Wales Has The Third Highest Rate Of Violent Crime In The World, according to a story written by David James from the Western Mail. Alcohol-fuelled fights in Welsh towns and city centres has been a primary cause. Only England and Northern Ireland have recorded higher levels of violent crime, according to a report compiled by Welsh Assembly Government statistician. There were 1,950 incidents of violent crime recorded in Wales per 100,000 people, compared to 2,200 and 2,000 in England and Northern Ireland, respectively. The only other three countries that recorded more than 1,000 incidents are Austria, New Zealand and Sweden. The international crime comparison figures also revealed the murder rate in Wales was just over 10 per 100,000 people, slightly below England, and half the level in Scotland. Lithuania topped the table with nearly 90 murders per 100,000 people.

Study Finds Returning Deported Illegal Immigrants Commit More Crimes: Anna Gorman from LA Times reports that illegal immigrants who have been deported at least once from the United States are far more likely than other immigrants to repeatedly commit crimes, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corp. Overall, however, illegal immigrants were not a greater crime risk, according to the study, which looked at all inmates released from Los Angeles County Jail for a month in 2002. But among those who previously had been deported, reentered the U.S. and were arrested and released from jail, nearly 75% went on to commit another crime within a year. And 28% were arrested three or more times during the one-year period. The recidivism rate was much lower for illegal immigrants who had not been previously deported, with 32% of those inmates being rearrested within a year and 7% arrested three or more times during that year.

Washington County Sheriff's Department Emphasizes Crime-Education Link Study: According to a story written by Diana Graettinger from the Bangor Daily News, Sheriff Donnie Smith said "high school dropouts are more likely to turn to crime." A recent report released by "Fight Crime: Invest in Kids" shows that high school dropouts are 3 1/2 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested, and more than eight times more likely to be incarcerated. Nationwide, 68 percent of state prison inmates have not received a high school diploma. This also holds true in the Washington County Jail, Smith said. A study by two prominent economists found that a 10 percent increase in graduation rates would reduce murder and assault rates by about 20 percent. This prevents more than 20 murders and more than 900 aggravated assaults in Maine every five years, the sheriff says.

Death Penalty - Pros And Cons Debated By 200 Experts At ProCon.org: An article from the MarketWatch states that today ProCon.org announces its newest nonpartisan website, deathpenalty.procon.org, to help Americans decide whether or not to abolish the death penalty. The website lists 25 important questions related to the death penalty and presents answers to those questions from over 200 diverse experts including sociologists, law enforcement officials, religious leaders, legal scholars, activists, academics, government agencies, and even a few convicted criminals. Sources range from Barack Obama to John McCain, from the American Bar Association to the U.S. Department of Justice, and from the Dalai Lama to Eliot Spitzer. Also provided are all federal and state capital laws, execution statistics, a glossary, a reader comments page, and more research in development. No site like deathpenalty.procon.org had previously been created to simultaneously help legislators, policy makers, clergy, students, and the general public inform themselves about the death penalty in a nonpartisan pro-con manner.

Mother Convicted In Kids' Drownings Free On Parole: An AP story reports a woman convicted in the drowning deaths of her three children who has been released on parole after serving part of a 10-year sentence. Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Derek Schnapp says Amanda Hamm left the Dwight Correctional Center Tuesday morning. Hamm was convicted of child endangerment in 2006 in the deaths of 6-year-old Christopher Hamm, 3-year-old Austin Brown and 23-month-old Kyleigh Hamm. Hamm's boyfriend, Maurice LaGrone Jr., is serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Hamm and LaGrone planned the drownings at the lake near their home in Clinton because the children were in the way of their relationship.