U.S.
Department of Justice · Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics |
Corrections Statistics - |
Prison Statistics Summary
findings | BJS publications | Selected
statistics | Summary findingsOn June 30, 2003,
At midyear 2003 there were 4,834 black male prisoners per 100,000 black males in the United States in prison or jail, compared to 1,778 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 681 white male inmates per 100,000 white males. Between 1995 and 2001, the increasing number of violent offenders accounted for 63% of the total growth of the State prison population; 15% of the total growth was attributable to the increasing number of drug offenders. Click on the chart to view full sized version. |
Most serious offense | Percent of sentenced State inmates |
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---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 2001 | |||
|
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Total | 100 | % | 100 | % |
Violent | 47 | 49 | ||
Property | 23 | 19 | ||
Drug | 22 | 20 | ||
Public-order | 9 | 11 |
BJS PublicationsThis list is in order of the most recent publication first. Additional titles are listed on other topical pages and a comprehensive list is contained on the BJS publications page. To see a full abstract of a publication with links to electronic versions of the publication, click on the title below. Profile of Nonviolent Offenders Exiting State Prisons, 05/02. Provides a description of the general characteristics of prison populations serving time for nonviolent crimes as they exit State prisons. NCJ 207081 Cross-National Studies in Crime and Justice, 09/04. Summarizes the results from a study that documents crime and criminal punishment trends from 1981 to 1999 in eight countries: Australia, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. NCJ 200988 Data Collections for the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, 07/04. Reports on the status of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) efforts to measure the incidence and prevalence of sexual assault within the Nation's correctional facilities. NCJ 206109 State Prison Expenditures, 2001, 06/04. Presents comparative data on the cost of operating the Nation's State prisons. The study is based on institutional corrections elements of the Fiscal 2001 Survey of Government Finances which State budget officers reported to the U.S. Census Bureau. NCJ 202949
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003, 5/04. Presents data on prison and jail inmates, collected from National Prisoner Statistics counts and the Annual Survey of Jails in 2003. NCJ 203947
Hepatitis Testing and Treatment in State Prisons, 4/04. Presents facility policies related to Hepatitis C testing and treatment and hepatitis B vaccinations, based on the 2000 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, which gathered data from 1,584 State institutions. NCJ 199173 HIV in Prisons, 2001, 01/04. Provides the number of HIV-positive and active AIDS cases among prisoners held in each State and the Federal prisons system at yearend 2001. NCJ 202293
Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994, 11/03. Presents, for the first time, data on the rearrest, reconviction, and reimprisonment of 9,691 male sex offenders, including 4,295 child molesters, who were tracked for 3 years after their release from prisons in 15 States in 1994. NCJ 198281 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2000, 8/03. Presents information on facilities, inmates, programs, and staff of State and Federal correctional facilities throughout the Nation. NCJ 198272
Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001, 08/03. Presents estimates of the number of living persons in the United States, 1974 to 2001, who have ever been to State or Federal prison. NCJ 197976 Prisoners in 2002, 7/03. Reports the number of persons in State and Federal prisons at yearend, compares the increase in the prison population during 2002 with that of the previous year, and gives the prison growth rates since 1995. NCJ 200248
Education and Correctional Populations, 01/03. Compares educational attainment of State and Federal prison inmates, jail inmates, and probationers to that of the general population. NCJ 195670
Correctional Populations in the
United States, 1997, 11/00. Presents data on the growing number
of persons in the United States under some form of correctional supervision
for 1997 and reports on the Survey of State and Federal inmates, 1997. After 1997, data are only available in electronic formats. See Correctional Populations in the United States - Statistical tables 9/02.
Prisoners in 2001, 7/02. Reports the number of persons in State and Federal prisons at yearend, compares the increase in the prison population during 2001 with that of the previous year, and gives the prison growth rates since 1995. NCJ 195189
Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, 6/02. Reports on the rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration of former inmates who were tracked for 3 years after their release from prisons in 15 States in 1994. NCJ 193427. Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1983, 4/89. NCJ 116261 Firearm Use by Offenders, 11/01. Describes firearm use of State and Federal prison inmates including types of firearms used, characteristics of inmates using firearms, why and where inmates used their firearms, and where they obtained their firearms. NCJ 189369. Mental Health Treatment in State Prisons, 2000, 7/01. Reports on facility policies related to screening of inmates at intake, conducting psychiatric or psychological evaluations, and providing treatment (including 24-hour mental health care, therapy/counseling, and use of psychotropic medications). NCJ 188215. Medical Problems of Inmates, 1997, 1/01 Presents survey data on offenders who were in prison who reported a medical problem since admission or a physical impairment or mental condition. NCJ 181644 Defense Counsel in Criminal Cases, 11/00. Examines issues of legal representation for defendants in Federal district court and large local jurisdictions, and inmates in local jails and Federal and State prison. NCJ 179023 Incarcerated Parents and Their Children, 8/00. Presents data from the 1997 Surveys of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities concerning inmates with children under the age of 18, whether or not inmates lived with their children prior to admission, and the children's current care givers. NCJ 182335 Profile of State Prisoners under Age 18, 1985-97, 2/00. Presents trend data from 1985 to 1997 on persons under 18 in State prison, focusing primarily on persons admitted to prison under the age of 18: their demographic characteristics, offenses, average sentence length, and expected time served. NCJ 176989 Veterans in Prison or Jail, 1/00. Presents data from the 1997 Surveys of Inmates in Adult State and Federal Correctional Facilities and the 1996 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails concerning inmates' prior military service. NCJ 178888 Time Served in Prison by Federal Prison by Federal Offenders, 1986-97, 6/99. Describes changes in sentences imposed and time served brought about by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 by cohorts of offenders entering and exiting Federal prison between 1986 and 1997. NCJ 171682 Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers, 7/99 Presents survey data on offenders who were in prison or jail or on probation and who reported prior treatment for a mental or emotional problem. NCJ 174463 DWI Offenders under Correctional Supervision, 6/99 Provides data on offenders in jail, in prison, or on probation for driving while intoxicated. NCJ 172212 Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers, 4/99. Describes prior physical and sexual abuse reported by persons in prison, in jail, or on probation. NCJ 172879 Assessing the Accuracy of State Prisoner Statistics, 2/99. Compares two series of data on characteristics of State prisoners: State prison records and State court records. NCJ 173413 American Indians and Crime, 2/99. Reports the rates and characteristics of violent crimes experienced by American Indians and summarizes data on American Indians in the criminal justice system. NCJ 173386 Truth in Sentencing in State Prisons, 1/99. Describes the development and use of truth-in-sentencing (TIS) laws and presents data on the growing number of States that have adopted TIS and the increasing amount of time offenders are serving in State prison. NCJ 170032 Substance Abuse and Treatment, State and Federal Prisoners, 1997, 1/99. Presents data from the 1997 Survey of Inmates in Adult State and Federal Correctional Facilities concerning prisoners' use of alcohol and illegal drugs and the substance abuse treatment they received. NCJ 172871 State and Federal Corrections Information Systems , 10/98. Reports on a recently completed inventory of information systems in State and Federal departments of adult corrections. The inventory establishes a basis for improving the capacity to provide comparable data and to facilitate cross-jurisdictional research. NCJ 170016 Crime and Justice in the United States and in England and Wales, 1981-96, 10/98. Presents data that compares crime in the United States and England with respect to crime rates (as measured both by victimization surveys and police statistics), conviction rates, incarceration rates, and length of sentences. NCJ 169284 Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison, 3/97. Describes characteristics of persons admitted to prison for the first time, compares lifetime and one-day prevalence rates, considers changes in admission rates since 1991, and discusses the estimation techniques. NCJ 160092 Prison and Jail Inmates, 1995, 8/96. Reports that at the end of 1995, there were almost 1.6 million men and women in the Nation's jails and prisons. NCJ 161132 National Corrections Reporting Program, 1992, 10/94, NCJ 145862 Describes the demographic characteristics, offenses, sentence length, and time served of persons admitted to and released from the Nation's prison and parole systems.
Performance Measures for the Criminal Justice System, 10/93 . This compendium of Discussion Papers represents the work of the BJS-Princeton University Study Group on Criminal Justice Performance Measures. NCJ 143505 Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991, 5/93. Presents new data about State prison inmates: their background and families, criminal histories, gang membership, drug and alcohol use, HIV/AIDS infection, gun use and possession, sentence, time served, and participation in prison programs. NCJ 136949Selected statisticsCorrectional Populations in the
United States - Statistical tables
1998 data are currently available, 9/02 National trends
Year-end totals
Annual admissions
Annual releases
Persons incarcerated
Also by BJS staffBeck, Allen J. "Growth, Change, and Stability in the U.S. Prison Population, 1980-1995" Corrections Management Quarterly, forthcoming 1(2), 1-14. Greenfeld, Lawrence A., Allen Beck, and Darrell Gilliard, "Prisons: Population trends and key issues for management," Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 21, No. 1, 1996. Langan, Patrick A., "America's soaring prison population," Science, 251, pp. 1568-1573, March 29, 1991. Langan, Patrick A., "Racism on trial: new evidence to explain the racial composition of prisons in the United States," Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 76, 3, pp. 666-683. Related sites From
BJS Other relevant sites
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