With more than two million people behind bars, the United States imprisons a larger share of its population than any other country. It might be the land of the free on paper, as over 70 million Americans have been arrested or convicted of a crime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prospects of a second chance are dim for those with a criminal record. A closer look at the country\u2019s criminal record statistics reveals that race is another critical variable in mass incarceration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read on to find out current statistics on the U.S. criminal records, crime, and imprisonment rates as of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many Americans have been arrested or convicted? What is the crime rate in the U.S.? How many have criminal records as of 2023?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s check what U.S. criminal record statistics say on the topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Techjury)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One in three American adults has been arrested or convicted of a crime at some point. Around 10% of them (8.0 million) have been imprisoned at least once in their lifetime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Texas Tribune)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. federal authorities made more than 2.3 million arrests during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022, exceeding last year\u2019s record of more than 1.7 million arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As high as these numbers are, criminal arrest records reveal that the arrest rate for all offenses in the US has declined since the 1990s. For example, in 1997, more than 15.2 million people were arrested. By 2017, that figure had dropped to slightly more than 10.5 million, translating into 3,152.6 arrests per 100,000 residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Crime and Delinquency)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study published in the academic journal, Crime and Delinquency examined the cumulative arrest histories of males from different races between the ages of 18 and 23. Excluding arrests for minor traffic violations, the study found that 30% of black males are arrested at least once by age 18. That figure climbs to 49% when black American males turn 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By comparison, 38% of white males are arrested by age 23, and 22% experience at least one arrest by the time they turn 18. Regarding Hispanic males, 26% are arrested by 18 and 44% by 23. These arrests can impede employment opportunities<\/a> and affect access to housing as criminal records show up during background checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, the entire system, which ensures truth and justice and includes police, prosecutors, and judges, fails to fulfill its responsibilities. These failures often result in wrongful convictions and ruined lives. Below are some alarming statistics on wrongful convictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Neal Davis Law Firm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas is tough on crime but also leads the nation in the number of wrongful convictions. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Illinois is in second place with 303 wrongful convictions between 1989 and 2019. New York and California also have a high number of dismissals. Over the last three decades, an estimated 2,468 people in the US collectively lost more than 21,000 years in prison due to wrongful convictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (University of California Irvine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all the progress made to curb racism worldwide, you\u2019d think race no longer plays a role in the American justice system. Unfortunately, it does. African-Americans convicted of murder in the US are 50% more likely to be wrongfully accused than others convicted. Moreover, the percentage of murder exonerees of all races convicted of killing white victims is even higher (52%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n (University of California Irvine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to criminal justice statistics, African-American males in jail for sexual assault are 3\u00bd times more likely to have been wrongfully accused and convicted than white males sentenced for the same crime. One of the main culprits behind this racial disparity is mistaken eyewitness identification by white victims of violent crimes who implicate black individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve already touched on the fact that the US has the largest prison population in the world. The following states offer a further breakdown of those numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Statista, Prison Policy Initiative)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US has 639 prisoners for every 100,000 residents. They are spread throughout 1,566 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 1,510 juvenile correctional facilities, 2,850 local jails, 186 immigration detention facilities, and 82 Indian Country jails, as well as in military prisons, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and detention facilities in US territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Pew Research Center)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some more recent data show the number of African American inmates per 100,000. Black adults have declined significantly in recent years. In 2006, there were 2,261 black inmates per 100,000 black adults. However, these numbers exclude people sentenced to one year in prison or shorter periods and those held in local jails still awaiting sentencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the imprisonment rate among the Hispanic community is 797 inmates for every 100,000 adults. The rate among whites is 268 prisoners per 100,000 adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Prison Policy Initiative)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This amount is roughly eight months of income for an average defendant. In most cases, low-income individuals cannot post bail and spend time in pretrial detention. To avoid jail, some end up going into debt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some states are safer than others. And even though the pandemic ushered in a wave of violent and property crimes, the hyperlocal nature of crime means that this phenomenon affects different parts of the country differently. Here are some stats that paint a clearer picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (World Population Review)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The number of homicides has spiked across the US in recent years. Louisiana is currently the state with the highest murder rate in the US, with a speed of 20.50 homicides per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming second is Louisiana, with a speed of 19.9 homicides per 100,000 people, then Alabama, with the third-highest murder rate in the United States. Alabama\u2019s murder rate is 14.2 murders per 100,000 residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Statista) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Violent crimes are offenses where a perpetrator uses or threatens to use force against the victim. Unfortunately, a lot of these crimes aren\u2019t reported to authorities. According to data on crime rates per state, Maine has the lowest reported violent crime rate in the United States, with 108.6 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020. New Hampshire and Vermont rank second and third, with 146.4 and 173.4 crimes per 100,000, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, the District of Columbia tops the list with 999.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Neighborhoodscout) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas is another state with a high violent crime rate. Another is California. Violent crimes committed in the Lone Star state in 2023 amounted to 134,372 at a crime rate of 4.55 per 1,000 residents. If you live in Texas, the chances of falling victim to a violent crime are 1 in 222.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Property crimes are even more significant, with about 647,101 crimes committed at 21.91 per 1,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the worrying law and order situation in the US, there is plenty of online sources offering data on crime. But the most reliable and accurate figures come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Their records show that many violent and property crimes go unsolved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Pew Research Center)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, only 40.9% of violent crimes and 32.5% of property victimizations were reported to the police. That\u2019s according to criminal justice stats compiled by the BJS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bureau notes several reasons why victims do not report crimes. Some fear reprisals, and others don\u2019t want to get the offender in trouble. Sometimes the victims feel the police won\u2019t or can\u2019t offer any help. That\u2019s not exactly surprising when we consider the performance of law enforcement in areas such as identity theft<\/a>, where a tiny percentage of criminals are identified and caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (FBI)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Property crime includes burglary, arson, vandalism, and motor vehicle theft. FBI records show that in 2019, there were 2,109 property crimes per 100,000 persons. Meanwhile, the number of violent crimes committed per 100,000 people was 379.4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the digital age, many are rightfully focused on shielding their private information online. But it\u2019s equally important to avoid becoming a victim of property crime by using protective devices and our common sense.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second and third most common types of crimes committed in the country are drug-related and alcohol-related crimes, identity thefts<\/a>, and cybercrimes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Legal Jobs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to criminal record statistics, only 1 in 3 property crimes in the US are reported, as the Bureau of Justice can only record 35% of the property crimes committed in the US. These crimes are challenging to solve, so unsurprisingly, only 19% of reported property crimes are solved and closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Pew Research Center)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police cleared 61.4% of homicide cases in 2019. That\u2019s six out of ten murders and non-negligent manslaughters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crime conviction statistics show significantly lower clearance rates for other types of crimes, including aggravated assault (52.3%), rape (32.9%), and robbery (30.5%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Felonies are crimes typically involving violence and are considered more severe than misdemeanors. Kidnapping, murder, rape, burglary, and arson can all result in felony charges. Here are some interesting stats on felonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (The Sentencing Project)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US Constitution states that the right to vote must not be denied or abridged to anyone who is 18 years of age or older. However, according to criminal record statistics, about 5.17 million US citizens faced disenfranchisement because they had previously been convicted of a felony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be disenfranchised means to be deprived of the right to vote. The millions prevented from voting in 2020 account for roughly 2.3% of the American electorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (The Sentencing Project)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the promises of a 2018 ballot referendum to restore their voting rights and despite having served their sentences, there are still an estimated 900,000 residents in Florida who cannot vote due to felony convictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes Florida America\u2019s disenfranchisement leader, with over 1.1 million Floridians banned from any voting activity. Many of those simply can\u2019t afford to pay court-ordered monetary sanctions. Furthermore, the state is not obligated to tell them how much their sanction costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWrongful Conviction Statistics 2023<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Incarceration Statistics for 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Crime Statistics by States in 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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US Crime Statistics in 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Felony Statistics for 2023<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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