Murders plummeted more than 20% in U.S. last year, the largest drop on record, study shows

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

45% : Schierbaum said a fair number of murders in Atlanta were the result of "escalating dispute," and called on the community to consider "conflict resolution."A group of criminal justice experts convened by CCJ had varied answers as to what caused such a precipitous drop in homicides, but they were generally in agreement that the stabilization of routines, an influx of COVID-19 relief funds and program intervention were strong drivers."Many cities focused enforcement and prevention on the small number of neighborhoods and groups driving a large share of shootings, improved shooting investigations, and got the courts moving again," said Thaddeus Johnson, an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at Georgia State University, and a former Memphis police official.He added that informal guardianship returned to the streets, saying bystanders and community presence can help defuse conflicts before they escalate.

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