This report describes cases processed by the federal criminal justice system, including the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Sentencing Commission. It is the 34th in an annual series based on data from BJS’s Federal Justice Statistics Program, which began in 1979. The report provides national statistics on the federal response to crime for fiscal year 2020 and some statistics on changes over time. It also describes case processing in the federal criminal justice system, including investigations by U.S. attorneys, prosecutions and declinations, convictions and acquittals, sentencing, probation and supervised release, and imprisonment.
- During fiscal year (FY) 2020, U.S. marshals made 120,112 arrests, a 42% decrease from the 206,630 bookings in FY 2019.
- In FY 2020, five U.S.-Mexico border districts accounted for 56% of federal arrests.
- The coronavirus pandemic drove an 81% decline in arrests and 77% decline in cases charged from March to April 2020.
- Of the 26,696 Drug Enforcement Administration arrests in FY 2020, the most common drug type involved was methamphetamine (8,783 arrests), followed by powder cocaine (4,474 arrests).
- Nine in 10 defendants adjudicated in U.S. district court in FY 2020 were convicted.
