Public Safety & Criminal Justice in Houston

Public safety is foundational to building a healthy environment that allows a community to thrive.

Gun death rates in the Houston region are at their highest level in two decades, while traffic-related deaths have fallen. The number of reported hate crimes in the region has increased while reported human trafficking cases have declined. And while adult incarceration rates have not fallen, the rate at which juveniles are referred to probation has dropped significantly.

The data

Gun deaths rise in last two decades

For two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021, the top cause of death for American children was related to firearms. Nearly 1 out of every 5 children ages 1 to 17 dies as a result of a gunshot wound. The number of people, especially children, who die as a result of a firearm is a public health threat — in 2021, that totaled nearly 2,600 children.

Firearms are involved in most killings in the United States, including 79% of all homicides and 53% of all suicides in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Across all of Texas, the firearm death rate is at 14 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020 — 34% higher than in 2010.

In 2020, the firearm fatality rate in Harris County was the highest in the Houston region at 16.1 deaths from firearms per 100,000 people. The firearm fatality rate in Fort Bend County was the lowest in the region at 10.8 per 100,000. Fort Bend County has boasted the lowest gun death rate since 2000.

Gun violence is rising in Texas and Houston as well. In the last decade, the firearm fatality rate increased 30.8% statewide and 31.3% within Houston’s three-county region. Among the three counties, Harris County has the highest rate of firearm mortalities, but Montgomery and Fort Bend counties are driving the last decade’s increase. In Montgomery and Fort Bend counties, the firearm fatality rate increased 37% and 40% from 2010 to 2020, respectively. These figures were far above both the national and state rates. In Harris County, the firearm fatality rate increased 32% in the past decade, slightly slower than the national pace.

Traffic deaths fall by nearly half in Montgomery and Fort Bend counties

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 54. According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 42,800 Americans lost their lives in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2022. The human toll is devastating, but the economic impact is also staggering.The NHTSA estimates that the total social cost of these crashes — which accounts for the economic costs of fatalities, injuries, and vehicle damage — was a staggering $340 billion in 2019 alone.¹

Compared to statewide and national averages, Houston’s three-county area has a below-average rate of traffic fatalities. However, the overall number of lives lost on the road is still a cause for concern. 

In 2020, Harris County recorded 585 traffic deaths, equivalent to around 1.6 deaths every day. This translates to a traffic death rate of 12.3 per 100,000 population in Harris County. In the United States and Texas, the figures are 13.7 and 14.7, respectively, meaning that Harris County has relatively less traffic fatalities than the nation despite being less walkable and more car dependent. The traffic death rate In Fort Bend County (6.7 deaths per 100,000) was half that of Montgomery County (13.6 deaths per 100,000).

Examining the historical trend, we observe a decline in traffic death rates across the Houston region, Texas, and the United States over the past two decades. From 2000 to 2020, Harris and Montgomery counties cut their vehicle death rates in half, while Texas, Fort Bend County, and the United States saw declines of 25%. This decrease is part of a trend dating back to the mid-20th century attributable to advancements in car safety, increased seatbelt usage, and a successful campaign against drunk driving.² However, it is crucial to note that the decline in traffic fatalities has slowed down or, in some cases, even reversed in the 2010-2020 period. Scholars point to increased distracted driving and the prevalence of cell phone usage while driving as contributors to this concerning trend.

More hate crimes are being reported to authorities

A hate crime is a committed criminal offense that is motivated entirely or partly by the offender’s bias against a race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender or gender identity.

It is universally known that hate crimes are vastly underreported. A study comparing survey results from official hate crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that federal data captures about 1 in 31 hate crimes.³ However, the number of hate crimes reported to authorities has risen in recent years, and experts have varying explanations for the increase in reported hate crimes. Historically, hate crimes have been chronically underreported because victims may not trust the authorities, language barriers, and a difficult reporting process.⁴ More recently, researchers have noted that the increased public profile of white supremacist groups since 2016 has brought attention to hate crimes and encouraged reporting to law enforcement.⁵ Irrespective of external influences on the likelihood of reporting hate crimes, studies have demonstrated that different targeted groups have varying levels of willingness to report the incident.⁶

Since 2016, the number of hate crimes reported to Houston Police Department (HPD) has steadily increased. The number of reported hate crimes in 2020 exceeded the decade’s previous peak in 2015. The majority of reported hate crimes in 2020 were motivated by the victim’s race, ancestry, or ethnicity (72%). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple studies confirm an increase in harassment towards Asian Americans broadly.⁷

This mirrors trends in the rest of Texas and the United States. The number of reported hate crimes in the Lone Star State jumped from 179 in 2016 to 406 in 2020 — with crimes motivated by race, ancestry, and ethnicity climbing from 104 to 285. The pattern holds nationally as reported hate crimes across the U.S increased from 6,276 to 8,263 in the same period, with the increase concentrated in racially motivated crimes.

The pandemic slowed human trafficking rates after years of increases

Often described as modern-day slavery, human trafficking involves the use of force, intimidation, coercion, fraud or threats to exploit vulnerable individuals, including men, women, and children. While human trafficking takes various forms, sex trafficking and forced labor are the most common. Sex trafficking occurs when individuals use forms of coercion and intimidation to sexually exploit others and labor trafficking occurs when contractors, employers and others use forms of coercion to force people to work against their will. Because of its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and its central position relative to major cities on the East and West Coasts, Houston is known as a hub for human trafficking. 

Human trafficking data, from the National Human Trafficking Hotline statistics, paint a picture of statewide and national trends. Note that these statistics only reflect calls to the hotline, and not criminal charges.

In Texas, 987 cases of human trafficking were reported to the hotline in 2020. This represents a significant increase from just five years earlier when 455 cases were reported. This surge in reported trafficking cases was observed for both trafficked children and adults, although the overall number of adult cases reported to the hotline was higher. Specifically, from 2015 to 2020, adult cases witnessed a staggering 123% increase — rising from 295 to 659 — while child cases increased 39% from 155 to 216.

In 2020, the rate of human trafficking cases in Texas reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline (3.37 cases per 100,000 population) was only slightly higher than in the U.S. (3.21). In both Texas and the U.S., the rate of trafficking decreased between 2019 and 2020.

Regional incarceration rates remain steady

The incarceration rate measures the rate of people in federal/state prisons and/or local jails per 100,000 residents. The Vera Institute of Justice compiles data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics to calculate the “total incarceration rate,” which accounts for both the state prison population and the county jail population, the latter of which is less typically included in measurements of incarceration.

In 2019, Harris County’s incarceration rate was about 940 individuals per 100,000 people aged 15 to 64, which is lower than the statewide rate. That same year, Texas imprisoned about 1,140 per 100,000 people in the same age group and the United States imprisoned 980 individuals per 100,000 people. Montgomery County’s incarceration rate before the pandemic (890 people per 100,000 aged 15 to 64) matched Harris County’s. However, Fort Bend County has consistently had the lowest incarceration rate in the three-county region with 340 people in jails and prisons per 100,000 working-age people.

Across Houston’s three county region, there are pronounced disparities in the incarceration rates of different racial/ethnic groups.⁸ In the past decade, Black people are incarcerated at consistently the highest rates, reflecting — according to scholarly consensus — years of War on Drugs discriminatory policing and a legacy of economic exploitation and abandonment. In Harris County, the incarceration rate of Black adults is nearly triple that of white adults. In Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, Black people are 3.29 and 3.1 times more likely to be imprisoned, respectively.

Harris County’s juvenile probation referral rate falls 80% over last decade

The juvenile detention system in Texas is a dedicated system focused on the “treatment and rehabilitation” of youth at least 10 years old but not yet 17. In lieu of being charged for a crime like adults, juveniles are “referred” to the court, which can then decide whether or not to place the minor on probation, pursue incarceration by charging the minor as an adult, or some other repercussion.

Not only have the number of juvenile probation referrals in Harris County fallen, but so has the referral rate, which adjusts for population changes over time. In 2021, just over 600 per 100,000 young people received referrals, an 83% decline from 3,600 in 2010. Even prior to pandemic-related school closures in 2021, the referral rate was trending downward to below 1,000 referrals per 100,000 people aged 10-17.

This general decline in referrals applies to all examined racial/ethnic groups, although there was a slight uptick for Black juveniles between 2020 and 2021.In 2021, Black juveniles in Harris County were referred to probation at rates nearly four times higher than Hispanic youth and nearly seven times higher than white youth.

Local policy experts attribute the overall decline in referrals to the successful implementation of innovative programs within the county.⁹ These programs, which include mental health services and drug diversion initiatives, are designed to redirect young individuals away from the juvenile justice system.