Arrests, Prosecutions, & Deportations Fuel Record Drop In Crime Authored by John R. Lott Jr. via RealClearInvestigations, The United States has been running a real-time experiment on two approaches to criminal justice: the Biden-era emphasis on social justice versus the Trump administration's embrace of traditional law and order .
The results are now in. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported on Oct. 26 that felony violent crime fell by 25 percent in 2025 . Rape declined by 13 percent, robbery fell by 27 percent, and aggravated assault dropped by 31 percent. Property crime fell by 19 percent.
Except for rape, these are the largest one-year reductions recorded since data collection began 53 years ago. The reductions followed substantial increases during the previous four years , when felony violent crime rose by 59 percent, and violent crime, including misdemeanor simple assault, increased by 42 percent.
Murder also declined sharply last year.