The Graphic Truth: The racial breakdown of US arrests

February 06, 2023

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Demographics of those arrested for crimes in the US, 2020%

Luisa Vieria

Criminal justice advocates often point to US incarceration rates as proof of racial disparities in policing and American courts. But many say that systematic racism is also reflected in how law enforcement targets individuals for scrutiny and subsequent arrest – the cases of Tyre Nichols and Eric Garner are but two headline-grabbing examples. Consider that, despite accounting for just 13.6% of the national population, 36% of those arrested for violent crimes in 2020 were Black. We take a look at the race profiles of people arrested for various crimes.

Viewpoint: How strong is Trump’s support 100 days in?

US President Donald Trump returns to the White House from his New Jersey golf club to Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

With a cohesive team in the White House, Republican control of Congress, and a disoriented Democratic opposition, Donald Trump has pushed ahead rapidly on many fronts since inauguration. But opinion polls in recent weeks have shown a sharp decline in public support for the president, and the courts, financial markets, and other institutions have started curbing his actions. We asked Eurasia Group experts Clayton Allen and Noah Daponte-Smith where things are likely to go from here.

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Rescuers search for a 17-year-old and his parents near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on April 24, 2025.

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The Graphic Truth: The racial breakdown of US arrests

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On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen shares what it was like growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in the US—and how the Americans around him often misunderstood the emotional toll of displacement.

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On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Mai Elliott recalls how witnessing the human toll of the Vietnam War firsthand changed her views—and forced her to keep a life-altering secret from her own family.