Shocker: New York Has One of the Best Conviction Rates in America

If you thought New York was weak on crime, think again.

Crime is one of the leading concerns heading into the 2024 election, and for good reason.

Voters in New York State claim lawmakers have emboldened criminals with measures like Raise the Age and bail reform.

Read More: NY Police Say Man's 10th Arrest Is Example of Bail Reform Failure

It's understandable why some people feel things have become less safe in New York State.

Recent issues include an increase in copper piping thefts or the new "jugging" trend hitting innocent victims at ATMs.

On the other hand, it seems our law enforcement officers are working harder than ever to keep our streets safe.

But residents still worry that too many criminals are avoiding jail time because of these seemingly lax laws, especially when it concerns repeat offenders.

So, imagine our surprise when a study from Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers at H&P Law looked into the states with the most aggressive incarceration rates.

It claimed the Empire State had the seventh highest conviction rate in the entire country, with 95.89% of criminal defendants that went to trial receiving a conviction.

This is about 5.05% higher than the national average, which sits at a 90.84% conviction rate.

The study pulled data from the Federal Judicial Centre. It found that in 2023, New York  convicted 2,756 out of 2,874 of its criminal defendants.

The leading charge were for possessing a controlled substance, with 433 defendants being found guilty of that particular crime. Of all people who faced drug charges in court, the study found 98.63% of them were convicted.

New York also had a 100% conviction rate for those facing traffic offense crimes.

While some may argue that the study only looks at convictions and not the number of arrested criminals who went to trial, this is still a pretty impressive feat.

No matter how one feels about the Raise the Age and bail reform laws, it seems our courts are very tough on crime - and are officially among the toughest in the entire country.

The #1 toughest state on crime was Arizona, boasting a conviction rate of 96.98% after convicting 4,908 of its 5,061 criminal defendants in 2023.

New Mexico, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wyoming respectively rounded out the top 5.

Coming in 6th place, and beating New York by a hair, was Texas. The Lone Star State tried 16,978 defendants in 2023 and convicted 16,283 of them. That gives them an overall conviction rate of 95.91 percent.

That being said, while people feel New York has ways to go to address crime and public safety - at least our state is doing something right when it comes to the courtroom.

Said Matt Pfau, a partner of the H&P Law firm, conviction rates "shed light on which judicial systems might be operating efficiently."

Meanwhile, the state with the lowest conviction rate was Maryland, with a conviction rate of just 39.08% in 2023 after 1,699 defendants stood trial and only 664 were found guilty of their respective crime.