Arkansas 2019: Crime Trends Amid Opioid Crisis

In 2019, Arkansas saw a significant increase in violent crime rates, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. The state’s violent crime rate rose by 7.4% compared to the previous year, with murders and non-negligent manslaughters making up a substantial portion of the increase.

The opioid crisis continued to ravage the nation in 2019, with Arkansas being no exception. The state struggled with high rates of opioid-related overdoses and deaths, which likely contributed to the rise in violent crime. The FBI UCR program reported that 44% of all violent crimes in Arkansas were committed under the influence of a substance, highlighting the impact of the opioid epidemic on crime rates.

Nationally, 2019 saw a 3.4% decrease in violent crime rates, according to the FBI’s UCR program. However, Arkansas’s trend bucked this national trend, with the state’s violent crime rate increasing significantly. This disparity highlights the unique challenges facing Arkansas in 2019, particularly in regards to the opioid crisis.

The majority of violent crimes in Arkansas in 2019 involved firearms. The FBI UCR program reported that 73% of all murders and non-negligent manslaughters in the state involved a firearm, emphasizing the need for effective gun control measures to address the state’s violent crime problem.

The FBI UCR program also reported that Arkansas saw a significant increase in property crime rates in 2019, with a 4.6% increase in burglaries and a 6.2% increase in motor vehicle thefts. These trends suggest that Arkansas’s crime problem is not limited to violent crimes, but also extends to property crimes.

As the nation grappled with the opioid crisis in 2019, Arkansas was one of the states most severely affected. The state’s crime trends in 2019 serve as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on communities across the country.