U.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2017and jails — a 500% increase over the last forty years. Changes in sentencing law and policy, not changes in crime rates, explain

1The Sentencing Project • 1705 DeSales Street NW, 8th Floor • Washington, D.C. 20036 • sentencingproject.org

FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

Trends in U.S. CorrectionsU.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2017

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series.

International Rates of Incarceration per 100,000

Source: Walmsley, R. (2019). World Prison Brief. London: Institute for Criminal Policy Research. Available online: http://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief

2017: 1,439,808

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

2017

2014

2012

2010

2008

200

4

2000

1996

1992

1988

198

4

1980

1976

1972

1968

196

4

1960

1956

1952

194

8

194

4

194

0

1936

1932

1928

1925

Num

ber o

f Peo

ple

India

Sweden

Denmark

Germany

France

Canada

China

Spain

Australia

Brazil

Russia

Rwanda

El Salvador

United States 655

464

618

383

333

172

127

118

114

104

77

63

59

33



State Expenditures on Corrections in Billions, 1985-2017

Source: National Association of State Budget Officers (1985-2017). State Expenditure Report Series. Washington, DC: National Association of State Budget Officers.

Population Under Control of the U.S. Corrections System, 1980 and 2016

Sources: Kaeble, D. and Cowhig, M. (2018). Correctional Populations in the United States, 2016. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Key Statistics: Total Correctional Population. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Totals adjust for individuals with multiple correctional statuses to prevent double counting.

MASS INCARCERATIONThe United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons and jails — a 500% increase over the last forty years. Changes in sentencing law and policy, not changes in crime rates, explain most of this increase. These trends have resulted in prison overcrowding and fiscal burdens on states to accommodate a rapidly expanding penal system, despite increasing evidence that large-scale incarceration is not an effective means of achieving public safety.

State & Federal Prison Population by Offense

Source: Bronson, J. and Carson E.A. (2019). Prisoners in 2017. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

1980: 1,842,100 individuals 2016: 6,613,500 individuals

36.4

6.7

16.9

26.1

51.4

42.3

59.8

2017201020052000199519901985

Other

Public Order

Property

Drug

Violent

Weapons Other

7.9%

47.3%

5.9%

38.5%

0.4%

Federal (2017) State (2016)

55.2%

14.8%

17.5%

11.9%

0.6%

Immigration

6.7% 17.0% 14.0%

ProbationParoleJailPrison

319,598

1,505,400

182,288

740,700

220,438

874,800

1,118,097

3,673,100

2016

1980



Number of Sentenced People in Federal Prisons for Drug Offenses, 1980-2017

Sources: Prisoners Series. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Number of People in Prisons and Jails for Drug Offenses, 1980 and 2017

Sources: Bronson, J. and Carson, E.A. (2019). Prisoners in 2017. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics; James, D.J. (2004). Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics; Zeng, Z. (2019). Jail Inmates in 2017. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Sentencing policies of the War on Drugs era resulted in dramatic growth in incarceration for drug offenses. Since its official beginning in the 1980s, the number of Americans incarcerated for drug offenses has skyrocketed from 40,900 in 1980 to 452,900 in 2017. Furthermore, harsh sentencing laws such as mandatory minimums keep many people convicted of drug offenses in prison for longer periods of time: in 1986, people released after serving time for a federal drug offense had spent an average of 22 months in prison. By 2004, people convicted on federal drug offenses were expected to serve almost three times that length: 62 months in prison.

At the federal level, people incarcerated on a drug conviction make up nearly half the prison population. At the state level, the number of people in prison for drug offenses has increased nine-fold since 1980, although it has begun declining in recent years. Most are not high-level actors in the drug trade, and most have no prior criminal record for a violent offense.

DRUG POLICY

1980: 40,900 individuals2017: 452,900 individuals

JailsFederal PrisonsState Prisons

19,000

190,100

78,800

4,700

17,200

184,000

1980

2017

20172010200520001995199019851980

4,749

22,037 30,470

56,989

74,276

131,739

97,800

186,545

9,491

35,555

52,782

88,658 87,800

160,524

78,800

166,776

Drug offensesAll offenses



Highest and Lowest State Incarceration Rates (per 100,000), 2017

Source: Bronson, J. and Carson, E.A. (2019). Prisoners in 2017. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

WOMENThe number of women in prison has been increasing at twice the rate of growth for men since 1980. Women in prison often have significant histories of physical and sexual abuse, high rates of HIV, and substance abuse problems. Women’s imprisonment in female-led households leads to children who suffer from their mother’s absence and breaks in family ties.

Number of Women in State and Federal Prisons, 1980-2017

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series; Minor-Harper, S. (1986). State and Federal Prisoners, 1925-1985. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Overall (All States = 390)State RateHIGHEST

Louisiana 719

Oklahoma 704

Mississippi 619

Arkansas 598

Arizona 569

LOWEST

Massachusetts 120

Maine 134

Rhode Island 170

Vermont 180

Minnesota 191

Women (All States = 57)State Rate

HIGHEST

Oklahoma 157

Kentucky 133

South Dakota 124

Idaho 114

Missouri 109

LOWEST

Massachusetts 9

Rhode Island 13

New Jersey 17

New York 22

Maine 22

Men (All States = 733)State RateHIGHEST

Louisiana 1,387

Oklahoma 1,262

Mississippi 1,189

Arkansas 1,122

Arizona 1,039

LOWEST

Massachusetts 239

Maine 250

Vermont 331

Rhode Island 337

Minnesota 357

20172010200520001995199019851980

111,360

13,20621,406

44,065

68,468

93,234

107,518112,867



Lifetime Likelihood of Imprisonment of U.S. Residents Born in 2001

Source: Bonczar, T. (2003). Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Rate of Imprisonment per 100,000, by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 2017

Source: Bronson J. and Carson, E.A. (2019). Prisoners in 2017. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

People in State and Federal Prisons, by Race and Ethnicity, 2017

Source: Bronson J. and Carson, E.A. (2019). Prisoners in 2017. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

RACIAL DISPARITIESMore than 60% of the people in prison today are people of color. Black men are six times as likely to be incarcerated as white men and Hispanic men are 2.7 times as likely. For black men in their thirties, about 1 in every 12 is in prison or jail on any given day.

Other

Hispanic

Black

White 436,500

475,900

336,500

190,900

30.3%

33.1%

23.4%

13.3%

Black men

Black women

White women

Latina women

White men

Latino men

49

92

67

1,054

397

2,336

White Women Latina WomenBlack Women

White Men Latino MenBlack Men

1 in 111 1 in 451 in 18

1 in 17 1 in 61 in 3

All Women

1 in 56

All Men

1 in 9



Number of Youth Held in Jails and State Prisons, 1985-2017

Sources: Austin, J., Johnson, K. D., & Gregoriou, M. (2000). Juveniles in Adult Prisons and Jails: A National Assessment. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Assistance; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear Series; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoner Series; Strom, K. J. (2000). Profile of State Prisoners under Age 18, 1985-1997. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

YOUTHSince 1999, commitment to secure juvenile facilities for youth who have been adjudicated delinquent has been steadily declining from a high point of 77,835 in 1999 to 31,487 in 2015. Still, troubling problems remain. Youth of color enter the system much more frequently than white youth and are more likely to be sentenced to harsher terms of punishment. In addition, young people are transferred to the adult system each year and tried as if they were adults, and many are sent to adult prisons and jails to serve their sentences.

Number of Youth Committed to Juvenile Facilities, 1999-2015

Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., & Puzzanchera, C. (2016). Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp.

Rate of Youth in Residential Placement per 100,000, by Race and Ethnicity, 2015

Source: Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement: 97-17. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp.

20172015201320112010200720062003200119991997

75,406

48,423

64,53268,982

76,19077,835

60,412

41,934

31,48735,246

26,972

Asian

American Indian

Hispanic

Black

White 86

433

142

261

23

2017

2011

2009

2007

2005

2003

2001

1997

1995

1993

1991

1989

1987

1985

2013

Youth in adult prisons: 935

Youth in adult jails: 3,600

1999

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

2015



In 48 states, a felony conviction can result in the loss of an individual’s voting rights. The period of disenfranchisement varies by state, with some states restoring the vote upon completion of a prison term, and others effectively disenfranchising for life. As a result of the dramatic expansion of the criminal justice system in the last 40 years, felony disenfranchisement has affected the political voice of many communities. As of 2016, 6.1 million Americans were unable to vote due to state felony disenfranchisement policies.

FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT

No restriction Prison Prison & parole

Prison, parole& probation

Prison, parole, probation& post-sentence

Felony Disenfranchisement Restrictions by State, 2016

Disenfranchised Population by Incarceration Status, 2016

Source: Chung, J. (2016). Felony Disenfranchisement: A Primer. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

Source: Uggen, C., Larson, R., & Shannon, S. (2016). 6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felon Disenfranchisement, 2016. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

Rate of Disenfranchisement, by Race, 2016

Source: Uggen, C., Larson, R., & Shannon, S. (2016). 6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felon Disenfranchisement, 2016. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

African American

Non-African American 2.47%

7.44%

Completed sentence

On probation or parole

In prison or jail 23%

26%

51%



8

This fact sheet was updated June 2019.

The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.1705 DeSales Street NW, 8th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20036

sentencingproject.org

The number of people serving life sentences continues to grow even while serious, violent crime has been declining for the past 20 years and little public safety benefit has been demonstrated to correlate with increasingly lengthy sentences. The lifer population has nearly quintupled since 1984. One in nine people in prison is now serving a life sentence and nearly a third of lifers have been sentenced to life without parole.

Number of People Serving Life Sentences, 1984-2016

Number of People Serving Life Without Parole Sentences, 1992-2016

LIFE SENTENCES

20162012200820031992

12,453

33,63340,174

49,08153,290

2016201220082005200319921984

34,000

69,845

127,677132,000

142,727

157,966161,957

Ohio

Georgia

New York

Florida

California 39,697

13,005

9,535

8,776

6,515

Life without parole

All life sentences

Source: Nellis, A. (2016). Still Life: America’s Increasing Use of Life and Long-Term Sentences. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

States with the Most People Serving Life Sentences, 2016

Documents

U.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2017and jails — a 500% increase over the last forty years. Changes in sentencing law and policy, not changes in crime rates, explain