And we must restore the public's confidence in the operation of our justice system. The crime rate is at its lowest level since 1973, violent crime is at its lowest since 1985, and the number of black juveniles being arrested for violent crimes has decreased by almost 44 percent. However, the criminal justice system is not operating any more efficiently, and is perhaps even more congested than it was five years ago. Criminal case filings are up, more people are being detained until disposition, and the time from arrest to disposition of criminal cases in the state courts has increased by 18 percent for both guilty pleas and trials. The ratio of blacks admitted to prison or jail to blacks arrested is dramatically higher than the same ratio among whites.
Minorities generally serve more time until first release than do whites, for all types of offenses.
Blacks are increasingly being both victimized by crime more frequently and imprisoned more often than are other Americans. Blacks serve more time until first release for most types of offenses than both whites and Hispanics. One exception is drug offenses, for which blacks and Hispanics generally serve the same length of time until first release, although both serve longer than whites. For the measured period, the report finds that drug use is climbing among almost all age groups, with the most significant increase among the young. Black juvenile drug arrests increased by 20 percent, while white juvenile drug arrests increased by more than 80 percent.