Is there peace in Nevada? Not much of it, index shows

By Steve Kanigher

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 | 10:52 a.m.

A study released today ranked Nevada third from the bottom among states on a U.S. Peace Index that measured homicide rates, violent crimes, incarcerations and other elements of public safety and health.

The index was compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a nonprofit research group with offices in New York City and Sydney, Australia, that promotes a greater understanding of peace and its economic impact.

Only Louisiana and Tennessee faired worse in the study than Nevada, which has a history of appearing near the bottom of good lists and near the top of negative ones. The index listed Maine as the nation's most peaceful state.

Among the states, with a ranking of 50 being the most negative, Nevada ranked dead last in violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 45th in number of police per capita, 38th in per capita homicides, 36th in incarcerations and 32nd in availability of small arms.

With Washington, D.C., also added, Nevada ranked last in high school graduation (based on 2008 data), 49th in educational opportunities, 48th in the percentage of residents without health insurance, 42nd in teenage pregnancy rates and 40th in the percentage of individuals with at least a high school diploma.

The institute estimated that if the United States reduced its violent crime and incarceration rates to levels equal to Canada, this nation would save $89 billion, generate $272 billion in additional economic activity and create 2.7 million jobs.

"Peace translates into dollars and cents," institute founder Steve Killelea said. "We have seen this in the findings of the 2010 Global Peace Index, where we found that a 25 percent reduction in global violence would free up $1.8 trillion annually."