Arnold Ventures Commends the Alabama Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey for Taking Action to Improve Violent Crime Clearance Rates

Ring: Legislation ​“will help policymakers identify and implement evidence-based solutions to combat crime and make communities safer.” 

Houston, TX (February 25, 2026) — Arnold Ventures applauds the Alabama legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey for acting in a bipartisan manner to prioritize solving more violent crimes. HJR 34, passed by the legislature on February 12^th and signed into law by Gov. Ivey, will establish a Crime Clearance Data Taskforce ​“to study crime clearance rates, their impact on deterrence, and data reporting gaps” and then make policy recommendations to address these issues. This legislation will identify areas where the state can better aid law enforcement and deliver justice for victims, and will support an evidence-based understanding of how solving crimes affects deterrence, public safety, and justice outcomes in Alabama. 

“While violent crime is falling in many parts of Alabama, state leaders rightly are focused on what steps they can take to continue this trend, said Kevin Ring, vice president for criminal justice advocacy at Arnold Ventures. ​“We are optimistic that this new task force will help policymakers identify and implement evidence-based solutions to combat crime and make communities safer.”

Like in many states, the majority of violent crimes in Alabama are never solved. Recent analysis of law enforcement data reported to the FBI by the Council of State Government’s Justice Center suggests that just 37% of violent crimes in the state were solved in 2024. This is 7 percentage points lower than the national solve rate for violent crime and a significant downward trend from 2014, when around 46% of reported violent crimes were solved. Low and falling clearance rates impact victims, their families, and communities. Moreover, it affects public safety. Research shows that the certainty of being caught is better at deterring crime than the severity of punishment. 

Ring and other AV Criminal Justice experts are available for interview or comment. More information on AV’s criminal justice policy work can be found here.