The public is concerned about crime and distrustful of the justice system.
- In recent polls, 63 percent of people say that crime in the United States is an extremely or very serious problem.1
- Just 17 percent of the public report “quite a lot” of confidence in the criminal justice system.2
Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System, 2010–2023
- Between racial disparities and concerns about violence and disorder, people are worried the justice system is broken.
State leaders need a plan to advance safety and justice.
- To be effective, any plan must be responsive to state-specific trends and research-based tactics.
- Governors and legislators are best positioned to bring together people and data from across their states to develop a plan that is effective, efficient, and fair.
To equip state leaders, the CSG Justice Center has analyzed the most recent 50-state data on crime, arrests, and prison populations and has developed a list of 5 ways states can reduce violent crime.
Footnotes and Project Credits
1 Jeffrey M. Jones, “More Americans See U.S. Crime Problem as Serious,” Gallup, November 16, 2023, accessed January 25, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/544442/americans-crime-problem-serious.aspx.
2 Lydia Saad, “Historically Low Faith in U.S. Institutions Continues,” Gallup, July 6, 2023, accessed January 25, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/508169/historically-low-faith-institutions-continues.aspx.
This project was supported by Arnold Ventures.
Writing: Marshall Clement, Robert Hamill, Madeleine Dardeau, CSG Justice Center
Data Analysis and Visualization: Matt Herman, Andrew Byrum, CSG Justice Center
Advising: Dion Clark, Grace Beil Call, Jessica Saunders, Chris Horn, CSG Justice Center
Editing: Leslie Griffin, CSG Justice Center
Public Affairs: Brenna Callahan, Kevin Dugan, CSG Justice Center
Design/Web Development: Besnik Berisha, Yewande Ojo, CSG Justice Center; eleventy Marketing Group