During his campaign for president, Donald Trump painted a bleak picture of inner cities besieged by gangs and violence. He went even further in his first speech as president, promising in his inaugural address to stop this "American carnage."
This rhetoric doesn't match the reality of crime in the U.S., which according to new statistics released just days ago by the FBI, declined for the 14th consecutive year in 2016 and now stands at its lowest point since 1966. While violent crime has increased in back-to-back years for the first time in a decade, the increase is driven by just a few cities. Overall, violent crime rates are down 18 percent over the past decade, and cities such as New York that have invested in proven crime prevention policies are safer today than ever before.
This has long been lost on the Trump administration, which continues to beat the "tough on crime" drum and pursue policies that have been proven to do more harm than good. However, crime survivors know that the Trump administration is more interested in promoting fear than stopping the cycle of crime.
In fact, victims disagree with the Trump administration on both the causes of crime and the public safety solutions. A recent survey of crime survivors commissioned by the Alliance for Safety and Justice shows that victims overwhelmingly prefer rehabilitation and treatment to increased incarceration, and support reducing prison sentences to pay for crime prevention and victims' services.
When asked what most contributes to crime in their community, most victims (54 percent) answered that drug and alcohol addiction is the most important factor. Only 4 percent believe it's because we have too few people in prison, and only 12 percent believe it's because of undocumented immigrants, which are President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Session's go-to explanations.
Rather than more spending on prisons and aggressive law enforcement approaches, most victims want funding for drug and mental health treatment and strategies to improve trust between police and the community.
When it comes to law enforcement, nearly 6 in 10 crime survivors oppose providing police with military-grade equipment and even fewer support it as a priority for law enforcement funding. This holds true even among Trump supporters — only 13 percent believe funding for military gear should be a priority for law enforcement. Instead, victims want funding for training on how de-escalate situations involving people with mental illness and diversion programs for people with drug addiction issues.
This all starts by investing in community-based treatment programs and providing victims access to trauma recovery services. Research shows that 8 in 10 victims experience at least one symptom of trauma, which contributes to a wide range of problems including addiction, housing instability, and mental health issues. As a result, crime survivors are at a higher risk for repeat victimization and behaviors that lead to crime itself.
Programs that support victims in the healing process have been shown to stop the cycle of crime, but state and federal funding for trauma recovery is lagging. We need bipartisan leadership to establish trauma recovery centers and invest in treatment programs that serve the communities hardest hit by crime and violence.
While crime rates remain near historic lows, victimization disproportionately affects people of color in this country. Victims are far more likely to be young, low-income, and living in an urban community. The Trump administration has distorted these facts and most victims see right through it — 52 percent of crime survivors believe the president uses misinformation and fear on crime rates for political gain.
This is what the president truly misses — victims first and foremost need support, not more tough rhetoric from politicians and over-incarceration from the criminal justice system. The people who have been most harmed by crime and violence are the least supported by our safety and justice policies.
Rather than speaking for victims of crime, the Trump administration should listen to what they need to recover and heal. What they say might surprise them and will certainly offer a better path forward to reduce crime and improve public safety.
Robert Rooks is the co-founder and Vice President of Alliance for Safety and Justice and the Organizing Director of Californians for Safety and Justice. Robert also served as the Criminal Justice Director for the NAACP.
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