Is that some light I see at the end of the crime and justice tunnel? Well, by golly, I think it is!

Let's start out this New Year by reviewing some recent encouraging news from the crime and justice front.

First, the overall crime rate in America is down. It may not feel like it where you live, some states had better showings than others, but nationwide the statistics are startling, especially since many believe in times of economic stress crime rates usually go up. This proves that's not necessarily so.

The latest FBI stats show the most surprising decline came in the rate of murder and manslaughter cases, down 10 percent during the first six months of 2009. Robbery rates dropped by 6.5 percent, property crimes fell 6.1 percent, and violent crimes by 4.4. Rapes were off 3.3 percent. Oh, and probably because of advances in vehicle security systems and GPS tracking devices, car theft was chopped by almost 19 percent!

Crime rates haven't been this low since the 1960s. I'm getting all giddy and hopeful just writing this down!

While the statistics are impressive, no one can say for sure why the declines happened. Probably because a bunch of us are getting older, over 50, and generally speaking crimes are most often committed by younger people. Another theory: more of us are unemployed, staying home and scaring away would-be robbers.

Am I a Pollyanna to think that maybe the hard economic times we've all gone through the last couple of years resulted in a communal feeling of being in the same foxhole, fighting the same common enemy, and we're less likely now to victimize our fellow survivors? Maybe while we were hunkered down for so long, we somehow learned compassion for others.

My hypothesis could be buttressed by this next bit of good news. Good Samaritan tipsters calling in to Crime Stoppers programs with valuable information on murderers, rapists, drug dealers and other criminals are deciding not to claim their cash rewards — even when they amount to thousands of dollars.

Lt. Tom Kern, chairman of Crime Stoppers USA, says, "Most of the programs I have spoken with report 20 to 30 percent of their eligible callers did not claim their rewards and a couple of programs said that over 50 percent of rewards have gone unclaimed." In Morris County, N.J., the numbers are even more astounding. Crime Stoppers Chairman John Sette says up to 90 percent of their tipsters now shun rewards: "The majority of people don't want the money. ... They want the bad guys off the street."

Unselfish Americans watching out for each other to keep the streets safer from crime. Sweet.

And, finally, for the first time in four decades, the prison population in America is not growing as fast as it had been. Since the early 1970s, the number of prisoners has risen steadily every single year, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In the 1990s, for example, the prison population ballooned an average 6.5 percent every year as states enacted tougher anti-crime laws. But in 2009, the rate of growth was only 0.8 percent.

The reason for the downward tick in the numbers of new prisoners is again credited to the graying of America and the number of young men who have chosen to enter the armed services to fight in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

But there's another trend in prison reform that accounts for the prison population decline and gives me great hope. Many states have begun to look at alternative ways to keep people from ever entering prison. A new system of drug courts is springing up designed to take first-time felony offenders and put them into a program of therapy and close case management. Let's face it — our decades-long War on Drugs has been a failure. and this outside-the-box thinking might be a good step in a much-needed different direction.

Lest my inner Pollyanna run amok here, let me also hasten to say that there is negative news on the prison inmate front, too. With budgets squeezed dry, many states are releasing convicts long before they've served their full sentences. California is letting loose 40,000 inmates to make ends meet. Some criminal justice experts warn another crime wave, perpetrated by these new releases, could be right around the corner.

But for now let's dwell on the positive. For the first time in 40 years, America's crime rates are down and the number of new prisoners is at its lowest rate of increase. Maybe most importantly, if the Crimestoppers trend spreads, we may be seeing a new era of neighbors caring about neighbors, taking responsibility for the safety of their own communities.

What a great way to start the New Year!

Visit Diane Dimond's official website at www.dianedimond.com for investigative reporting, polls and more. To find out more about Diane Dimond and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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