Crime is an illness that thrives in the concrete jungles of our society. It is fed by poverty, hatred, and vengeance. It begs for it, like a stray dog begging for table scraps. It crushes innocence without hesitation and makes monsters out of men. Crime across the nation has been down by 0.9%, according to the F.B.I. (Federal Bureau of Investigation) until recently. Crime in the United States during 2015 revealed that violent crimes, such as murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, have been up by 3.9% since 2014. Though many sources claim crime has been down by 2.9% (Uniform Crime Reporting) that only includes property crimes, such as burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and vandalism. It was estimated by the F.B.I. that more than 15,000 murders were committed in 2015. The same research found that over 90,000 rapes were committed as well, over six times the numbers of murders. Those only include the cases that were reported, and a study by RAINN found that out of every ten rapes, only three are reported. These numbers are based on the logs from The Criminal Justice System and only cover the national area. In some areas, such as Boston, Massachusetts, those numbers are much higher.

The Boston Police Department recently found that their crime rate is 90% higher than the national average, making them one of the cities with the highest crime rate. Crime rates are based on reported crimes, the number of unreported crimes would make this much higher. A series of murders have been committed in Boston recently, and it was known to start around late August. Even though the Boston Police Department hasn’t released any official statements, many locals believe their is a serial killer. Boston’s amount of crime proves this theory might not be so far fetched. The string of murders follow similar patterns that stand out from an average homicide. Without revealing any graphic information, it is important to note that the murders have been committed around the same time frames, with the same style, and almost nothing has been left for the police to go off of. Out of respect for the victims and their families, no private information, such as their name, will be given. Boston has the 20th largest police department, so one might hope these families are able to find the peace they deserve as soon as possible. Though Boston is known to be a beautiful college city, their amount of crime is just one example of the spread of crime across the nation. Recent events have even shown peaceful protests turning into a crime scene. As a society, we need to be the ones to fix this problem.

Even the smallest things can make a difference. If you or someone you know witnesses a crime, they must report it and keep a detailed account of what happened. If companies hire ex offenders it has been proven to keep them from falling back into the abyss of illegal activity. Calling your local law office to advocate for new laws, or reformed laws, can cause a spark of change in unjust or obsolete laws. Even just being kind to a stranger can make all the difference, for we never know what is going on in someone else’s life. Arthur Conan Doyle once wrote, “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” It is about time that we, as a society, prove Mr. Doyle wrong.