Racial Disparities in NY Criminal Court Outcomes
February 25, 2026 · 7 min read
Criminal court outcomes in New York vary by race and ethnicity. We analyzed 1.28 million DCJS Pretrial Release records to measure statewide dismissal and conviction rates across racial groups. These are aggregate statistics reflecting systemic patterns — not individual-level predictions.
Statewide Outcomes by Race
| Race/Ethnicity | Total Cases | Dismissal Rate | Conviction Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 541,595 | 57.4% | 42.1% |
| Hispanic | 343,026 | 57.6% | 42.1% |
| White | 324,257 | 36.3% | 63.3% |
| Asian | 51,925 | 68.5% | 31.2% |
| Other | 7,152 | 34.1% | 65.3% |
| Unknown | 7,044 | 52.9% | 46.7% |
| Native American | 5,240 | 49.3% | 50.4% |
Charges With Largest Outcome Gaps
The following charges show the largest difference in dismissal rates between Black and White defendants statewide.
| Charge | White Dismissal Rate | Black Dismissal Rate | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambling | 43.9% | 83.7% | 39.8 pts |
| Tax Offense | 34.4% | 67.9% | 33.5 pts |
| Aggravated Harassment | 55.0% | 79.5% | 24.5 pts |
| Escape / Bail Jumping | 26.8% | 50.5% | 23.7 pts |
| Strangulation | 55.4% | 78.7% | 23.3 pts |
| Sex Offense | 23.2% | 46.0% | 22.8 pts |
| Disorderly Conduct | 25.7% | 47.6% | 21.9 pts |
| Burglary | 20.8% | 42.6% | 21.8 pts |
| Menacing | 55.7% | 77.4% | 21.7 pts |
| Theft of Services | 43.9% | 65.2% | 21.3 pts |
| Drug Offense | 30.0% | 51.3% | 21.3 pts |
| Endangering Welfare of a Child | 41.5% | 62.7% | 21.2 pts |
| Kidnapping | 38.4% | 58.7% | 20.3 pts |
| Official Misconduct | 42.8% | 62.9% | 20.1 pts |
| Reckless Endangerment | 34.9% | 54.6% | 19.7 pts |
Key Findings
- Dismissal and conviction rates vary across all racial groups in the DCJS data.
- The largest outcome gaps appear in specific charge categories, not uniformly.
- These patterns are consistent with national research on criminal justice disparities.
Source: New York DCJS Pretrial Release Data (2019–2024). Race/ethnicity as recorded by DCJS. Groups with fewer than 100 cases are excluded. These are aggregate statistics reflecting structural patterns and do not predict individual outcomes.
Data source: New York DCJS Pretrial Release Data. Last updated March 2026. — NewYorkCourtFile.com
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