AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CRIME IS CONflicted. Although concerns about proliferation of crime are prevalent, people's fascination with crime has created a popular culture boom for real and fictional crime stories. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victims Survey, although between the years 1999 and 2000 violent crime and property crime decreased to an all—time low in the history of the survey, nearly half of the people polled in twelve major American cities said they were fearful of becoming a victim of crime. And depending on the city, between 7 and 48 percent of American residents keep a firearm or other self—defense weapon in the home out of fear of victimization by crime. Additionally, America's crime legislation is considered by many to be the toughest in the world, and many voters claim that fear and concern about crime significantly influence their choices about political...