What race has the most exonerations?
Asked by: Raina McClure | Last update: February 1, 2026Score: 4.1/5 (70 votes)
Black people have the most exonerations in the U.S., representing over half of all exonerated individuals despite being a smaller portion of the population, with data from the National Registry of Exonerations showing Black exonerees make up around 53% while constituting only 13.6% of the U.S. population, highlighting significant racial disparities in wrongful convictions. Factors contributing to this include official misconduct, false accusations, and biased policing, with Black individuals often facing higher rates of wrongful conviction, especially in cases like sexual assault and drug crimes, and serving longer prison sentences before release.
Which race has the highest conviction rate?
There are minimal racial differences in conviction rates. The percent receiving favorable dispositions is slightly higher among Black individuals regardless of prior felony conviction status. Declines to prosecute also are higher for Black and Hispanic individuals.
Which ethnicity has the highest crime rate?
Scholars have found that some racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African-Americans, are disproportionately represented in the arrest and victimization reports which are used to compile crime rate statistics in the United States.
What race is most wrongfully convicted?
Black people, the researchers found, were 7 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted, were more likely to be the targets of police misconduct, and more likely to be imprisoned longer before being exonerated.
What race has the most hate crimes committed against them?
Since 2015, the largest increase of hate crimes by race/ethnicity were anti-Black.
- Anti-Black or African American. 1,757. 3,216.
- Anti-Hispanic or Latino. 300. 854.
- Anti-Asian. 115. ...
- Anti-White. 611. ...
- Anti-Other Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry. 258. ...
- Anti-Arab. 157.
- Anti-Multiple Races, Group. 113. ...
- Anti-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
Study examines wrongful convictions by race
Which ethnicity is the most aggressive?
McNulty and Bellair 10 found that African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans have higher involvement in serious aggression compared to White adolescents at ages 15 to 16. Several theoretical frameworks provide insight on the rationale behind racial and ethnic differences in the predictors of aggression.
What race is the most victimized?
Victimization rates show clear racial disparities. American Indian people and African Americans are the most likely to be victimized by serious violent offenses, followed by Hispanic people and, finally, by non-Hispanic White and Asian people.
Who makes up the most Exonerations?
More than half (52%) of people who are exonerated are Black, whereas White individuals account for the second largest group (33%). The average exonerated person was about 28 years old at the time of their conviction (see Figure 2).
Who commits the majority of violent crimes in America?
Among known risk factors for being convicted of a violent crime, male sex is the most prominent; men commit about 90 % of violent crimes [1, 3]. Substance abuse carries an increased risk for violent crime, both among offenders [11] and in general population samples [12–14].
Who has the highest crime rate in the US?
Memphis, Tennessee, consistently ranks as having the highest violent crime rate among large U.S. cities, followed by others like Oakland, CA, and Detroit, MI, with states like Alaska, New Mexico, and Louisiana often topping lists for overall violent crime per capita, though specific rankings vary by data source and year, with figures showing around 2,500 violent crimes per 100k people for Memphis in 2024.
What are the safest states in the USA?
Vermont ranks first in WalletHub's comprehensive safety ranking with a 67.22 score, while Maine shows the lowest violent crime rate at just 102.5 per 100,000 residents. Both states excel across multiple safety dimensions including low crime, strong financial security, and minimal natural disaster exposure.
Who has the highest crime rate in the world?
1. Venezuela Venezuela has a crime index of 82.1, the highest of any country in the world. The. U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Venezuela, indicating that it is unsafe to travel to the country, and travelers should not travel there.
Is crime related to race?
Racial disparities: relationship between inequality and crime. Racial inequality, resulting in increased disadvantages and imbalances that not only affect but overshadow the treatment of racial groups (such as racial minorities), has often been theorized to be a factor in the manifestation and explanation of crime.
What country is #1 in incarceration?
The United States leads the world in incarceration rate (per capita), while China often has the largest total prison population, though the US has nearly as many or slightly more prisoners depending on the year. However, recent data (early 2026) shows El Salvador with a significantly higher rate than the US, making it a leader in per capita incarceration, with the U.S. usually ranking among the top five globally.
What race are most correctional officers?
In 2023, 59.1% of the Correctional officers and jailers workforce were White, of which 22.7% were women and 77.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (23.8%) and Two or More Races (9.61%).
Who goes to jail the most?
An estimated 28.5% of black men, 16.0% of Hispanic men, and 4.4% of white men are expected to serve a State or Federal prison sentence. In general, women have lower lifetime chances of incarceration than men; however, black women (3.6%) have nearly the same chance as white men (4.4%) of serving time in prison.
What is the #1 race for hate crimes?
Black or African American individuals are the most frequent victims of race-based hate crimes, consistently representing the largest single group targeted by offenders motivated by racial bias, followed by anti-White and anti-Hispanic/Latino biases, according to FBI data. While these statistics highlight racial bias as the top motivation for hate crimes, anti-Jewish incidents dominate religious hate crimes, and sexual orientation remains a significant driver for other bias-motivated offenses, with specific trends changing yearly.
What race has the highest incarceration rate in the US?
Black individuals are incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates than any other race in the U.S., both in absolute numbers (especially relative to population size) and in lifetime likelihood, with studies showing Black men are significantly more likely than White or Hispanic men to serve prison time, reflecting significant racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Which gender commits the most crimes?
The nature or motive of the crime itself may also require consideration as a factor. Gendered profiling might affect the reported crime rates. Statistics have been consistent in reporting that men commit more criminal acts than women.
What race is the most wrongfully convicted?
African Americans are more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder, rape and drug crimes than white people, and those who are exonerated spend more time in prison before they are released, according to a recent report by the National Registry of Exonerations.
What is the #1 leading cause of wrongful convictions?
While a systemic issue often cannot be traced back to a singular cause, in this case, the most common factor leading to wrongful convictions is faulty eyewitness testimony. An overwhelming majority, as high as 75%, of known wrongful convictions involve mistaken eyewitness identifications6.
What country has the highest criminal conviction rate?
Japan. The conviction rate is 99.3%. By only stating this high conviction rate it is often misunderstood as too high—however, this high conviction rate drops significantly when accounting for the fact that Japanese prosecutors drop roughly half the cases they are given.
What race group has the highest crime rate?
Abstract. Official record studies consistently show that Blacks exhibit higher levels of involvement in criminal offending than Whites do.
What nationality has the highest crime?
Crime rate by country 2025: 10 countries with the highest crime...
- 4/11. Venezuela - 80.5. ...
- 5/11. Afghanistan - 75.2. ...
- 6/11. South Africa - 74.6. ...
- 7/11. Honduras - 71.9. ...
- 8/11. Trinidad and Tobago - 71.0. ...
- 9/11. Syria - 68.4. ...
- 10/11. Jamaica - 67.4. ...
- 11/11. Peru - 66.7. Peru is among the world's largest cocaine producers.
Which nation is the most violent?
- Afghanistan. Children and families in Afghanistan face daily life marked by hunger and hidden dangers. ...
- Central African Republic (CAR) The Central African Republic has faced decades of violent uprisings and broken peace deals. ...
- Colombia. ...
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ...
- Gaza and the West Bank. ...
- Haiti. ...
- Myanmar. ...
- Sudan.