Sources: FBI (2018); DOF (2018). *Violent and total crime rates exclude rape because the definition was broadened in 2013, and law enforcement agency reporting of rape offenses is gradually becoming more consistent.
SAN FRANCISCO – January 31, 2018 – A new fact sheet from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice finds that, during a period of large-scale criminal justice reform, California’s urban crime rates remained stable. The report compares recently released FBI crime statistics for the first six months of 2017 to early-year crime data for the prior seven years.
The report finds:
- Total urban crime rates remained virtually unchanged from the first half of 2016 to the first half of 2017, driven by a modest increase in reported property crime (+0.6%) and slight decline in reported violent crime (-0.7%).
- Following decades of crime decline in California cities, the state’s urban crime rates have remained relatively stable between early 2010 and early 2017. Across this eight-year period, property crime increased by less than 1 percent and violent crime increased by less than 3 percent.
- Crime rates have remained low and stable despite recent reforms in criminal justice, including Public Safety Realignment in 2011 and Proposition 47 in 2014.
- One-year changes in the crime rate varied considerably across California’s 73 largest cities. Overall, 34 cities reported increased total crime during this one-year period, and 39 cities showed decreases. For violent crime, 39 cities showed increases while 34 showed decreases, and 32 cities reported increased property crime while 41 showed declines.
For more information about this topic or to schedule an interview, please contact CJCJ Communications at (415) 621‑5661 x. 103 or cjcjmedia@cjcj.org.