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ADVANCE
FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT |
Bureau of
Justice Statistics |
SUNDAY,
MAY 2, 2004 |
Contact:
Stu Smith 202/307-0784 |
|
After hours: 301-983-9354 |
NATION SPENDS $167 BILLION ON CRIMINAL AND CIVIL JUSTICE
SERVICES
Since 1982, Justice Expenditures Average 8 Percent Growth Annually
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Local,
state and federal governments spent a record $167 billion on direct expenditures
for police protection, judicial and legal services and corrections activities,
during 2001, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS) announced today. That year, per capita justice expenditures were
$586 — about $254 per person for police protection, just over $130
per person for judicial and legal services and approximately $200 per
person for correctional services both in the community and in confinement
facilities.
Since 1982, justice expenditures have averaged
8 percent growth annually — about 11 percent annual growth at the
federal level, 9 percent at the state level and about 7 percent at the
local level. Justice spending per capita in 2001 was about double the
spending in 1982. During this period state and local police agency arrests
grew from 12 million in 1982 to about 13.7 million in 2001, according
to FBI estimates.
Almost half of the expenditures were funded
by local governments, while the states spent an additional 35 percent
and the federal government accounted for the remaining 15 percent. Criminal
and civil justice activities comprised about 7 percent of all state and
local government spending. In comparison, 30 percent of state and local
government spending went to education, 14 percent to public welfare, 7
percent to health and hospitals and more than 4 percent to interest on
government debt.
As of March 2001, the nation's federal, state, and local justice
system employed almost 2.3 million persons — about 1.1 million working
in law enforcement, just under a half million in the courts, prosecution
and public defense services, and nearly three-quarters of a million in
corrections. The March 2001 payroll at all levels of government totaled
$8.1 billion.
About 60 percent of all justice personnel worked
at the local level, nearly two-thirds of whom were employed by law enforcement
agencies. Local police and sheriff's department employees accounted
for 80 percent of all law enforcement personnel nationwide. One-third
of justice system employees worked for state governments, 64 percent of
whom were in corrections. Nine percent of all justice employees nationwide
worked for the federal government, with more than half in police service.
Overall, there were about 81 justice system
employees per 10,000 population in 2001. Per capita justice employment
among state and local governments was about 70 per 10,000 population in
2001. Among the states, the per capita number of justice system employees
was lowest in West Virginia, with 42 full-time equivalent justice employees
per 10,000 population while New York State had the highest with about
94 per 10,000 population.
On average, there were about 23 sworn state
and local law enforcement officers per 10,000 population (an additional
8 employees per 10,000 population were civilian, non-sworn personnel).
Among the states, Vermont had the fewest state and local sworn police
officers per capita (15 per 10,000) and New York had the most (39 per
10,000).
In 2001, there were about 14 employees per 10,000 residents working in
the courts, prosecution and legal defense services at the state and local
levels. Maine, with 7.3 judicial employees per 10,000 population, was
the lowest while New Jersey was the highest, with about 25 employees working
in the courts per 10,000 residents.
State and local correctional agencies and institutions
employed about 25 personnel per 10,000 population. West Virginia had the
lowest number of corrections personnel per capita (9.1 per 10,000) while
Texas and New York had the highest number (32.7 per 10,000).
The report, "Justice Expenditure and Employment
in the United States, 2001" (NCJ-202792), was written by BJS statistician
Lynn Bauer and U.S. Census Bureau analyst Steven D. Owens. Following publication
this document can be accessed at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/jeeus01.htm
For additional information about Bureau of Justice
Statistics reports and programs, please visit the BJS Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides
federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and
control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. OJP is headed
by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus
and two offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime,
as well as the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education,
and the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the
Weed and Seed program. Information about OJP programs, publications, and
conferences is available on the OJP Web site, www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
BJS04010
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