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Sep 26, 2024 | 
brennancenter.org | Ames C. Grawert
View the entire Myths and Facts About Crime and Justice Reform collection On Monday, the FBI released final year-end data on crime in 2023 showing that violent crime continues to drop, with a record-breaking decline in murders. Larceny, which encompasses shoplifting, also fell, even as car thefts remain on the rise. The bureau’s data closely aligns with predictions from independent experts, all of whom estimated steep drops in murders in 2023 and 2024 alike.
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Sep 11, 2024 | 
brennancenter.org | Ames C. Grawert
When violent crime spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, many voices in politics and the media found a convenient scapegoat: bail reform. But is bail reform really why crime rose? A recent study I published with Smith College economics professor Terry-Ann Craigie found no evidence connecting the two. Bail refers to the conditions under which someone accused of a crime can be released while awaiting trial.
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Apr 10, 2024 | 
brennancenter.org | Stephanie Wylie |Ames C. Grawert
Every day, judges set bail for thousands of individuals charged with a crime. Bail represents a promise that they will return to court for their next court appearance. In many cases, courts require that this promise be secured by money beyond people’s means. As a result, despite the presumption of innocence, thousands remain behind bars for months or even years until their cases are resolved.
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Nov 27, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Lauren-Brooke Eisen |Ames C. Grawert
When crime rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, some pundits and politicians jumped to a convenient scapegoat: criminal justice reform. They were wrong then, and they’re wrong now. No evidence exists to support a link between crime and reforms that seek to make our system fairer and more effective. Yet the narrative persists, growing with intensity as every election day approaches. Fortunately for the country, not everyone has fallen for the rhetoric.
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Nov 3, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Ames C. Grawert
Esta columna se publicó originalmente en La OpiniónHace dos años, el informe anual del FBI sobre las tendencias del delito señaló lo que muchas personas ya sabemos muy bien: los delitos violentos iban en aumento en Estados Unidos. El informe de este año, publicado la semana pasada, nos dio una noticia alentadora: si bien siguen existiendo algunas señales de alerta, es posible que la ola de delitos de la era del Covid-19 pueda estar retrocediendo.
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Oct 18, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Ames C. Grawert
On October 16, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released its annual report on crime in 2022. Long awaited by policymakers and members of the public, the report offers significant insight into how crime trends have developed since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Detailed data tables are available from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. How to Read the FBI’s 2022 Annual ReportThis year’s report comes amidst a major transition in the way police agencies report crime data to the FBI.
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Sep 28, 2023 | 
statecourtreport.org | Douglas Keith |Rex Bossert |Alicia Bannon |Ames C. Grawert
Over the last 40 years, there has been a quiet revolution in the constitutional rights of crime victims. In 1982, Ronald Reagan convened the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime, which ultimately recommended an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Though congressional resolutions to advance such an amendment never gained enough traction, the effort gave rise to a national campaign to amend state constitutions.
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Sep 12, 2023 | 
statecourtreport.org | Gabriella Sanchez |Alicia Bannon |Michael Li |Ames C. Grawert
On September 14, the Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that considers the scope of legislative privilege under state law. The court will decide whether 11 current and former Republican state legislators must turn over their private communications with members of the public regarding two Iowa election laws.
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Jul 20, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Stephanie Wylie |Ames C. Grawert
Earlier this summer, New York legislators closed the books on an eventful session for criminal justice policy. Policymakers revised the state’s bail reform law for the third time in four years. Lawmakers also passed the Clean Slate Act, a bill that would automatically seal old criminal records. And in the last days of the session, the legislature passed another bill that would rewrite the state’s post-conviction laws around wrongful convictions.
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May 9, 2023 | 
brennancenter.org | Ames C. Grawert |Tim Lau
Murder and violent crime rose sharply in 2020 and 2021, though some trends may have begun to reverse last year. Unfortunately, the data remains much sparser than policymakers and the public would prefer, frustrating our ability to fully understand these important dynamics. Here are five key takeaways from the evidence we have so far:Murder and gun violence appear to be declining. Murder climbed sharply in 2020, driven in part by increasing gun violence.
