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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 Imprisonment 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
Sources: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics; 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
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.
State Expenditures on Corrections in Billions,
1985-2013
51.9
51.4
42.3
36.4
26.1
16.9
6.7
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers (19852013). State Expenditure Report Series. Washington, D.C.: 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, D.C.: Bureau of
Justice Statistics; Corrections: Key Facts at a Glance. Washington, D.C.: 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,
D.C.: 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, D.C.: The Sentencing Project;
Glaze, L. E. and Herberman, E.J. (2014). Correctional Populations
in the United States, 2013. Washington, D.C.: 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
192,663
186,545
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
4,749
1980
9,491
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2014
Sources: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online; Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: 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 female-led
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, D.C.: 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, D.C.: 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
34.3% 520,200
Black
37.4% 568,300
Hispanic
22.3% 337,900
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau
of Justice Statistics.
Rate of Incarceration 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, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Number of Youth Committed to Juvenile Facilities,
1997-2013
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
1999
2000
1997
1998
1996
1993
1994
1995
1992
1991
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,
D.C.: 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, D.C.: 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, D.C.: 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, D.C.: 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, D.C.: The Sentencing
Project.
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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
LIFE SENTENCES
Number of People Serving Life Without
Parole Sentences, 1992-2012
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.
49,081
33,633
40,174
12,453
1992
2003
2008
2012
Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise
in Life Sentences in America. Washington, D.C.: The
Sentencing Project.
Number of People Serving Life Sentences, 1984-2012
159,520
142,727
127,677
132,000
69,845
34,000
1984
1992
2003
2005
2008
2012
Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life
Sentences in America. Washington, D.C.: 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, D.C.: The Sentencing Project.
Updated November 2015
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