Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners

so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

On today's program, Katie Weaver has a report on the drop in violent crime in the United States last year.

Mario Ritter Jr. and Jill Robbins

have this week's education report.

We close the show with the lesson of the day.

But first, here is Katie Weaver. with the lesson of the day.

But first, here is Katie Weaver.

Violent crime decreased in the United States in 2023. A new report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation

says. The FBI released its report Monday.

The report shows violent crime dropped an estimated 3% in 2023 from the year before. Murders dropped almost 12%.

Here is what the Associated Press said about the FBI report.

Crime increased sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, with homicides increasing by nearly 30% in 2020 from the year before.

That was the largest one-year increase since the FBI began keeping records.

Experts said possible reasons for the rise include the huge disruption of the pandemic, gun violence, worries about the economy, and intense stress.

The FBI data show that in 2022 violent crime across the US decreased to levels near those before the

pandemic. Crime continued to decrease last year from 377 violent crimes

per 100,000 people in 2022 to 364 per 100,000 people in 2023.

Deputy Assistant Director Brian Griffith of the FBI's Criminal Justice

...