Crime rates jump according to FBI stats

Interestingly, on a day of two wins for capital defendants in the Supreme Court (basics here, commentary here), there is somewhat surprising news on the crime rate front.  As detailed in this CNN story, for “the first time in 13 years, the violent crime rate has jumped significantly in the United States, with the biggest increase in the Midwest, according to figures released by the FBI on Monday.”  Here are more details:

The murder rate in the United States shot up 4.8 percent last year, and overall violent crime was up 2.5 percent for the year, marking the first significant annual increase in crime in the United States since 1993, the FBI said. 

Law enforcement authorities and criminologists reacted cautiously, uncertain whether the preliminary statistics for 2005 signal the end of a long downward trend in the crime rate, or simply a one-year anomaly.

This news make me wonder whether some folks might connect rising crime rates to recent SCOTUS work — e.g., might anyone claim this is a Blakely or Booker or Roper spike?   The news also perhaps raises the possibility that crime and punishment issues could become a significant issue in the coming election cycle.