Study Shows Drop In Crime Rates At US Schools; But Sex Offenses Remain High

The U.S. school crime rate has dropped in college campuses in the past 10 years as a whole. However, sex offenses on campus have significantly increased, based on recent federal data.

School Crime Rate Data From 2001 To 2013

Postsecondary schools revealed that from 2001 to 2013, there has been a drop of 34 percent in the U.S. school crime rate. Notable reductions are also present in each category, except forcible sex crimes. Sex offenses increased by 120 percent during the same timeframe.

CBS News revealed that in 2014, about 3 percent of students from 12 to 18 years old, reported that they were school crime victims. According to the report provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Justice Department on May 4, 2016. Middle school students were more prone to bullying compared to elementary or high school students.

U.S. school crime rate, particularly sexual attacks, has doubled between 2001 and 2013. The total campus sex assaults increased from 2,200 to 5,000.

The total criminal incidents on college campuses decreased by eight percent from 2012 to 2013. Burglary was the most common kind of crime, while there were 23 murders on campus during that period.

The Results are Good, But Not Enough

According to the Watertown Daily Times, the U.S. school crime rate report shows improvement in terms of lowering crime and bullying, although these are still not enough, according to Peggy G. Carr, acting commissioner of NCES.

It is still uncertain whether sex offenses have substantially increased in the past several years, or whether victims have become bolder to report incidences. The reported cases could perhaps be due to heightened public awareness on the issue and more vigilant approaches that colleges are adopting to protect victims. 

Schools have been adding measures to lower U.S. school crime rate, such as the installation of security cameras, controlling access to their buildings, the mandatory wearing of IDs and proper dress code among students. Ken Trump of the National School Safety and Security Services warned that federal and state reports underestimate the extent of U.S. school crime rate.

Ken Trump continued that public perception also tends to overstate and the real figures are somewhere in the middle. Trump also said that it is not mandatory to report crime in elementary, middle school and high school.

Trump said that school administrators have become more proactive about security compared to a decade ago. Social media and overall awareness have made it more difficult to hide things that are happening in schools, which contributed to the drop in U.S. school crime rate.