U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1998 202/307-0784
NATION'S PRISON POPULATION INCREASED
BY MORE THAN 5 PERCENT DURING 1997
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The nation's adult prison population
grew by 5.2 percent last year--somewhat less than the
average annual growth rate of 7 percent recorded since 1990,
the Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
announced today. The additional 61,186 men andwomen brought
the total to 1,244,554 state and federal inmates. This
increase was the equivalent of adding 1,177 more prisoners
every week.
As of June 30, 1997, there were also 567,079 men and
women held in local jails, either awaiting trial or serving
sentences of one year or less, accounting for a total of
more than 1.7 million incarcerated adults in the United
States. In addition, as of last December 31 there were 2,772
prisoners in 64 U.S. military facilities and 15,762
prisoners in the U.S. territories and
commonwealths--American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana
Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Between 1990 and 1996 (the latest year for which these
data areavailable), the largest increase in the number of
state prisoners was for violent offenders (up 179,500). As a
percentage of total growth, violent offenders accounted for
50 percent of the increase during the 6-year period, drug
offenders 25 percent, property offenders 18 percent and
public order 7 percent. Violent offenders accounted for 46
percent of the increase in the number of white inmates, 50
percent of black inmates and 54 percent of Hispanics. Female
drug offenders accounted for 45 percent of the increase in
female inmates during the 6-year period.
The number of female prisoners grew by 6.2 percent last
year, and on December 31 there were 79,624 women in state
and federal prisons. Since 1990 the rate of female inmate
population growth has averaged 8.8 percent--higher than the
6.9 percent average for men. By the end of 1997, women were
6.4 percent of all prisoners, up from 5.7 percent in 1990.
Nine states reported prison population increases of at
least 10 percent during 1997. Hawaii had the largest
increase (23 percent), followed by West Virginia (15
percent) and Alaska and Maine (14 percent). Oregon, Montana,
New Mexico and the District of Columbia had decreases.
The number of state sentenced prisoners (prisoners
serving sentences of at least one year) grew from 272 per
100,000 U.S. population in 1990 to 410 in 1997. The number
in the federal system grew from 20 per 100,000 population to
35 prisoners.
At the end of last year state prisons held 1,131,581
inmates and federal prisons 112,973. California (157,547)
and Texas (140,729) together held more than a quarter of all
state prisoners. Fifteen states, with fewer than 5,000
inmates apiece, held only 4 percent of all prisoners.
Among the 50 states, Texas had the highest
incarceration rate (717 inmates serving sentences of more
than one year per 100,000 residents), followed by Louisiana
(672) and Oklahoma (617). North Dakota (112) and Minnesota
(113) had the lowest number of prisoners per 100,000
population.
As of December 31, state prisons were operating at 15
to 24 percent over capacity, while federal prisons were at
19 percent in excess of capacity. Thirty-two states reported
operating at 100 percent or more of capacity. California had
the most crowded system --twice its capacity. New Mexico
was the lowest -- 82 percent.
During the last seven years the nation's prison inmate
population has grown more than 60 percent, increasing by
470,635 prisoners. The number of prison inmates by year
since 1990 was as follows:
State Federal
1990 . . . . . . . . . . 708,393 65,526
1991 . . . . . . . . . . 753,951 71,608
1992 . . . . . . . . . . 802,241 80,259
1993 . . . . . . . . . . 880,857 89,587
1994 . . . . . . . . . . 959,668 95,034
1995 . . . . . . . . . 1,025,624 100,250
1996 . . . . . . . . . 1,077,824 105,544
1997 . . . . . . . . . 1,131,581 112,973
As of year-end 1996 (the latest year for which the
following data are available), there were 3,098 black males
per 100,000 residents in federal or state prisons, compared
to 1,278 Hispanic males and 370 white males.
Black females (at a rate of 188 per 100,000 population)
were more than twice as likely as Hispanic females (78 per
100,000) and eight times as likely as white females (23 per
100,000) to be imprisoned in 1996.
Between 1990 and 1996 incarceration rates rose sharply
among older age groups, increasing by 66 percent among
people age 35 to 39, 75 percent among those 40 to 44, and 71
percent among persons 45 to 54 years old.
The report, "Prisoners in 1997" (NCJ-170014), was
written by BJS statisticians Darrell K. Gilliard and Allen
J. Beck. Single copies may be obtained from the BJS
fax-on-demand system (301/519-5550 and select document
number 120), by calling the BJS Clearinghouse at
1-800/732-3277 or by downloading from the BJS Internet site
at:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Additional criminal justice information can be obtained
from the Office of Justice Programs Internet homepage at:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov
# # #
BJS98183
After hours contact: Stu Smith at 301/983-9354
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(END OF FILE)Date Published: August 2, 1998