or across the state celebrates, deals with, and experiences daily. It's tough to have it in for someone so much like yourself.
Oh, and don't worry, it doesn't take much of a breeze to get us musing your direction. Stats like this are a gale.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-06 03:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-06 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 02:36 am (UTC)"1. Guitar, boot "
If this has a film version, I get the feeling Robert Rodriguez will direct.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 03:15 am (UTC)Homicide rates are increasing everywhere for economic and social factors, but it doesn't much bother me to live in an area where they are somewhat high (what does bother me is the sucktastic rate at which the SFPD are able to resolve criminal cases involving homicide). Most victims are victims either because they are involved in organized crime or have a homicidally unstable person in their family/home. I think of the 99 we had in SF this year, only one or two were truly random events in which the suspect and victim had no prior knowledge of each other, if it was even that many.
That makes it all that much sadder that the cops can't figure out, and capture, whodunit.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-06 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-05 05:10 pm (UTC)I think Montreal checked in at about 30 murders this year. 'Not bad for a major city.