Official stresses Iran's low crime rate

The rate of crime and criminal acts in Iran is much lower than the rate in the other world countries, Head of Iran's Prisons Organization Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli said. "The statistical figures pertaining to crime and criminal acts in Iran are much lower than those of the other countries," Esmayeeli stated. "I do not reject that our judicial centers are overcrowded but figures show that crime and criminal actions in Iran are much low in comparison with the other countries," Esmayeeli said, adding that a large number of inmates in Iran are in prison for drug-related crimes. The Iranian official further pointed out that the US is witnessing the highest number of criminal acts in the world, adding that from every 100,000 Americans 700 are in jail in the US. Crime has been a long-standing concern in the United States, with high rates at the beginning of the 20th century compared to a main part of Western Europe. Since 1964, the US crime rate has increased by as much as 350%, and over 11 million crimes were reported in the year 2007 alone.