Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1997 Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin January 1998 NCJ-167247 This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#pjmidyear By Darrell K. Gilliard and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians At midyear 1997 an estimated 1,725,842 persons were incarcerated in the Nation's prisons and jails. Federal and State prison authorities and local jail authorities held in their custody 645 persons per 100,000 U.S. residents. Prisoners in the custody of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government accounted for two-thirds of the incarcerated population (1,158,763 inmates). The other third were held in local jails (567,079). ******************* Prisons-- * Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the Nation's prison population grew 4.7%, less than the annual average increase of 7.7% since 1990. * Hawaii (up 21.6%) recorded the largest percent increase in prison population since midyear 1996, followed by North Dakota (up 15.5%) and Wisconsin (up 15.4%). Massachusetts (down 0.7%), Virginia (down 0.5%), and the District of Columbia (down 0.2%) were the only jurisdictions to record declines. * At midyear 1997, approximately 436 per 100,000 U.S. residents were incarcerated in a State or Federal prison, up from 303 per 100,000 residents in 1990. Jails -- * On June 30, 1997, an estimated 567,079 persons were held in local jails; up from 518,492 at midyear 1996. * From midyear 1996 to midyear 1997, the number of inmates held in jail increased 9.4% -- nearly twice the average annual rate (4.9%) since 1990. * In the year ending June 30, 1997, the capacity of the Nation's jails rose by 19,713 beds. Jails were operating at 97% of their rated capacity, up from 92% at midyear 1996. * At midyear 1997, 212 of every 100,000 U.S. residents were held in local jails, up from 163 per 100,000 in 1990. **************** On June 30, 1997, 1,218,256 prisoners were under Federal and State jurisdiction (includes prisoners in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system but who are held outside its facilities). The total increased 4.7% from midyear 1996. The States and the District of Columbia added 48,760 prisoners; the Federal system, 6,438 additional prisoners. At midyear 1997, local jail authorities held or supervised an estimated 637,319 offenders -- an increase of 7.8% from midyear 1996. Eleven percent of these offenders (70,239) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as community service, work release, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring, and other alternative programs. ********************************************* Over 1.7 million inmates were held in the Nation's prisons and local jails ********************************************* On June 30, 1997, 1,158,763 inmates were in the custody of State and Federal prison authorities, and 567,079 inmates were in the custody of local jail authorities. These data were collected in the 1997 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program and the 1997 Annual Survey of Jails. Since midyear 1996, the total incarcerated population increased 5.9% (table 1). ***************************************************************** Table 1. Number of persons held in State or Federal prisons or in local jails, 1985, 1990-97 Total Inmates inmates in Prisoners in custody held in Incarceration Year custody Federal State local jai rate* 1985 744208 35781 451812 256615 313 1990 1148702 58,838 684544 405320 458 1991 1219014 63930 728605 426479 481 1992 1295150 72071 778495 444584 505 1993 1369185 80815 828566 459804 528 1994 1476621 85500 904647 486474 564 1995 1585586 89538 989004 507044 600 1996 June 30 1629718 93167 1018059 518492 614 December 31 1646020 95088 1032440 -- 618 1997 June 30 1725842 99175 1059588 567079 645 Percent change, 6/30/96-6/30/97 5.9 6.4 4.1 9.4 Annual average increase, 12/31/90-6/30/97 6.5 8.4 7 4.9 Note: Jail counts are for midyear (June 30). Counts for 1994-97 exclude persons who were supervised outside of a jail facility. State and Federal prisoner counts for 1990-95 are for December 31. --Not available. *Total of persons in custody per 100,000 residents on July 1 of each reference year. ******************************************************** The number of inmates in State and Federal prisons increased 4.3%, and the number held in local jails increased 9.4% -- the largest percent increase since 1989. Between yearend 1990 and midyear 1997, the incarcerated population has grown on average 6.5% annually. During this period the Federal and State prison populations and the local jail population have grown at an average annual rate of 8.4%, 7.0%, and 5.3%, respectively. In the previous 12 months the number of inmates in the Nation's prisons and jails rose an estimated 96,124 inmates or 1,849 inmates per week. Since 1990, the total custody population has risen more than 577,100 inmates, the equivalent of 1,708 inmates per week. Relative to the number of U.S. residents, the rate of incarceration in 1997 was 645 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents -- up from 458 per 100,000 in 1990. At midyear 1997, 1 in every 155 U.S. residents were incarcerated. In every year between 1990 and 1996 the State and Federal prison population has grown faster than the local jail population (figure 1). However, in the 12-month period ending June 30, 1997, the jail population grew by 48,587 while the State and Federal population grew by 47,537. At midyear 1997 the Nation's jails held 33% of all inmates in custody, down from 35% in 1990. ********************************************* The number of inmates under State or Federal jurisdiction rose 4.7% ********************************************* Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the number of inmates under State jurisdiction grew by 4.6% and the number under Federal jurisdiction by 6.2% (table 2). ************************************************************** Table 2. Prisoners under the jurisdiction of State or Federal correctional authorities, December 31 and June 30, 1996 and June 30, 1997 Prison Percent change from- incarceration Region and Total 6/30/96 12/31/96 on rate jurisdiction 6/30/97 12/31/96 6/30/96 6/30/97 6/30/97 6/30/97/a U.S. total 1218256 1180520 1163058 4.7 3.2 436 Federal 110160 105544 103722 6.2 4.4 35 State 1108096 1074976 1059336 4.6 3.1 401 Northeast 167706 166417 165224 1.5 .8 310 Connecticut/b 15608 15007 14975 4.2 4 322 Maine 1559 1426 1468 6.2 9.3 118 Massachusetts/c 11907 11796 11996 -.7 .9 301 New Hampshire 2153 2062 2050 5 4.4 183 New Jersey 27766 27490 27753 0 1 346 New York 69530 69709 68721 1.2 -.3 383 Pennsylvania 34703 34537 33939 2.3 .5 288 Rhode Island/b 3293 3271 3226 2.1 .7 203 Vermont/b,d 1187 1119 1096 8.3 6.1 152 Midwest 212779 204653 199414 6.7 4 339 Illinois/d,e 40425 38852 38373 5.3 4 340 Indiana 17549 16960 16582 5.8 3.5 296 Iowa/d 6636 6342 6176 7.4 4.6 232 Kansas 7790 7756 7462 4.4 .4 302 Michigan/d 43784 42349 41884 4.5 3.4 454 Minnesota 5348 5158 5040 6.1 3.7 114 Missouri 23687 22003 20541 15.3 7.7 438 Nebraska 3431 3287 3248 5.6 4.4 201 North Dakota 739 722 640 15.5 2.4 104 Ohio/e 47248 46174 45314 4.3 2.3 422 South Dakota 2177 2059 2049 6.2 5.7 296 Wisconsin 13965 12991 12105 15.4 7.5 256 South 484391 469252 467901 3.5 3.2 495 Alabama 22076 21760 21495 2.7 1.5 499 Arkansas 9539 9407 9430 1.2 1.4 368 Delaware/b 5313 5110 5148 3.2 4 442 District of Col. 9739 9376 9763 -.2 3.9 1373 Florida/d 64713 63763 64333 .6 1.5 443 Georgia/d 36329 35139 34808 4.4 3.4 476 Kentucky 13858 12910 12652 9.5 7.3 355 Louisiana 28382 26779 26673 6.4 6 651 Maryland 22415 22050 22118 1.3 1.7 417 Mississippi 14639 13859 13785 6.2 5.6 505 North Carolina 32334 30647 30671 5.4 5.5 385 Oklahoma/e 19931 19593 19134 4.2 1.7 599 South Carolina 21021 20446 20814 1 2.8 542 Tennessee 15827 15626 15634 1.2 1.3 294 Texas 136599 132383 129937 5.1 3.2 677 Virginia 28673 27655 28827 -.5 3.7 412 West Virginia 3003 2749 2679 12.1 9.2 163 West 243220 234654 226797 7.2 3.7 397 Alaska/b 3741 3716 3583 4.4 .7 396 Arizona/d 23176 22493 22143 4.7 3 484 California 153010 146049 141535 8.1 4.8 466 Colorado/e 12840 12438 11742 9.4 3.2 330 Hawaii/b 4491 4011 3693 21.6 12 258 Idaho 4105 3832 3623 13.3 7.1 339 Montana 2295 2293 2162 6.2 .1 258 Nevada 8617 8439 8064 6.9 2.1 505 New Mexico 4692 4724 4528 3.6 -.7 258 Oregon/f 7899 8661 8564 -- -- 226 Utah 4154 3972 3643 14 4.6 202 Washington 12732 12527 12059 5.6 1.6 226 Wyoming 1468 1499 1458 .7 -2.1 304 --Not calculated. a/The number of prisoners with a sentence of more than 1 year per 100,000 in the resident population. b/Prison and jails form an integrated system. Data include total jail and prison population. c/The incarceration rate includes an estimated 7,500 inmates sentenced to more than 1 year but held in local jails. d/Population figures are based on custody counts. e/Population counts for inmates "sentenced to more than 1 year" include an undetermined number of inmates "sentenced to 1 year or less." f/Since January 1, 1997, Oregon no longer has jurisdictional responsibility for inmates with sentences of less than 1 year. *************************************************************** Compared to the previous 12-month period ending June 30, 1996, State prison growth rates declined, down from 5.3%, while the Federal prison growth rate increased, up from 4.3%. In absolute numbers, the total increase of 55,198 prison inmates between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, was slightly smaller than the increase of 57,507 recorded in the previous 12-month period and below the annual average growth (65,205) during the previous 6 years. Annual increase in the number of prisoners under State or Federal jurisdiction, July 1 - June 30 1996-97 55,198 1995-96 57,507 1994-95 90,881 1993-94 72,854 1992-93 69,525 1991-92 51,020 1990-91 49,446 Average growth, 1990-96 65,205 Fifty-four percent of the growth in the prison populations during the 12 months ending June 30, 1997, was accounted for by California (11,475 additional inmates), Texas (6,662), the Federal system (6,438), Missouri (3,146), and Illinois (2,052). During this 12-month period, the total prison population increased at least 10% in 7 States. Hawaii reported the largest percent increase in prison inmates (21.6%), followed by North Dakota (15.5%), Wisconsin (15.4%), Missouri (15.3%), Utah (14.0%), and Idaho (13.3%). Two States and the District of Columbia experienced a decline in their prison population. Massachusetts had the largest decline, -0.7%; followed by Virginia, -0.5%, and the District of Columbia, -0.2%. ********************************************* Rates of prison incarceration rise ********************************************* The incarceration rate of State and Federal prisoners sentenced to more than a year reached 436 per 100,000 U.S. residents on June 30, 1997. Texas had the highest rate of incarceration (677 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 State residents), followed by Louisiana (651 per 100,000), Oklahoma (599), and South Carolina (542). Three States -- North Dakota (104), Minnesota (114), and Maine (118) -- had rates that were less than a third of the national rate (table 3). *************************************************************** Table 3. The prison situation in the United States, June 30, 1997 Number of Sentenced prisoners female Prison Number Incarceration rates per 100,000 12-month growth Percent Female prison prisoners population of inmates 6/30/97 State residents* 6/30/96 to 6/30 change population 10 highest: California 153010 Texas 677 Hawaii 21.6 California 10862 Texas 136599 Louisiana 651 North Dakota 15.5 Texas 10104 Federal system 110160 Oklahoma 599 Wisconsin 15.4 Federal syste 8122 New York 69530 South Carolina 542 Missouri 15.3 New York 3719 Florida 64713 Mississippi 505 Utah 14 Florida 3431 Ohio 47248 Nevada 505 Idaho 13.3 Ohio 2883 Michigan 43784 Alabama 499 West Virginia 12.1 Illinois 2412 Illinois 40425 Arizona 484 Kentucky 9.5 Georgia 2238 Georgia 36329 Georgia 476 Colorado 9.4 North Carolin 2004 Pennsylvania 34703 California 466 Vermont 8.3 Michigan 1993 10 lowest: North Dakota 739 North Dakota 104 Massachusetts -0.7 Vermont 46 Vermont 1187 Minnesota 114 Virginia -0.5 Maine 48 Wyoming 1468 Maine 118 District of Colubia -0.2 North Dakota 55 Maine 1559 Vermont 152 New Jersey 0 Wyoming 115 New Hampshire 2153 West Virginia 163 Florida .6 New Hampshire 117 South Dakota 2177 New Hampshire 183 Wyoming .7 Montana 148 Montana 2295 Nebraska 201 South Carolina 1 South Dakota 158 West Virginia 3003 Utah 202 Tennessee 1.2 West Virginia 178 Rhode Island 3293 Rhode Island 203 Arkansas 1.2 Rhode Island 227 Nebraska 3431 Oregon 226 New York 1.2 Utah 235 *The number of prisoners with a sentence of more than 1 year per 100,000 persons in the resident population. Excludes the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the District of Columbia. *********************************************************** The District of Columbia, a wholly urban jurisdiction, held 1,373 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 District residents at midyear 1997. Since 1990 the number of sentenced inmates per 100,000 residents has risen by nearly 50%, increasing from 292 to 436. During this period prison incarceration rates rose the most in the South (from 316 to 495) and West (from 277 to 397). The rate in the Midwest rose from 239 to 339 and the rate in the Northeast rose from 232 to 310. The number of sentenced Federal prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents increased from 20 to 35 over the same period. ********************************************* Female prisoner population grew at faster pace ********************************************* During the 12 months ending June 30, 1997, the number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities grew from 73,565 to 78,067, an increase of 6.1% (table 4). *************************************** Table 4. Number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of State or Federal correctional authorities, by sex of inmate, 6/30/96 and 6/30/97 Men Women Total 6/30/97 1140189 78067 6/30/96 1089493 73565 Percent change 4.7 6.1 Sentenced to more than 1 year 6/30/97 1094252 71294 6/30/96 1046231 67309 Percent change 4.6 5.9 Sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents* 835 52 ********************************************* The number of men rose 4.7%, from 1,089,493 to 1,140,189. At midyear 1997 women accounted for 6.4% of all prisoners nationwide, up from 4.1% in 1980 and 5.7% in 1990. Relative to the number of men and women in the U.S. resident population, the incarceration rate was 16 times higher for men than for women. On June 30, 1997, the rate for inmates serving a sentence of more than a year was 835 males per 100,000 U.S. male residents, compared to 52 females per 100,000 female residents. ********************************************* At midyear the Nation's jails supervised 637,319 offenders ********************************************* On June 30, 1997, an estimated 637,319 offenders were held in or supervised by the Nation's local jails (table 5). **************************************************************** Table 5. Persons under jail supervision, by confinement status and type of program, midyear 1995-97 Number of persons Confinement under status jail supervision and type of program 1995 1996 1997 Total 541913 591469 637319 Held in jail 507044 518492 567079 Supervised outside a jail facility/a 34869 72977 70239 Electronic monitoring 6788 7480 8699 Home detention/b 1376 907 1164 Day reporting 1283 3298 2768 Community service 10253 17410 15918 Weekender programs 1909 16336 17656 Other pretrial supervis 3229 2135 7368 Other work programs/c 9144 14469 6631 Treatment programs/d -- 10425 6693 Other 887 517 3342 --Not available. a/Excludes persons supervised by a probation or parole agency. b/Includes only those without electronic monitoring. c/Includes persons in work release programs, work gangs/crews, and other work alternative programs administered by the jail jurisdiction. d/Includes persons under drug, alcohol, mental health, and other medical treatment. ************************************************************ Jail authorities supervised 11% of these offenders (70,239) in alternative programs outside the jail facilities. An estimated 567,079 offenders were housed in local jails. As defined in this report, jails are locally-operated correctional facilities that confine persons before or after adjudication. Inmates sentenced to jail usually have a sentence of a year or less, but jails also incarcerate personsin a wide variety of other categories. (See box below.) ******************************************** Jails-- * receive individuals pending arraignment and hold them awaiting trial, conviction, or sentencing * readmit probation, parole, and bail-bond violators and absconders * temporarily detain juveniles pending transfer to juvenile authorities * hold mentally ill persons pending their movement to appropriate health facilities * hold individuals for the military, for protective custody, for contempt, and for the courts as witnesses * release convicted inmates to the community upon completion of sentence * transfer inmates to Federal, State, or other authorities * house inmates for Federal, State, or other authorities because of crowding of their facilities * relinquish custody of temporary detainees to juvenile and medical authorities * sometimes operate community-based programs as alternatives to incarceration. * hold inmates sentenced to short terms (generally under 1 year). For the first time, in 1995 the Annual Survey of Jails obtained counts of the number of offenders under community supervision. Respondents were asked if their jail jurisdiction operated any community-based programs and how many persons participated in them. Offenders under the supervision of a probation, parole, or other correctional agency were excluded from these counts. Because jail authorities reported offenders in treatment programs administered by the jail jurisdiction in 1997, it is difficult to compare totals with those in 1995. (See Methodology, page 9.) Among persons under community supervision by jail staff in 1997, slightly less than a third were required to perform community service (15,918) or to participate in an alternative work program (6,631). More than a quarter were in a weekend reporting program (17,656). An estimated 6,693 offenders under jail supervision were in a drug, alcohol, mental health, or other type of medical treatment program. Another 8,699 offenders were under home detention with electronic monitoring. ********************************************* 12-month growth in jail population largest since 1989 ********************************************* Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the number of persons held in local jail facilities grew 9.4% -- from 518,492 to 567,079. The 12-month increase was the largest growth since 1989 and nearly twice the annual average growth since 1990. 12-month Percent period increase 1996-97 9.4% 1995-96 2.3% 1994-95 4.2 1993-94 6.7 1992-93 3.4 1991-92 4.2 1990-91 5.2 1989-90 2.5% 1988-89 15.1 1987-88 16.1 1986-87 7.8 1985-86 6.9 Annual average, 1990-97 4.9% 1985-97 6.8 Since 1985 the Nation's jail population on a per capita basis has nearly doubled . During this period the number of jail inmates per 100,000 residents rose from 108 to 212. Including offenders under community supervision by jail authorities, the rate totaled 238 offenders per 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear 1997. Year Jail incarceration rate* 1997 212 1996 196 1995 193 1994 188 1993 178 1992 174 1991 169 1990 163 1989 160 1988 141 1987 122 1986 114 1985 108 Number of jail inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents on July 1 of each year. An estimated 9,105 persons under age 18 were housed in adult jails on June 30, 1997. ************************************************************** Table 6. Average daily population and the number of men, women, and juveniles in local jails, midyear 1985, 1990-97 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Average daily population 265010 408075 422609 441889 466155 479757 509828 515432 556586 Number of inmates, midyear/b 256615 405320 426479 444584 459804 486474 507044 518492 567079 Adults 254986 403019 424129 441780 455500 479800 499300 510400 557974 Male 235909 365821 384628 401106 411500 431300 448000 454700 498678 Female 19077 37198 39501 40674 44100 48500 51300 55700 59296 Juveniles/c 1629 2301 2350 2804 4300 6700 7800 8100 9105 Held as adults/d -- -- -- -- 3300 5100 5900 5700 7007 Held as juveniles 1629 2301 2350 2804 1000 1600 1800 2400 2098 Notes: Data are for June 30 in 1985 and 1992-95, and 1997; for June 29, 1990; and for June 28 in 1991 and 1996. Detailed data for 1993-96 were estimated and rounded to the nearest 100. Previously published numbers for 1994 and 1995 have been revised to include only inmates held in jail facilities. --Not available. a/The average daily population is the sum of the number of inmates in a jail each day for a year, divided by 365. b/Inmate counts for 1985 and 1990-93 include an unknown number of persons who were under jail supervision but not confined. Detailed counts for 1994-96 were estimated based on number of inmates held in jail facilities. c/Juveniles are persons defined by State statute as being under a certain age, usually 18, and subject initially to juvenile court authority even if tried as adults in criminal court. In 1994 the definition was changed to include all persons under age 18. d/Includes juveniles who were tried or awaiting trial as adults. *********************************************************************** Over two-thirds of these young inmates had been convicted or were being held for trial as adults in criminal court. (See Methodology, page 9, for changes in the definition of juvenile.) The average daily population for the year ending June 30, 1997, was 556,586, an increase of 8.0% from 1996. ****************************************** Characteristics of jail inmates changed little ****************************************** Male inmates made up 89% of the local jail inmate population at midyear 1997, nearly 3 percentage points lower than at midyear 1985 (table 7). ************************************************************* Table 7. Sex, race, and Hispanic origin of local jail inmates, midyear 1985, 1990-97 Percent of jail inmates Characteristic 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996/a 1997 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Sex Male 92 90.8 90.7 90.8 90.4 90 89.8 89.2 89.4 Female 8 9.2 9.3 9.2 9.6 10 10.2 10.8 10.6 Race/Hispanic originb White, non-Hispanic -- 41.8 41.1 40.1 39.3 39.1 40.1 41.6 40.6 Black, non-Hispanic -- 42.5 43.4 44.1 44.2 43.9 43.5 41.1 42 Hispanic -- 14.3 14.2 14.5 15.1 15.4 14.7 15.6 15.7 Other/c -- 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. --Not available. a/Data for 1996 based on all persons under jail supervision. b/Data on race/Hispanic origin were reported for 89.7% of all inmates in 1990, 91.1% in 1991, 97.6% in 1992, 85.1% in 1993, 95.8% in 1994, 97.1% in 1995, and 99.3% in 1996 and 1997. cIncludes American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. **************************************************************** On average, the adult female jail population has grown 9.9% annually since 1985, while the adult male inmate population has grown annually by 6.4%. On June 30, 1997, local jails held nearly 1 in every 191 adult men and 1 in 1,732 women. At midyear 1997 a majority of local jail inmates were black or Hispanic. White non-Hispanics made up 40.6% of the jail population; black non-Hispanics, 42.0%; Hispanics, 15.7%; and other races (Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives), 1.8%. Relative to their number of U.S. residents, black non-Hispanics were over 6 times more likely than white non-Hispanics, over twice as likely as Hispanics, and almost 8« times more likely than persons of other races to have been held in a local jail on June 30, 1997. Number of jail inmates Per 100,000 Estimated residents count in each group Total 567,079 212 White* 230,300 118 Black* 237,900 737 Hispanic 88,900 304 Other 10,000 87 Note: Inmate counts were estimated and rounded to the nearest 100. *Non-Hispanic only. ********************************************* Fewer than half of adult jail inmates were convicted ********************************************* On June 30, 1997, an estimated 42% of the Nation's adult jail inmates had been convicted on their current charge. An estimated 235,200 of the 558,000 adults held in local jail were serving a sentence in jail, awaiting sentencing, or serving time for a probation or parole violation. Number of adult jail inmates at midyear, 1997 Total 558,000 Convicted 235,200 Male 210,600 Female 24,700 Unconvicted 322,700 Male 288,200 Female 34,600 Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. ********************************************* At midyear 1997, 97% of jail capacity was occupied ********************************************* At midyear 1997 the rated capacity of the Nation's local jails was an estimated 581,733, an increase of 19,713 in 12 months (table 8). ********************************************* Table 8. Rated capacity of local jails and percent of capacity occupied, 1983-97 Amount of Percent of Rated capacity capacity Year capacity/a added/b occupied/c 1997 581733 19713 97 1996 562020 16257 92 1995 545763 41439 93 1994 504324 29100 96 1993 475224 26027 97 1992 449197 27960 99 1991 421237 32066 101 1990 389171 21402 104 1989 367769 28136 108 1988 339633 38435 101 1987 301198 15472 98 1986 285726 12896 96 1985 272830 11398 94 1984 261432 -124 90 1983 261556 -- 85 Note: Capacity data for 1984-87, 1989-92, and 1994-97 are survey estimates subject to sampling error. Negative numbers are in parentheses. See the appendix table for sampling errors. --Not available. a/Rated capacity is the number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to facilities within each jurisdiction. b/The number of beds added during the 12 months before June 30 of each year. c/The number of inmates divided by the rated capacity times 100. For 1983-93 the ratio may include some inmates under supervision who were not confined in a jail facility. For 1994-97 the ratio includes only those held in jail. *************************************************** Rated capacity is the maximum number of beds or inmates allocated by State or local rating officials to each jail facility. The growth in jail capacity during the 12-month period ending on June 30, 1997, was larger than the previous 12-month period (16,257), but smaller than the average growth of 26,746 beds every 12 months since 1990. As of June 30, 1997, 97% of the local jail capacity was occupied. As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, the percentage occupied increased considerably after 1983, reaching a record 108% in 1989 and then falling to 92% in 1996. Since 1990 rated capacity has risen nearly 192,600 beds, while the number of inmates held in jail facilities has increased approximately 161,800. Jail jurisdictions with the largest average daily populations reported the highest occupancy rates. At midyear 1997 occupancy was 100% of rated capacity in jail jurisdictions with an average daily population of 1,000 or more inmates, compared to 78% in those with fewer than 50 inmates. Percent Size of of capacity jurisdiction* occupied Total 97% Fewer than 50 inmates 78 50-99 89 100-249 92 250-499 95 500-999 98 1,000 or more 100 *Based on the average daily population in the year ending June 30, 1997. ********************************************* The 25 largest jail jurisdictions housed more than a quarter of all jail inmates ********************************************* In 1997 the Nation's 25 largest jail jurisdictions accounted for 27% of all jail inmates. The jurisdictions were in 13 States: 7 in California; 4 in Florida; 4 in Texas; and 1 each in New York, Illinois, Arizona, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan (table 9). ************************************************************************* Table 9. The 25 largest local jail jurisdictions: Number of inmates held, average daily population, and rated capacity, midyear 1995-97 Percent of capacity Number of inmates held/a Average daily population/b Rated capacity/c occupied at midye/a Jurisdiction 1995 1996 1997 1995 1996 1997 1995 1996 1997 1995 1996 1997 Los Angeles County, CA 18236 18627 21962 19896 18167 19931 20049 20099 21416 91 93 103 New York City, NY 18143 19890 17528 18200 18382 19205 19033 20862 17643 95 95 99 Cook County, IL 8626 8713 9189 10837 9169 9100 9317 9617 9376 93 91 98 Harris County, TX 8825 7703 8224 8962 7140 8153 8698 8698 8657 101 89 95 Dade County, FL 6653 6357 7320 6728 6499 7157 6604 6387 7519 101 100 97 Dallas County, TX 5721 6380 6439 7151 5862 6528 8629 8374 8182 66 76 79 Maricopa County, AZ 5717 5679 6732 5503 5542 6520 4910 6252 6252 116 91 108 Orleans Parish, LA 5558 5368 6537 5549 5433 6270 7174 7174 7174 77 75 91 Philadelphia City, PA 5076 5695 5563 4968 5341 5600 3750 5600 5600 135 102 99 San Diego County, CA 6006 5549 5709 5820 5522 5588 5670 4653 5539 106 119 103 Shelby County, TN 5247 5264 5568 5091 5153 5297 5512 6364 6532 95 83 85 Orange County, CA 5157 5326 5368 5074 5143 5246 3821 3821 3821 135 139 140 San Bernardino County, CA 4025 3958 4156 4100 4119 4500 4930 4957 5000 82 80 83 Santa Clara County, CA 4174 4213 4588 4161 4314 4317 3774 3774 3774 111 112 122 Broward County, FL 3573 3528 4125 3546 3470 4129 3656 3656 3736 98 96 110 Alameda County, CA 3838 3994 4098 3903 3954 4109 4063 4264 4218 94 94 97 Baltimore City, MD 3777 3309 3598 3380 3300 3636 2933 2933 2933 129 113 123 Bexar County, TX 3099 3058 3683 3569 2821 3491 3640 3640 3670 85 84 100 Fulton County, GA 2546 2489 3982 2353 2489 3401 2353 2320 2987 108 107 133 Sacramento County, CA 3125 3093 3505 3094 3093 3329 2749 2749 2749 114 113 128 Orange County, FL 3405 3120 3411 3441 3120 3321 3329 3329 3234 102 94 105 Tarrant County, TX 3865 2881 3366 4468 2881 3291 4369 4193 4193 88 69 80 Hillsborough County, FL 2536 2661 3155 2384 2661 2973 2649 2757 2877 96 97 110 Milwaukee County, WI 2491 2653 2876 2501 2653 2757 2274 2274 2274 110 117 126 Wayne County, MI 2598 2711 2708 2600 2711 2750 2628 2658 2850 99 102 95 Notes: Jurisdictions are ordered by their average daily population in 1997. a/Number of inmates held in jail facilities. b/Based on the average daily population for the year ending June 30. The average daily population is the sum of the number of inmates in jail each day for a year, divided by the number of days in the year. /c Rated capacity is the number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to facilities within each jurisdiction. d/The number of inmates divided by the rated capacity multiplied by 100. ************************************************************* The 2 jurisdictions with the most inmates, Los Angeles County and New York City, together held approximately 39,500 inmates, or 7% of the national total. Overall, the 25 largest jurisdictions at midyear 1997 held 153,390 inmates -- an increase of 11,171 from a year earlier (142,219). A total of 22 jurisdictions reported increases in their populations; 3 reported decreases. Fulton County, GA (up 60%), Orleans Parish, LA (up 22%) and Bexar County, TX (up 20%) reported the largest increases among the 25 largest jail jurisdictions. Three jurisdictions reported declines -- New York City, NY, (down -12%), Philadelphia City, PA (-2%), and Wayne County, MI (-0.1%). As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, jails in Orange County, CA, had the highest percentage occupied (140%), followed by jails in Fulton County, GA (133%), and Sacramento County, CA (128%). Jail facilities in Dallas County, TX (79%), Tarrant County, TX (80%), and San Bernardino County, CA, (83%) had the lowest percentage occupied at midyear 1997. ********************************************* Methodology ********************************************* ********************************************* National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) ********************************************* The Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the U.S. Bureau of the Census as its collection agent, obtains yearend and midyear counts of prisoners from departments of correction in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In an effort to collect comparable data from all jurisdictions, NPS distinguishes between prisoners in custody from those under jurisdiction. To have custody of a prisoner, a State must hold that person in one of its facilities. To have jurisdiction, a State has legal authority over the prisoner. Prisoners under a State's jurisdiction may be in the custody of a local jail, another State's prison, or other correctional facility. Some States are unable to provide both custody and jurisdiction counts. (See National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes.) Excluded from NPS counts are persons confined in locally administered confinement facilities who are under the jurisdiction of local authorities. NPS counts include all inmates in State-operated facilities in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which have combined jail-prison systems. ********************************************* Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) ********************************************* In each of the years between the full censuses, a survey of jails is conducted to estimate baseline characteristics of the Nation's jails and the inmates housed in these jails. The 1997 ASJ is the 13th such survey in a series begun in 1982. The reference date for the 1997 survey was June 30. Based on information from the 1993 Census of Jails, a sample of jail jurisdictions was selected for the 1994-97 surveys. A jurisdiction is a county (parish in Louisiana) or municipal government that administers one or more local jails. The sample included all jails in 795 selected jail jurisdictionsand 25 multi-jurisdiction jails. A multi-jurisdiction jail is one in which two or more jurisdictions have a formal agreement to operate the facility. In drawing the sample, jail jurisdictions were first stratified into two groups: single-jurisdiction jails and multi-jurisdiction jails. All of the multi-jurisdiction jails were included in the survey. The remaining jurisdictions were then further stratified into two groups: jurisdictions with jails authorized to hold juveniles and jurisdictions with jails holding adults only. Jurisdictions were then selected based on the average daily population in the 1993 census. All jails in 204 jurisdictions were automatically included if in 1993 the jurisdiction held juveniles and had an average daily population of 250 or more inmates or if it held only adults and had an average population of 500 or more. The other jurisdictions (591) were then selected based on stratified probability sampling. Data were obtained by mailed questionnaires. After followup phone calls to nonrespondents, the response rate for the survey was 100%. ********************************************* Sampling error ********************************************* Survey estimates have an associated sampling error because not all jurisdictions were contacted for the survey. Estimates based on the sample survey may differ somewhat from the results of conducting a complete census. Different samples could yield somewhat different results. Standard error is a measure of the variation among the estimates from all possible samples, stating the precision with which an estimate from a particular sample approximates the average of all possible samples. The estimated relative sampling error for the total number of persons under the jurisdiction of jail authorities of 637,319 on June 30, 1997, was 0.86%; for persons held in the custody of jail authorities of 567,079, was 0.64%. (See the appendix table.) ********************************************************* Appendix table. Standard error estimates for the Annual Survey of Jails, 1997 Standard Relative standard Characteristic Estimate error error (percent) Total number under supervision 637319 5508 .86 Held in jail 567079 3649 .64 Supervised outside a jail facility 70239 3637 5.18 Average daily population 556586 3532 .64 Rated capacity 581733 4428 .76 Sex Male 507195 3324 .66 Female 59884 506 .85 Adults 557974 3626 .65 Juveniles 9105 245 2.69 Held as adults 7007 193 2.75 Held as juveniles 2098 133 6.34 Race/Hispanic origin/a White non-Hispanic 228143 2573 1.13 Black non-Hispanic 235741 2350 1.00 Hispanic 88078 1437 1.63 Other/b 9874 357 3.62 Adult conviction status Awaiting trial or in other unconvicted category 321484 2784 .87 Convicted 234316 2392 1.02 a/Excludes persons of unknown race/Hispanic origin. b/Includes American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. ************************************************************ ********************************************* Measuring confinement status ********************************************* For the first time in 1995 the ASJ obtained separate counts of the total number of offenders under jail supervision, those held in jail facilities and those supervised outside jail facilities. Previous surveys and censuses included a small but unknown number of offenders under community supervision. To estimate the percentage change from 1994 to 1995 in the jail population, the 1995 survey included a count of inmates held at midyear 1994. In the 1996 survey the number of persons supervised outside a jail facility included for the first time persons under drug, alcohol, mental health, or other medical treatment. Comparisons with 1995 estimates should exclude these persons. ********************************************* Juveniles ********************************************* State statutes and judicial practices allow juveniles to be incarcerated in adult jails under a variety of circumstances. Because of the differing statutes and practices, however, accurate and comparable data on juveniles are difficult to collect. Beginning in 1994 the ASJ provided estimates of the total number of jail inmates under age 18, the number held as adults, and the number held as juveniles. New sampling procedures were also introduced in 1994 to minimize the standard errors of these estimates. By stratifying jurisdictions based on the authority to house juveniles, the precision of the juvenile counts was improved. ********************************************* National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes ********************************************* Alaska -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Arizona -- Population counts are based on custody data. Arkansas -- Jurisdiction counts include 143 males and 2 females, sentence length unknown, incarcerated in the county jails awaiting transfer to the Department of Correction. California -- Population counts include civil narcotic addict commitments, county diagnostic cases, inmates from other States and the Federal Government, California Youth Authority commitments, and safekeepers. Colorado -- Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of "Inmates with a maximum sentence of 1 year or less." Connecticut -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Delaware -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. District of Columbia -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Inmates given partially suspended sentences, sentences partly served in prison and partly served on probation, are included with "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" only if the prison portion of the sentence exceeds 1 year. As a result, "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" are understated and "Inmates with a year or less maximum sentence" are overstated. Florida -- Population counts are based on custody data. Georgia -- Population counts are based on custody data. Hawaii-- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Illinois -- Population counts are based on custody data. Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of "Inmates with a sentence of 1 year." Iowa -- Population counts are based on custody data. Kansas -- The population figures include a small undetermined number of inmates with sentences of less than 1 year (as a result of sentencing under The Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Actof 1993). Maryland -- Population counts are established through a manual counting procedure. Sentence length categories are estimated based on actual sentence length data extracted from an automated data system applied to population counts. Massachusetts -- By law, offenders in Massachusetts may be sentenced to terms of up to 2« years in locally operated jails and correctional institutions. Such populations are excluded from the State counts, but are included in published population counts and rates for local jails and correctional institutions. There are approximately 7,500 male inmates in the county system (local jails and houses of correction) serving a sentence of over 1 year. The unsentenced inmate custody and jurisdiction count includes inmates housed in State facilities awaiting trial and civil commitments. The unsentenced inmate jurisdiction count includes 127 males awaiting trial for the State housed in county facilities. Counts include an estimated 104 inmates housed in Massachusetts Department of Correction facilities on behalf of other States (78 inmates) or Federal authorities (26 inmates), whose sentences, if unknown, are estimated to be over 1 year. Michigan -- Population counts are based on custody data. New Jersey -- Counts for inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence(s) include inmates with a sentence of exactly 1 year. North Carolina -- Although population counts are actual, sentence length categories are estimates believed to be accurate within 1% of the actual numbers. Ohio --Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" include an undetermined number of "Inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less." Oklahoma -- Population counts for "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" may include a small undetermined number of "Inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less." Oregon -- Jurisdiction counts do not include "Inmates sentenced to 1 year or less." On January 1, 1997, these inmates became the responsibility of county jurisdictions. Rhode Island -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Inmates given partially suspended sentences, sentences partly served in prison and partly served on probation, are included with "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" only if the prison portion of the sentence exceeds 1 year. As a result, "Inmates with over 1 year maximum sentence" are understated and "Inmates with a year or less maximum sentence" are overstated. Tennessee -- Jurisdiction counts exclude 3,571 felons sentenced to serve their time in local jails. The State pays to house these felons, but the local court maintains jurisdiction. Vermont -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include both jail and prison populations. Population counts are based on custody data. ******************************************************* The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D., is director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs such as the National Prisoner Statistics Program and the Annual Survey of Jails. State, local, and Federal corrections officials reported and helped to verify the data presented. Darrell K. Gilliard and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., wrote this report. Paula M. Ditton provided statistical review. Tom Hester edited the report. Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by Yvonne Boston, administered final production. Data collection and processing for the National Prisoner Statistics program were carried out by Laarni Verdolin under the supervision of Kathleen Creighton and Gertrude Odom, Demographic Surveys Division, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Data collection and processing for the Annual Survey of Jails were carried out by Lisa McNelis, with assistance from Henrietta Herrin, Martha Greene, and Duane Cavenaugh, under the supervision of Stephanie Brown, Governments Division, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. January 1998, NCJ-167247 End of File