Today we released a new study analyzing crime trends for 29 of the largest cities in the US for which both jail population data and crime data were available between the months of March and May.

Thread https://www.aclu.org/news/smart-justice/decarceration-and-crime-during-covid-19/?initms_aff=nat&initms_chan=soc&utm_medium=soc&initms=200727_covid_feature_tw&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=covid&utm_content=200727_criminallaw_feature&ms_aff=nat&ms_chan=soc&ms=200727_covid_feature_tw

We found that crime rates decreased in nearly every city this spring compared to the same period of time the year prior, due to a number of factors including a shift in arrest policies to reduce low-level arrests, and the release of people who were most vulnerable to the disease.

Further, contrary to the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration, our analysis found no evidence of any spikes in crime in any of the 29 locations, even when comparing monthly trends over the past two years.

The release of incarcerated people from jails has saved lives both in jails and in the community, all while monthly crime trends were within or below average ranges in every city.

There are almost 740,000 people in jail in the US on any given day. A person is admitted every three seconds.

Governors, sheriffs and other stakeholders in the criminal legal system responsible for protecting incarcerated people should continue to take steps necessary to decrease jail prison populations, particularly for those who are most vulnerable.