Fact check
“The number of kids arrested and entering the system for violent crime has decreased over that time period.”
Reasoning
The ProPublica article reports that, despite overall increases in certain juvenile crimes, the number of arrests of youth for violent offenses has declined, with murder being the only violent category that saw an increase in arrests (from 15 in 2013 to 26 in 2024) but still below its 2018 peak. This directly supports the claim that arrests for violent crime have decreased over the time period.
On confidence: The claim is directly confirmed by the cited ProPublica article, which states that the number of kids arrested and entering the system for violent crime has decreased over the period examined.
Important context
The decrease applies to violent crimes overall; murder arrests increased slightly but remain lower than the 2018 peak, indicating the overall trend is downward.
Evidence
Supporting (2)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceTennessee to Spend Millions on New Youth Prisons Despite Juvenile Crime Drop — ProPublica
juvenile crimes in Tennessee — including murder, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and crimes with firearms — have increased since 2013. But not every report results in an arrest, for a number of reasons; multiple people might call…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceTennessee to Spend Millions on New Youth Prisons Despite Juvenile Crime Drop — ProPublica
even for violent crime, has decreased over that time period. Murder was the only violent crime included in the report for which arrests increased, from 15 cases in 2013 to 26 in 2024. That number is still lower than it was at its peak in…
Limitations
The evidence is limited to the data presented in the ProPublica article and does not include independent verification from other sources or detailed statistical tables.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 4:37 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
Across the Country, Youth Prisons Are Closing. This State Is Building More.ProPublica · Paige Pfleger