What worked?
In short, mass incarceration. At the height of incarceration rates, in 2000, America also saw its lowest rate of violent deaths in recorded history.
Removing criminals from society is the obvious solution, because it obviously works.
But as long as “incarceration” is a 4-letter-word, the violence will continue indefinitely. And on our current trajectory, we could easily end up back in the 1970s.
If it were a four-letter word starting with k it would work 100%.
Lynching as Historical Context
Here’s one additional comparison to think about, given the focus of politicians on passing the Emmett Till Lynching Act in 2022.
During the worst period of lynching, the 1890s:
1.5 per 100k Blacks died by lynching per year
In the 2020s?
31.6 per 100k Blacks die by murder per year
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