This Month: Incarceration Statistics

Next month: Victimization Statistics

United States citizens are experiencing a backlash of rising problems from supporting the ever- increasing  incarcerated population, who are entitled by law to education, adequate food and clothing, and healthcare. A significant percentage of the monies appropriated for these entitlements are made possible by U.S. taxpayers. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2002, most of the incarcerated people in the United States were non-violent offenders.

• Half of jail inmates in 2002 were held for a violent or drug offense, almost unchanged from 1996.
• Drug offenders, up 37%, represented the largest source of jail population growth between 1996 and 2002.
• More than two-thirds of the growth in inmates held in local jails for drug law violations was due to an increase in persons charged with drug trafficking.
• Thirty-seven percent of jail inmates were convicted on a new charge; 18% were convicted on prior charges following revocation of probation or parole; 16% were both convicted of a prior charge and awaiting trial on a new charge; and 28% were unconvicted.

Implications for policy are burdening government officials. Should drug offenders get lighter sentences to free up jails and prisons, thus lightening the amount of funds (taxes) allocated to these institutions? The fact is that opinions on this topic are just as much of a burden on taxpayers as they are on government officials. Lightening the sentences on convicted drug offenders could have many outcomes. What are these outcomes? What is your opinion on this issue? E-mail responses to vh1034@txstate.edu, and indicate whether or not you would like your response to be posted on this site.

Here are some statistics, courtesy of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, that characterize the massive incarcerated population in the United States:

• As of December 31, 2001, there were an estimated 5.6 million adults who had ever served time in State or Federal prison, including 4.3 million former prisoners and 1.3 million adults in prison.
• Nearly a third of former prisoners were still under correctional supervision, including 731,000 on parole, 437,000 on probation, and 166,000 in local jails.
• In 2001, an estimated 2.7% of adults in the U.S. had served time in prison, up from 1.8% in 1991 and 1.3% in 1974.
• The prevalence of imprisonment in 2001 was higher for
  -- black males (16.6%) and Hispanic males (7.7%) than for white males (2.6%)
  -- black females (1.7%) and Hispanic females (0.7%) than white females (0.3%)
• Nearly two-thirds of the 3.8 million increase in the number of adults ever incarcerated between 1974 and 2001 occurred as a result of an increase in first incarceration rates; one-third occurred as a result of an increase in the number of residents age 18 and older.

Hungry for research? Browse this collection of excellent online criminal justice journals....

 
Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy
Bureau of Justice Statistics Home Page
Bureau of Justice Assistance
NACJD Home Page
The Critical Criminology (American Society of Criminology) Division
Vera Institute of Justice