FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Trends in U.S. Corrections
U.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2014
2014: 1,508,636
1,600,000
1,400,000
Number of People
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
2014
2010
2006
2002
1998
1994
1990
1986
1982
1978
1974
1970
1966
1962
1958
1954
1950
1946
1942
1938
1934
1930
1925
0
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series.
International Rates of Incarceration per 100,000
698
United States
492
Rwanda
446
Russia
301
Brazil
151
Australia
139
Spain
119
China
106
Canada
France
100
Austria
96
78
Germany
Denmark
61
Sweden
60
India
30
Source: Walmsley, R. (2015). World Prison Brief. London: Institute for Criminal Policy Research. Available online: http://www.
prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
MASS INCARCERATION
State Expenditures on Corrections in Billions, 19852013
51.9
51.4
The 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.
42.3
36.4
26.1
16.9
6.7
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers (1985-2013). State
Expenditure Report Series. Washington, DC: National Association of State
Budget Officers.
State & Federal Prison Population by Offense, 2014
Federal
State
7.3%
53.2%
Violent
50.1%
Drug
6%
35.9%
8.9%
15.9%
Immigration
Weapons
15.7%
19.3%
Property
11.1%
11%
Public Order
Other
Other
0.7%
0.8%
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Population Under Control of the U.S. Corrections System, 1980 and 2013
3,910,600
2013
1,574,700
1980
1,118,097
853,200
731,200
319,598
Prison
182,288
Jail
220,438
Parole
Probation
Sources: Glaze, L. E. and Herberman, E.J. (2014). Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics;
Corrections: Key Facts at a Glance. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
DRUG POLICY
Number of People in Prisons and Jails for Drug
Offenses, 1980 and 2014
1980: 40,900 individuals
2014: 488,400 individuals
2014
208,000
183,900
96,500
1980
19,000
17,200
4,700
State Prisons
Federal Prisons
Jails
Sources: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau
of Justice Statistics; Mauer, M. and King, R. (2007). A 25-Year Quagmire:
The War on Drugs and its Impact on American Society. Washington,
DC: The Sentencing Project; Glaze, L. E. and Herberman, E.J. (2014).
Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013. 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 41,000 in
1980 to nearly a half million in 2014. 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 half the prison population. At
the state level, the number of people in prison for
drug offenses has increased ten-fold since 1980.
Most of these people are not high-level actors in
the drug trade, and most have no prior criminal
record for a violent offense.
Number of People in Federal Prisons for Drug Offenses, 1980-2014
186,545
192,663
160,524
131,739
83,669
All offenses
Drug offenses
56,909
87,800
97,800
96,500
74,276
46,667
35,555
24,297
22,037
9,491
4,749
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2014
Sources: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online; Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
WOMEN
Number of Women in State and Federal Prisons, 1980-2014
The number of women in prison
has been increasing at a rate 50
percent higher than 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 femaleled households leads to children
who suffer from their mother’s
absence and breaks in family ties.
98,688
104,629 106,232
State prisons
85,044
68,544
43,845
23,099
13,258
Federal prisons
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2014
Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison and
Jail Inmates at Midyear Series; Hester, T. (1987). Correctional Populations in the United States,
1985. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Highest and Lowest State Incarceration Rates (per 100,000), 2014
Overall (National = 471)
State
Women (National = 65)
State
Rate
HIGHEST
Oklahoma
142
Idaho
125
Kentucky
108
Arizona
104
Missouri
100
LOWEST
Rhode Islanda
12
Massachusetts
15
Maine
21
New Jersey
New York
Rate
HIGHEST
Louisiana
816
Oklahoma
700
Alabama
633
Arkansas
599
Mississippi
597
LOWEST
Maine
153
Rhode Islanda
178
Massachusetts
188
Minnesota
194
North Dakota
214
Men (National = 890)
State
Rate
HIGHEST
Louisiana
1,577
Oklahoma
1,269
Alabama
1,203
Mississippi
1,146
Arkansas
1,125
LOWEST
Maine
290
Rhode Islanda
354
Minnesota
364
22
North Dakota
369
23
Massachusetts
373
a. Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Data include total jail and prison populations.
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
RACIAL DISPARITIES
People in State and Federal Prisons, by Race and
Ethnicity, 2013/2014
More than 60% of the people in prison today are
people of color. Black men are nearly six times
as likely to be incarcerated as white men and
Hispanic men are 2.3 times as likely. For black
men in their thirties, 1 in every 10 is in prison or
jail on any given day.
White
33.6%
Black
35.8%
Hispanic
Other
506,600
21.6%
9.0%
539,500
326,500
136,100
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
Rate of Imprisonment per 100,000, by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 2014
White women
Black women
Latina women
White men
53
109
64
465
Black men
2,724
Latino men
1,091
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Lifetime Likelihood of Imprisonment of U.S. Residents Born in 2001
All Men
White Men
Black Men
Latino Men
1 in 9
1 in 17
1 in 3
1 in 6
White Women
Black Women
Latina Women
1 in 111
1 in 18
1 in 45
All Women
1 in 56
Source: Bonczar, T. (2003). Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Number of Youth Committed to Juvenile Facilities, 19972013
YOUTH
Over the past 15 years, commitment to secure
juvenile facilities for youth who have been
adjudicated delinquent has been steadily
declining from a high point of 77,800 in 1999
to 35,200 in 2013. 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, thousands of young
people are transferred to the adult system each
year, and many are sent to adult prisons and
jails to serve their sentences.
75,406
77,835 76,190
68,982
64,532
60,412
48,423
41,934
35,246
1997
1999
2001
2003
2006
2007
2010
2011
2013
Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., & Puzzanchera, C. (2015). 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, 2013
100
White
464
Black
173
Hispanic
American Indian
Asian
334
28
Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., & Puzzanchera, C. (2015). Easy Access to the Census of
Juveniles in Residential Placement. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp.
Number of Youth Held in Jails and State Prisons, 1985-2014
15,000
12,000
9,000
2014: 5,235
6,000
Youth in
adult jails
3,000
2013
2014
2011
2012
2010
2009
2007
2008
2005
2006
2004
2003
2001
2002
2000
1999
1997
1998
1996
1994
1995
1993
1991
1992
1989
1990
1988
1987
1986
1985
Youth in adult
prisons
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.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Felony Disenfranchisement Restrictions by State, 2015
FELONY
DISENFRANCHISEMENT
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. Today, 5.85
million Americans are unable to vote due to
state felony disenfranchisement policies.
No restriction
Prison
Prison & parole
Prison, parole
& probation
Prison, parole, probation
& post-sentence
Source: Chung, J. (2014). Felony Disenfranchisement: A Primer. Washington,
DC: The Sentencing Project.
Rate of Disenfranchisement, by Race, 2010
White
2.5%
7.66%
Black
Source: Uggen, C., Shannon, S., & Manza, J. (2012). State-Level Estimates of Felon
Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.
Disenfranchised Population by Incarceration Status, 2010
In prison or jail
On probation or parole
Completed sentence
25%
30%
45%
Source: Uggen, C., Shannon, S., & Manza, J. (2012). State-Level Estimates of Felon
Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
LIFE SENTENCES
Number of People Serving Life Sentences, 1984-2012
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 more than quadrupled
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.
159,520
142,727
127,677
Number of People Serving Life Without
Parole Sentences, 1992-2012
132,000
69,845
49,081
33,633
40,174
34,000
12,453
1992
2003
2008
2012
1984
Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic
Rise in Life Sentences in America. Washington, DC:
The Sentencing Project.
1992
2003
2005
2008
2012
Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in
America. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.
People Serving Life Sentences, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012
White
34.7%
Black
Latino
47.2%
16%
Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in America.
Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.
This fact sheet was updated December 2015.
1705 DeSales Street NW, 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036
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.
sentencingproject.org
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