Gun violence dominates the news, but is crime out of control in Chicago?

You don’t need to be a social scientist to know that gun violence increased considerably over the past few years in Chicago. Everyone is reminded of this each weekend, when the public and media are focused on how many homicides or shootings occurred, pointing to either a rise or fall from the previous weekend or the previous year. Homicides and shootings exact an enormous toll on family members, friends, surviving victims and communities exposed to violence. Because of this, these crimes warrant media coverage, public concern and effective responses by elected officials. Indeed, the public sho...