How to Reduce Crime in Atlanta
SAFER COMMUNITIES THROUGH POLICY
Get 6 Practical Policy Methods to Restore Community Safety
Moving around your neighborhood freely and safely is one of people’s most basic desires. It’s also necessary for building vibrant communities. Without public safety, communities become trapped in cycles of violence, poverty, and despair. This is fast becoming Atlanta’s reality. Since 2018, crime in Atlanta has spiked, cutting lives short and leaving behind grieving families and fractured communities.
Our Atlanta Crime Report details six practical solutions that city leaders can use to reduce crime in Atlanta and restore safety, hope, and opportunity to the broader community.
Access the Report:
Reducing Crime in Atlanta
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Atlanta’s Safety Decline:
Crime Stats to Know
- Atlanta has had 90 murders or more every year since 2018.
- Rising murder rates have led to the loss of 217 additional people over the previous decade’s homicide average.
- In cities like Atlanta, gangs account for 0.5% of the population and are responsible for 70% of homicide and gun violence
- A decrease in Atlanta police officers has gone hand-in-hand with an increase in the city’s crime.
- Convicted violent criminals aren’t serving their full sentences. Attempted murder convicts released in 2022 had served only 35% of their time, and felons convicted of unlawful firearm possession had only served 30% of their full sentences.
It’s Possible to Bring Atlanta’s Crime Rate Back Down
Fixing Atlanta’s crime problem is about focusing on the most violent offenders. By addressing gang-related violence and solving more homicide investigations, Atlanta can restore community safety, improve trust with city officials and law enforcement, and expand upward mobility and opportunity for residents.
6 Public Safety Recommendations
for City Leaders
Address community disrepair.
Build trust by protecting victims.
Remove egregious offenders.
Focus law enforcement on high-risk areas.
Implement pre-entry services for juvenile offenders.
Reevaluate re-entry programs.
“The brief and its recommendations are designed to create a base level of what order and public safety should look like across the board. It’s imperative that we have an intentional conversation about the state of crime in Atlanta now, and how we can improve that for the future.”
About The Author
Josh Crawford
Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives
Josh Crawford is a native of Massachusetts. He went to Penn State for his undergraduate degree and then finished law school in Boston. After a brief stint in Sacramento, California, working in the county district attorney’s office, Josh moved to Kentucky to help start the Pegasus Institute, a nonpartisan organization designed to promote opportunity. In addition to serving as executive director of the organization, Josh had a special focus on criminal justice policy.
“By focusing on public safety and order, we can restore hope and opportunity to rural communities.”
Media Inquiries
To book Josh Crawford for an interview or speaking engagement, contact Corey Burres, GCO’s Vice President of Communications, at coreyb@foropportunity.orgor click the link below.
