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State/USM Release Annual Report On Maine Crime Stats Reveal Overall Decrease in Crime Yet 10-Year High in Domestic Violence

March 22, 2005

The Maine Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) - a collaboration between the USM Muskie School of Public Service and the Maine Department of Corrections - has released the 2004 Annual Crime and Justice Data Book, including 10-year state crime trends as well as national, New England, county and municipal comparisons.

Among the findings, the Data Book shows that while crime in Maine has followed national trends by decreasing 17.2 percent over a decade (1994-2003), domestic violence assaults have reached a 10-year high. From 2002 to 2003, domestic violence in Maine increased 11.4 percent to 5,364 crimes - 30 percent higher than the total in 1994. Moreover, over the last decade, arrests for drug abuse violations have increased 68 percent in Maine.

The report also reveals marked increases in both state and county jail populations and women being arrested. The average in-house population of adults in county jails has nearly doubled over the last 10 years, and in state prisons, the population increased by over 44 percent. Since 1994, the number of women arrested in Maine has increased 63 percent and was four times higher than percentage increase of men, which grew by 15.3 percent since 1994.

"This report is imperative to our work," said Denise Lord, associate commissioner at the Maine Department of Corrections. "If we know where the most critical challenges lie, we can target our efforts and resources in that area. Reducing the incidence of domestic violence needs to be a number one priority in this state. We also need to continue our efforts within the criminal justice system to prevent, treat and respond to issues involving drug abuse and addiction."

"This year, the Data Book offers a more complete picture of criminal justice in Maine," said Paul Vestal, chair of the Maine Criminal Justice Commission. "This information is very helpful to state and local officials, criminal justice practitioners, researchers, nonprofits and community members because it helps identify the trends affecting our criminal justice system."

The report was authored by Mark Rubin, research associate at the USM Muskie School of Public Service's Institute for Public Sector Innovation. The Maine Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) is partially supported by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics and is part of a national network of state statistical analysis centers maintained and coordinated by the Justice Research and Statistics Association located in Washington D.C.

The report text and charts are available on the Maine SAC Web site at muskie.usm.maine.edu/justiceresearch.

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