Falling crime rates have been the norm in the United States for two decades, but newly released data raise the question of whether the trend is reversing itself. Statistics released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics show that violent crime has risen for two years in a row.

The violent crime rate rose 15.5 percent from 2011, the bureau reported, from 22.6 victimizations per 1,000 persons to 26.1. That rate includes sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault.