Task 28. Read and translate the text.

Crime in the United States

The United States has a reputation for having a lot of crime, especially violent crime. In urban ghettos, violence is so widespread that homicide is the leading cause of death among black males between the age of 25 and 45. Auto thefts, muggings, robberies, and burglaries occur so frequently, especially in cities, that many people live in constant fear of crime. Crime became almost a national obsession in the 1990s. Highly publicized reports of gang- and drug-related violence, carjacking that ended in death, innocent bystanders killed in gun battles, children bringing guns to school etc., all fanned the flames of public concern.

Statistics indicate that only 20 per cent of the people involved in illegal activity are apprehended. Many of these criminals belong to organized crime networks, among them, the Mafia, drug smuggling rings, and street gangs.

Polls show that Americans regard crime as the number one social problem facing the nation. They fear being a victim of violent crime, or having their property violated, far more than they fear being unemployed or suffering a loss of income. Crime far outstrips¹ inflation, the deficit, or any other economic problem. In 1992, for example, there were about 34 million criminal acts committed in the United States – about 94,000 crimes daily. This is a Justice Department estimate². The exact number is not known, because many, if not most, crimes are not reported.

The national crime rate – crimes per capita – has tripled over the past 30 years. And at least 71 per cent of all violent crimes (rape, robbery, assault, personal theft) involve some kind of economic loss. The direct costs in one sample year, 1992 – in cash, cars and personal property – came to about $18 billion. But this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Crime victims suffer trauma, depression, and fear that inevitably affect their ability to work and help others. These problems can last a lifetime. The total costs of crime victims can, therefore, easily reach $250 billion to $500 billion each year.

Then there are the public costs. State and local governments spend about $80 billion per year on public safety. That includes police, courts, prisons, and parole systems. There are about 700,000 policemen and even larger number of private security guards. The US has, in effect become a police state, incarcerating 1.1 million people. The incarceration rate has doubled in the USA since 1980. It is the world’s highest – 4 times greater than Canada’s, 5 times England’s, 14 times Japan’s.

The increase in crime does not affect people equally. Crime is worse in cities, especially in the inner cities where poorer people live. African Americans are more likely to be victims of violent crime than whites.

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¹to outstrip – превосходить, опережать

²estimate - оценка