Only 2% of federal criminal defendants went to trial in 2018, and most who did were found guilty
Trials are rare in the federal criminal justice system: Just 2% of criminal defendants went to trial in fiscal 2018. Acquittals are even rarer.

Associate Director, Short Reads
John Gramlich is an associate director at Pew Research Center, where he
oversees the organization’s data journalism blog. His research and writing focuses on criminal justice, legal affairs, immigration and other issues. Before joining the Center, he was a researcher at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he focused on the U.S. correctional system. Earlier in his career, he was a journalist at news organizations including CQ Roll Call, Stateline.org and The Baltimore Sun, covering criminal justice and other subjects. He has a master’s degree in journalism and public affairs from American University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Pennsylvania State University.