Donald Trump and Republicans bear some responsibility too.
It was them who pushed 2nd chance initiatives that freed blacks who went back on the streets.
Say what you want about Biden, but he was right on 2 things: Not wanting his kids to go to school with ferals, and his 1994 crime bill which locked up a lot of thugs.
The U.S. Department of Justice didn’t even exist until 1870. Before that, the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorneys for the various state districts operated under the Treasury Department. And they were mostly engaged in civil matters — because treason and tax evasion were probably the only Federal crimes on the books.