By Robin S. Engel, Nicholas Corsaro, Gabrielle T. Isaza, and Hannah D. McManus
This comprehensive analysis of arrest trends is the first of its kind since the federal government stopped releasing detailed arrest data in 2020. It shows that arrests fell sharply in 2020 during the pandemic—and have stayed down since then.
Using multiple federal data sources, this report rebuilds national arrest trend lines across age, gender, race, and offense categories—restoring national visibility into more than 40 years of arrest patterns.
Leaders from the Council on Criminal Justice Centering Justice project and other experts discussed what the criminal justice field faced in 2025 and what we might expect in 2026.Â
The Council on Criminal Justice is founded on the belief that a fair and effective criminal justice system is essential to democracy and a core measure of our nation’s well-being.
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