Crime Without Punishment: Homicide clearance rates are declining across the U.S. Baltimore's is down to 42%.
CBSN
Baltimore — Baltimore has seen so much pain, with more than 1,500 people killed in the past five years. More than half of those killings remain unsolved.
WJZ, in collaboration with CBS News, is examining a crime often going without punishment in our country. The national homicide clearance rate is at an all-time low, according to FBI data. In the mid-1960s more than 90% of murders were solved, generally resulting in an arrest. By 1990, the percentage fell into the 60's. Then, by 2020, as the number of homicides surged, the national clearance rate dropped to about 50% for the first time ever.
Our analysis with CBS News also discovered differences by race. The national homicide rate for white victims keeps improving. The rate of solving murders for Black and Hispanic victims is much lower.
