Think tank’s report provides data-driven insights on crime, incarceration, and public safety to inform policy conversations statewide
NASHVILLE – Tennessee has experienced an undoubtedly positive trend in recent years: multiple key indicators of crime have decreased from 2019 to 2024, finds a new report from nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee. Yet at the same time, Tennessee continues to see some of the country’s lowest rankings of public safety and criminal justice system effectiveness. The State of our State: Public Safety and Criminal Justice, a comprehensive report examining the major components of Tennessee’s criminal justice system, provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the state as it seeks to improve public safety, effectiveness, and fairness.
“While recent data indicate progress on several fronts – including reductions in crime and incarceration – Tennessee still has substantial room to strengthen fairness, consistency, and long-term public safety outcomes,” said Erin Hafkenschiel, president of ThinkTennessee. “This report provides clear, data-driven information to help policymakers and stakeholders engage in productive conversations about the future of criminal justice policy in Tennessee.”
The report analyzes elements of Tennessee’s criminal justice system, including crime rates, law enforcement, the court system, correction and incarceration, and the youth justice system. Despite positive trends, the analysis highlights persistent gaps in justice system processes and outcomes across counties, including inconsistent case outcomes, variations in court practices, and ongoing differences in criminal justice experiences for Tennesseans depending on where they live. The report also underscores the limitations posed by fragmented data collection and sharing across systems, which can impede timely understanding of trends and outcomes statewide.
The accompanying key takeaways brief, Criminal Justice in Tennessee: Trends, Notable Progress, and Persistent Gaps, highlights the meaningful declines in several major crime and incarceration indicators as well as the structural gaps that continue to shape justice system experiences across the state.
Key Takeaways:
- High crime rates occur in both urban and rural Tennessee counties.
- More than half of crimes in the state are property crimes.
- White Tennesseans’ per capita crime rate is highest but declining.
- Crime and incarceration rates are trending downward statewide.
- Over a third of Tennessee’s prison population is housed in privately managed prisons.
- Justice system processes and outcomes are inconsistent across the state.
The key takeaways brief Criminal Justice in Tennessee: Trends, Notable Progress, and Persistent Gaps and the complete State of our State: Public Safety and Criminal Justice report can be found on ThinkTennessee’s website at thinktennessee.org/research/criminal-justice.
