Crime in Large Cities: A review of crime rates and economic conditions in large U.S. cities has determined, at least over the short term, unemployment and wages do not have an effect on the rate of violent crime. An AP story by Cheryl Wittenauer discusses the study, conducted for the Federal Reserve Bank by economist Thomas Garrett. The study did suggest that non-violent crimes do appear to follow economic conditions.

Crimes by Girls: A research bulletin from the U.S. Department of Justice reports that violent crimes committed by girls are not increasing. The Department's Office of Justice Programs created a Girls Study Group after a sharp increase in arrests of female juveniles in the 1990s to address the problem. The first report by the group is here.

Conviction Upheld for Rapist/Murderer:
The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and LWOP sentence for Roger Bentley according to this AP story by Melanie Welte. Bentley was convicted in 2006 of kidnapping ten-year-old Jetseta Gage from her bedroom then taking her to a mobile home where she was raped before being beaten and finally suffocated to death. Although Bentley claimed that there was insufficient evidence to identify him as the kidnapper, the Court's decision describes the overwhelming evidence of guilt in this case. Iowa does not have a death penalty.

Texas Murderer Executed: Gregory Wright, a homeless vagrant who stabbed to death a woman who helped him, was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas yesterday. An Associated Press story by Michael Graczyk reports that Wright proclaimed his innocence and blamed the murder on another homeless man, before being pronounced dead in a process that took nine minutes.