According to the U.S. Census website, SC ranked #1 for violent crime back in 2004. Since then, authorities have worked hard to improve that standing. As of March 2008, CQPress released numbers that show SC is the 4th Most Dangerous State now, a ranking brought together from several factors:
- arrests
- corrections
- courts
- crime clearances
- drug and alcohol treatment
- juvenile justice
- law enforcement expenditures
- offenses, and other related factors