Crime in Louisiana

This article refers to the situation of crime in the state of Louisiana.

Statistics

In 2008 there were 197,574 crimes reported in Louisiana including 541 murders^[1].

Louisiana by far is the worst state for lethal violence. Its per capita murder rate has led all states for 21 consecutive years (1989–2009) according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. The fact that Louisiana's incarceration has been the highest of any state for most of the last 20 years makes some criminologists wonder why the state's murder rate has remained the highest for the period. Louisiana is also the only state with an average per capita murder rate during that period that's more than twice as high as the U.S. average per capita murder rate during that same period, Louisiana averaged 14.5 murders per 100,000, compared to the U.S. average of 6.9 murders per 100,000 from 1989 through 2009.

Louisiana murder rates per 100,000^[2]

Year	Murder rate	Year	Murder rate
1989	14.9	2000	12.5
1990	17.2	2001	11.2
1991	16.9	2002	13.2
1992	17.4	2003	13.0
1993	20.3	2004	12.7
1994	19.8	2005	10.0
1995	17.0	2006	13.1
1996	17.5	2007	14.7
1997	15.7	2008	12.3
1998	12.8	2009	11.8	1999	10.7 Capital punishment laws Capital punishment is legal in Louisiana[3]. ^ [1] ^ BOJ Statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports ^ http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut3.htm