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.

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Hurricane Melissa, which has developed into a Category 5 storm, moves north in the Caribbean Sea towards Jamaica and Cuba in a composite satellite image obtained by Reuters on October 27, 2025.

CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS

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Vincent Thian/Pool via REUTERS

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REUTERS/Cristina Sille

The Graphic Truth: The racial breakdown of US arrests

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The Graphic Truth: The racial breakdown of US arrests

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More from GZERO Media

A new set of forces is distorting the economy's response mechanisms and muting the traditional cycle. Listen to Strategic Alternatives, the RBC Capital Markets podcast, to hear Chief Economist Frances Donald break down what it means for companies, investors, and policymakers.

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The US president signed a raft of trade deals on Sunday at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, but the main event of his Asia trip will be his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

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On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology warns that tech companies are racing to build powerful AI models and ignoring mental health risks and other consequences for society and humanity.

Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to talk about the risks of recklessly rolling out powerful AI tools without guardrails as big tech firms race to build “god in a box.”

The next leap in artificial intelligence is physical. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how robots and autonomous machines will transform daily life, if we can manage the risks that come with them.

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