16 days into 2019 and Jackson already has 10 murders. (Clinton, Madison: crime, felony)

[sammyreynolds1977]

I think most people that don't have their heads in the sand knows Jackson has a crime problem. We're 16 days into the new year and there's already been 11 murders in Jackson. In your opinions what can Jackson do to solve the crime issues? This after Jackson had 84 murders last year.

[brickpatio2018]

Interestingly, statistically Mississippi is the safest state in the country for the African-American community, essentially tied with Massachusetts for lowest homicide victim rate for the African-American community, not counting about ten states which are only 1 to 3% African-American.

I am guessing that the reason that Mississippi is so safe is that the majority of the African-American population in Mississippi live in rural areas, versus mostly in urban areas for nearly all other states. And presumably law enforcement has an easier time solving crimes in rural areas, thus making it safer for all.

Jackson obviously is a huge exception within that statistic. By comparison New York city's overall homicide rate is incredibly low. I haven't been able to find homicide victim rates for the African-American community by city, but my ballpark guess is that the homicide victim rate for African-Americans in Jackson is about three to four times higher than in New York (city, not metro, since rates in Madison and Rankin counties, plus Clinton and Byram, are extremely low).

If African-Americans are so much safer in New York than in Jackson, with similar income levels adjusting for cost of living, that suggests that the difference is policing strategies and New York's ability to protect the community by catching criminals before they can commit homicides.

So...maybe Jackson could simply replicate New York's policing strategies and presumably save about 50 lives per year in Jackson alone.

[sammyreynolds1977]

Great insight. I think Jackson leadership continues to fail the city but the people of the city are ultimately responsible because they are the ones that vote for the leadership.

[dwashington]

I think a step in the right direction would be to ban the open carry law in the city of Jackson. This would reduce the homicide rate dramatically. /s

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

At some point I think you just have to let the crime take certain areas. Committing more police to it just puts the officers in danger. The problem is there are still some good folks living in those areas, but I mean it is what it is. Nothing works. Thugs killed a preacher the other day right outside his church.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

The number of murders in the Delta is also shocking. Does poverty breed crime?

[Jardine8]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

The number of murders in the Delta is also shocking. Does poverty breed crime?

It is a topic that has been debated for decades and socialogists, psychologists and criminologists could all talk for days and days on this particular subject. The most popularly stated belief is that "yes", poverty is the primary cause of crime.


However, this is a highly-debated subject and everyone has opinions on it and some will differ. My personal opinion is different, as I don't think that poverty is the biggest problem but is closely linked to the real problem and, as such, is mistakenly viewed as the primary cause. My opinion is that the breakdown of the family unit in Mississippi & in the United States is the cause of a lot of our crime, moreso that poverty.


My theory is that if you did a profile study of habitual offenders and people who are currently incarcerated for felony crimes, I would think what you would likely find is an atypical family structure - i.e. the offender didn't grow up and spend years 0 through 18 living in a stable household with their biological father and biological mother all under the same roof.


The lack of stable parental units and a stable household leaves them without the normal parental guidance that many of us likely had growing up and it leaves a void or vacuum of influence in their lives. That vacuum or void is going to be filled to be filled by someone, even if mom and dad aren't around.


Unfortunately, that void is sometimes filled by other people in the neighborhood or in the street who aren't mature and aren't really adults themselves and they grow up without respect for others & boundaries and with a warped sense of how the world works and how they should treat people. If mom & dad aren't around, then someone is going to fill that void and provide guidance and influence the child and you might not be shocked to find out that the influencer really isn't the best choice to influence anyone at all, much less impressionable children. As a result, the children just don't mature and get guidance like children who grow up in stable, loving households.


Poverty is involved because kids who grow up in single parent households or who have no parents involved and have to go live with an aunt or uncle or grandmother are oftentimes in households that happen to have a lower income than a two-parent household with the biological mother & biological father would have. I think people are mistakenly led to believe that poverty is the actual issue when I believe that poverty is simply closely linked to the actual issue: lack of stable two parent households.


I didn't really dig all that deep in the above explanation and maybe didn't explain it all that well but that is what I have become convinced is the real root cause of a lot of crime rather than poverty itself. Poverty is just in the picture because of the lack of a stable household.

[Sharif662]

Originally Posted by sammyreynolds1977

I think most people that don't have their heads in the sand knows Jackson has a crime problem. We're 16 days into the new year and there's already been 11 murders in Jackson. In your opinions what can Jackson do to solve the crime issues? This after Jackson had 84 murders last year.

I actually brought this up in the Jackson Underworld thread as well. The current homicides is actually 7 not 11.

I would say increased neighborhood associations forums in the poverty areas & conflict resolution programs to defuse altercations amongst the youth. Also, investing in the businesses/infrastructure of those areas.

[Sharif662]

Originally Posted by brickpatio2018

Interestingly, statistically Mississippi is the safest state in the country for the African-American community, essentially tied with Massachusetts for lowest homicide victim rate for the African-American community, not counting about ten states which are only 1 to 3% African-American.

I am guessing that the reason that Mississippi is so safe is that the majority of the African-American population in Mississippi live in rural areas, versus mostly in urban areas for nearly all other states. And presumably law enforcement has an easier time solving crimes in rural areas, thus making it safer for all.

Jackson obviously is a huge exception within that statistic. By comparison New York city's overall homicide rate is incredibly low. I haven't been able to find homicide victim rates for the African-American community by city, but my ballpark guess is that the homicide victim rate for African-Americans in Jackson is about three to four times higher than in New York (city, not metro, since rates in Madison and Rankin counties, plus Clinton and Byram, are extremely low).

If African-Americans are so much safer in New York than in Jackson, with similar income levels adjusting for cost of living, that suggests that the difference is policing strategies and New York's ability to protect the community by catching criminals before they can commit homicides.

So...maybe Jackson could simply replicate New York's policing strategies and presumably save about 50 lives per year in Jackson alone.

Actually Blacks live more in the urban areas in Mississippi ( including myself) than rural areas. The definition of rural is tends to broadly exclude non-metropolitan areas. Yet still urbanized areas technically 10K-50K or even smaller. The Black homicide victim rate is going to be around 2 - 2.5x of Jackson's homicide rate. I doubt NYC policing is a method fir Jackson since you'll have to take into account population sizes. The safety level is about the same in either cities. (Debatable)

[Sharif662]

Correction: 9 homicides.