American Indian and Alaska Native Persons in the Federal Criminal Justice System, 2023

• NCJ Number: 310479
• Author(s): Mark A. Motivans, PhD, BJS Statistician; Ryan Kling, BJS Statistician
• Date Published: March 2026
• Publication Type: Publication

Description

This report presents findings on American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals in the U.S. criminal justice system in 2023. It describes AIAN persons processed at each stage of the federal justice system: arrest, prosecution, pretrial detention and release, sentencing, incarceration, and community supervision. Findings are based on data from BJS’s Federal Justice Statistics Program and other published sources.

Highlights

• In FY 2023, federal law enforcement agencies made 2,908 arrests involving an AIAN suspect—an arrest rate of 65 arrests per 100,000 AIAN persons in the population.
• Violation of supervision (47%) was the most common arrest offense in FY 2023. A greater percentage of males (48%) than females (39%) had a supervision violation arrest in FY 2023.
• In FYs 2021–2023, the 3-year average federal AIAN arrest rate (per 100,000) was highest in South Dakota (643), North Dakota (486), Wyoming (350), and Montana (298).
• AIAN defendants charged in U.S. district court in FY 2023 were predominantly male (80%) and had a high school education or less (81%).