U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin This file was revised on 5/20/99 to be consistent with printed report. 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 Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1997 By Darrell K. Gilliard BJS Statistician ----------------------Highlights box---------------------------- ********** Highlights ********** Graph: Prison popula- tion Capacity 1990 773919 641807 1991 825559 690913 1992 882500 720057 1993 969301 768959 1994 1054702 840972 1995 1125874 926949 1996 1180377 970649 1997 1242410 1033137 1998 1277851 Prisons -- *Between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, the Nation's prison population grew 4.8%, less than the annual average increase of 6.9% since 1990. *North Dakota (up 19.5%) recorded the largest percent increase in prison population since midyear 1997, followed by Montana (up 18.3%) and Hawaii (up 13.6%). The District of Columbia (down -10.9%), Idaho (down -3.6%), Wyoming (down -3.0%), and Massachusetts (down -0.3%) were the only jurisdictions to record declines. *At midyear 1998 approximately 452 per 100,000 U.S. residents were incarcerated in a State or Federal prison, up from 303 per 100,000 residents in 1990. Graph: Jail popula- tion Capacity 1990 405320 389171 1991 426479 421237 1992 444584 449197 1993 459804 475224 1994 486474 504324 1995 507044 545763 1996 518492 562020 1997 567079 581733 1998 592462 606602 Jails -- *On June 30, 1998, an estimated 592,462 persons were held in local jails; up from 567,079 at midyear 1997. *From midyear 1997 to midyear 1998, the number of inmates held in jail increased 4.5% -- less than half the rate experienced 12 months earlier (9.5%) and slightly less than the average annual rate (4.9%) since 1990. *In the year ending June 30, 1998, the capacity of the Nation's jails rose by 26,216 beds. Jails were operating at 97% of their rated capacity, unchanged from 12 months prior. *At midyear 1998, 219 of every 100,000 U.S. residents were held in local jails, up from 163 per 100,000 in 1990. ----------------------end of box---------------------------- At midyear 1998 the Nation's prisons and jails incarcerated an estimated 1,802,496 persons. Federal and State prison authorities and local jail authorities held in their custody 668 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 (1,210,034 inmates). The other third were held in local jails (592,462). On June 30, 1998, 1,277,866 prisoners were under Federal and State jurisdiction, which includes prisoners in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system while being held outside its facilities. The total increased 4.8% from midyear 1997. The States and the District of Columbia added 49,342 prisoners; the Federal system, 8,748 additional prisoners. At midyear 1998 local jail authorities held or supervised an estimated 664,847 offenders -- an increase of 4.5% from midyear 1997. Eleven percent of these offenders (72,385) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as community service, work release, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring, and other alternative programs. Over 1.8 million inmates were held in the Nation=s prisons and local jails On June 30, 1998, 1,210,034 inmates were in the custody of State and Federal prison authorities, and 592,462 inmates were in the custody of local jail authorities. These data were collected in the 1998 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program and the 1998 Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ). Since midyear 1997 the total incarcerated population has increased 4.4% (table 1). The number of inmates in State prisons has increased 4.1%; in Federal prisons, 8.3%; and in local jails, 4.5%. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 1. Number of persons held in State or Federal prisons or in local jails, 1985, 1990-98 Total inmates Prisoners in custody Inmates Incarceration Year in custody Federal State in local jails 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 1646020 95088 1032440 518492 618 1997 June 30 1725785 99175 1059531 567079 645 December 31 1743886 101755 1075052 -- 652 1998 June 30 1802496 107381 1102653 592462 668 Percent change, 6/30/97 - 6/30/98 4.4% 8.3% 4.1% 4.5% Annual average increase, 12/31/85 - 6/30/98 7.3% 9.2% 7.4% 6.9% 12/31/90-6/30/98 6.2 8.3 6.6 5.2 Note: Jail counts are for midyear (June 30). Counts for 1994-98 exclude persons who were supervised outside of a jail facility. State and Federal prisoner counts for 1985 and 1990-97 are for December 31. --Not available. *Total of persons in custody per 100,000 residents on July 1 of each reference year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Between yearend 1990 and midyear 1998, the incarcerated population grew on average 6.2% annually. During this period the Federal and State prison populations and the local jail population grew at the average annual rates of 8.3%, 6.6%, and 5.2%, respectively. In the 12 months before midyear 1998, the number of inmates in the Nation=s prisons and jails rose an estimated 76,711 inmates, or 1,475 inmates per week. Since 1990 the total custody population has risen more than 653,794 inmates, the equivalent of 1,572 inmates per week. Relative to the number of U.S. residents, the rate of incarceration in 1998 was 668 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents -- up from 313 per 100,000 in 1985. At midyear 1998, 1 in every 150 U.S. residents were incarcerated. Between 1990 and 1998 the State and Federal prison population grew faster than the local jail population (figure 1). -------------------------------------------------- Figure 1: From yearend 1985 to midyear 1998, the number of inmates in the Nation's prisons and jails grew more than 1,058,000, an annual increase of 7.3% Populations State Federal Jail prisons prisons 1990 405320 684544 58838 415900 706575 61384 1991 426479 728605 63930 435532 753550 68001 1992 444584 778495 72071 452194 803531 76443 1993 459804 828566 80815 473139 866607 83158 1994 486474 904647 85500 496759 946826 87519 1995 507044 989004 89538 512768 1010722 92313 1996 518492 1032440 95088 542786 1053746 98422 1997 567079 1075052 101755 1998 592462 1102653 107381 ---------------------------------------------------- However, in the 12-month period ending June 30, 1998, the jail population grew 4.5%, while the State and Federal population grew 4.4%. At midyear 1998 the Nation's jails held 32.9% of all inmates in custody, down from 35.3% in 1990. The number of inmates under State or Federal jurisdiction rose 4.8% Between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, the number of inmates under State jurisdiction grew 4.4%, and the number under Federal jurisdiction, 7.9% (table 2). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2. Prisoners under the jurisdiction of State or Federal correctional authorities, June 30 and December 31, 1997, and June 30, 1998 Percent change from-- Prison incarcera- Region and Total 6/30/97 12/31/97 tion rate, jurisdiction 6/30/1998 12/31/98 6/30/98 to 6/30/98 to 6/30/98 6/30/98/a U.S. total 1277866 1240959 1219776 4.8% 3.0% 452 Federal 118908 112973 110160 7.9% 5.3% 37 State 1158958 1127986 1109616 4.4 2.7 415 Northeast 174163 170046 169210 2.9% 2.4% 318 Connecticut/b 17437 17241 17112 1.9 1.1 363 Maine 1634 1620 1559 4.8 0.9 121 Massachusetts/c 11867 11947 11907 -0.3 -0.7 277 New Hampshire 2165 2164 2153 0.6 0 183 New Jersey 29724 28361 27766 7.1 4.8 367 New York 70723 69108 69530 1.7 2.3 384 Pennsylvania 35644 34964 34703 2.7 1.9 297 Rhode Island/b 3657 3371 3293 11.1 8.5 224 Vermont/b 1312 1270 1187 -- -- 170 Midwest 224650 218366 212795 5.6% 2.9% 357 Illinois/d,e 42140 40788 40425 4.2 3.3 353 Indiana 18552 17903 17549 5.7 3.6 312 Iowa/d 7431 6938 6636 12.0 7.1 260 Kansas 8037 7911 7790 3.2 1.6 308 Michigan/d 44501 44771 43784 1.6 -0.6 453 Minnesota 5504 5326 5348 2.9 3.3 117 Missouri 25118 23998 23687 6.0 4.7 462 Nebraska 3519 3402 3431 2.6 3.4 206 North Dakota 883 797 739 19.5 10.8 126 Ohio/e 49289 48016 47248 4.3 2.7 440 South Dakota 2360 2239 2193 7.6 5.4 320 Wisconsin 17316 16277 13965 -- 6.4 321 South 503975 490493 484391 4.0% 2.7% 508 Alabama 22501 22290 22076 1.9 0.9 501 Arkansas 10334 10021 9539 8.3 3.1 404 Delaware/b 5477 5435 5313 3.1 0.8 416 District of Columbia 8679 9353 9739 -10.9 -7.2 1329 Florida/d 66280 64626 64713 2.4 2.6 445 Georgia/d 38194 36505 36329 5.1 4.6 492 Kentucky 15107 14600 13858 9.0 3.5 384 Louisiana 30907 29265 28382 8.9 5.6 709 Maryland 22566 22232 22415 0.7 1.5 418 Mississippi 15967 14296 14639 9.1 11.7 547 North Carolina 32407 31612 32334 0.2 2.5 367 Oklahoma/e 20994 20542 19931 5.3 2.2 629 South Carolina 21530 21173 21021 2.4 1.7 543 Tennessee 17656 16659 15827 11.6 6.0 325 Texas 143299 140351 136599 4.9 2.1 700 Virginia 28681 28385 28673 0 1.0 401 West Virginia 3396 3148 3003 13.1 7.9 186 West 256170 249081 243220 5.3% 2.8% 411 Alaska/b 4216 4165 3741 12.7 1.2 421 Arizona/d 24879 23484 23176 7.3 5.9 504 California 158742 155790 153010 3.7 1.9 477 Colorado/e 13960 13461 12840 8.7 3.7 352 Hawaii/b 5103 4978 4491 13.6 2.5 299 Idaho 3959 3911 4105 -3.6 1.2 321 Montana 2714 2517 2295 18.3 7.8 308 Nevada/e 9482 9024 8617 10.0 5.1 529 New Mexico 4751 4688 4692 1.3 1.3 263 Oregon 8620 7999 7899 9.1 7.8 248 Utah 4479 4301 4154 7.8 4.1 211 Washington 13841 13214 12732 8.7 4.7 243 Wyoming 1424 1549 1468 -3.0 -8.1 297 --Data for 1998 and 1997 are not comparable because of changed counting methods. See Jurisdiction notes. 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 6,200 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 1 year or less." --------------------------------------------------------------- Jurisdiction counts include prisoners in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system while being held outside its facilities. Compared to the previous 12-month period ending June 30, 1997, State prison growth rates declined slightly, down from 4.6%, while the Federal prison growth rate increased, up from 6.2%. In absolute numbers, the total increase of 58,090 prison inmates between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, was slightly larger than the increase of 56,710 recorded in the previous 12-month period and below the annual average growth (63,992) during the previous 7 years. Annual increase in the number of prisoners under State or Federal jurisdic- Year tion, July 1-June 30 1997-98 58,090 1996-97 56,710 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 1990-97 63,992 Nearly 45% of the growth in the prison populations during the 12 months ending June 30, 1998, was accounted for by the Federal system (8,748 additional inmates), Texas (6,700), California (5,732), Louisiana (2,525), and Ohio (2,041). During this 12-month period, 10 States experienced growth of at least 10%, led by North Dakota (19.5%), Montana (18.3%), and Hawaii (13.6%). Three States and the District of Columbia experienced a decline in their prison population. The District had the largest decline, -10.9%, followed by Idaho, -3.6%; Wyoming, -3.0%; and Massachusetts, -0.3%. Rates of prison incarceration rise The incarceration rate of State and Federal prisoners sentenced to more than a year reached 452 per 100,000 U.S. residents on June 30, 1998. Twelve States led by Louisiana (709 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 State residents), Texas (700), Oklahoma (629), and Mississippi (547) exceeded the national rate (table 3). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3. The prison situation in the United States, June 30, 1998 Prison Number Incarceration Sentenced prisoners per 12-month growth, Percent Female prison Number of population of inmates rates, 6/30/98 100,000 State residents* 6/30/97 to 6/30/98 change population female prisoners 10 highest: California 158742 Louisiana 709 North Dakota 19.5 % California 11242 Texas 143299 Texas 700 Montana 18.3 Texas 10704 Federal 118908 Oklahoma 629 Hawaii 13.6 Federal 8772 New York 70723 Mississippi 547 West Virginia 13.1 New York 3609 Florida 66280 South Carolina 543 Alaska 12.7 Florida 3512 Ohio 49289 Nevada 529 Iowa 12.0 Ohio 2937 Michigan 44501 Arizona 504 Tennessee 11.6 Illinois 2522 Illinois 42140 Alabama 501 Rhode Island 11.1 Georgia 2473 Georgia 38194 Georgia 492 Nevada 10.0 Oklahoma 2110 Pennsylvania 35644 California 477 Oregon 9.1 Louisiana 1965 10 lowest: North Dakota 883 Minnesota 117 District of Columbia -10.9 % Vermont 44 Vermont 1312 Maine 121 Idaho -3.6 North Dakota 65 Wyoming 1424 North Dakota 126 Wyoming -3.0 Maine 66 Maine 1634 Vermont 170 Massachusetts -0.3 New Hampshire 103 New Hampshire 2165 New Hampshire 183 Virginia 0 Wyoming 122 South Dakota 2360 West Virginia 186 North Carolina 0.2 South Dakota 187 Montana 2714 Nebraska 206 New Hampshire 0.6 West Virginia 210 West Virginia 3396 Utah 211 Maryland 0.7 Montana 223 Nebraska 3519 Rhode Island 224 New Mexico 1.3 Utah 240 Rhode Island 3657 Washington 243 Michigan 1.6 Nebraska 243 *The number of prisoners with a sentence of more than 1 year per 100,000 in the resident population. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the District of Columbia are excluded. --------------------------------------------------------------- Three States -- Minnesota (117), Maine (121), and North Dakota (126) -- had rates that were less than a third of the national rate. The District of Columbia, which is an urban jurisdiction that should not be compared to States, held 1,329 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 District residents at midyear 1998. Since 1990 the number of sentenced inmates per 100,000 residents has risen an average of 5.7% annually, increasing from 292 to 452. During this period prison incarceration rates rose the most in the South (from 310 to 508) and West (from 277 to 411). The rate in the Midwest rose from 239 to 357, and the rate in the Northeast rose from 232 to 318. The number of sentenced Federal prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents increased from 20 to 37 over the same period. Female prisoner population grew at faster pace From July 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998, the number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities grew from 78,363 to 82,716, an increase of 5.6% (table 4). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 4. Number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of State or Federal correctional authorities, by sex of inmate, 6/30/97 and 6/30/98 Men Women Total 6/30/98 1195150 82716 6/30/97 1141413 78363 Percent change 4.7% 5.6% Sentenced to more than 1 year 6/30/98 1145078 75396 6/30/97 1095162 71488 Percent change 4.6% 5.5% Sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents* 866 55 *The total number of male and female prisoners with a sentence of more than 1 year in the United States per 100,000 males and females in the resident population. --------------------------------------------------------------- The number of men rose 4.7%, from 1,141,413 to 1,195,150. At midyear 1998 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 about 15 times higher for men than for women. On June 30, 1998, the rate for inmates serving a sentence of more than a year was 866 males per 100,000 U.S. male residents, compared to 55 females per 100,000 female residents. At midyear the Nation's jails supervised 664,847 persons On June 30, 1998, an estimated 664,847 persons 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 1995-98 Confinement status Number of persons under jail supervision and type of program 1995 1996 1997 1998 Total 541913 591469 637319 664847 Held in jail 507044 518492 567079 592462 Supervised outside a jail facility/a 34869 72977 70239 72385 Electronic monitoring 6788 7480 8699 10827 Home detention/b 1376 907 1164 370 Day reporting 1283 3298 2768 3089 Community service 10253 17410 15918 17518 Weekender programs 1909 16336 17656 17249 Other pretrial supervision 3229 2135 7368 6048 Other work programs/c 9144 14469 6631 7089 Treatment programs/d -- 10425 6693 5702 Other 887 517 3342 4493 --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 (72,385) in alternative programs outside the jail facilities. An estimated 592,462 persons 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 persons in 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). --------------------------------------------------------------- In 1995 the Annual Survey of Jails began to obtain counts of the number of offenders under the supervision of jail authorities in the community. 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 1998, it is difficult to compare totals with those in 1995. (See Methodology, page 9.) Among persons under community supervision by jail staff in 1998, nearly half were required to perform community service (17,518) or participate in a weekend reporting program (17,249). Fifteen percent were under electronic monitoring, 10% were in other alternative work programs, 8% were under pretrial supervision, and 8% were in a drug, alcohol, mental health, or other type of medical treatment program. 12-month growth in jail population less than half last year's growth Between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, the number of persons held in local jail facilities grew 4.5% -- from 567,079 to 592,462. The 12-month increase was nearly equal the annual average increase in the 1990's but less than half the growth from midyear 1996 to midyear 1997. 12-month Percent period increase 1996-97 4.5% 1995-96 2.3 1994-95 4.2 1993-94 6.7 1992-93 3.4 1991-92 4.2 1990-91 5.2 Annual average, 1990-98 4.9% Since 1990 the Nation's jail population on a per capita basis has increased over a third. During this period the number of jail inmates per 100,000 residents rose from 163 to 219. When offenders under community supervision by jail authorities are included with those in custody, the rate was 246 offenders per 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear 1998. Year Jail incarceration rate* 1998 219 1997 212 1996 196 1995 193 1994 188 1993 178 1992 174 1991 169 1990 163 *Number of jail inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents on July 1 of each year. An estimated 8,090 persons under age 18 were housed in adult jails on June 30, 1998 (table 6). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6. Average daily population and the number of men, women, and juveniles in local jails, midyear 1990-98 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Average daily population/a 408075 422609 441889 466155 479757 509828 515432 556586 593808 Number of inmates, midyear/b 405320 426479 444584 459804 486474 507044 518492 567079 592462 Adults 403019 424129 441780 455500 479800 499300 510400 557974 584372 Male 365821 384628 401106 411500 431300 448000 454700 498678 520581 Female 37198 39501 40674 44100 48500 51300 55700 59296 63791 Juveniles/c 2301 2350 2804 4300 6700 7800 8100 9105 8090 Held as adults/d -- -- -- 3300 5100 5900 5700 7007 6542 Held as juveniles 2301 2350 2804 1000 1600 1800 2400 2098 1548 Notes: Data are for June 30 in 1992-95, and 1998; 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 the total number of days in the year. b/Inmate counts for 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 the 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. In 1994 the definition was changed to include all persons under age 18. d/Includes juveniles who were tried or awaiting trial as adults. --------------------------------------------------------------- Eighty-one percent of these young inmates had been convicted or were being held for trial as adults in criminal court. (See Methodology, for changes in the definition of juvenile.) The average daily population for the year ending June 30, 1998, was 593,808, an increase of 6.7% from 1997. Characteristics of jail inmates changed little Male inmates made up 89% of the local jail inmate population at midyear 1998, nearly 2 percentage points lower than at midyear 1990 (table 7). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7. Sex, race, and Hispanic origin of local jail inmates, midyear 1990-98 Percent of jail inmates Characteristic 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996/a 1997 1998 Total 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % Sex Male 90.8 90.7 90.8 90.4 90 89.8 89.2 89.4 89.2 Female 9.2 9.3 9.2 9.6 10 10.2 10.8 10.6 10.8 Race/Hispanic origin/b White, non-Hispanic 41.8 41.1 40.1 39.3 39.1 40.1 41.6 40.6 41.3 Black, non-Hispanic 42.5 43.4 44.1 44.2 43.9 43.5 41.1 42 41.2 Hispanic 14.3 14.2 14.5 15.1 15.4 14.7 15.6 15.7 15.5 Other/c 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 2 Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. --Not available. a/Data for 1996 were 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, 99.3% in 1996-97, and 99.6% in 1998. c/Includes American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. --------------------------------------------------------------- On average the adult female jail population has grown 7.0% annually since 1990, while the adult male inmate population has grown 4.5%. On June 30, 1998, local jails held nearly 1 in every 185 adult men and 1 in 1,626 women. At midyear 1998 a majority of local jail inmates were black or Hispanic. White non-Hispanics made up 41.3% of the jail population; black non-Hispanics, 41.2%; Hispanics, 15.5%; and other races (Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives), 2.0%. Relative to their number of U.S. residents, black non-Hispanics were 6 times more likely than white non-Hispanics, nearly 2 1/2 times as likely as Hispanics, and almost 7 1/2 times more likely than persons of other races to have been held in a local jail on June 30, 1998. Per 100,000 residents Estimated count in each group Total 592,500 219 White* 244,900 125 Black* 244,000 747 Hispanic 91,800 302 Other 11,800 100 Note: Inmate counts were estimated and rounded to the nearest 100. *Non-Hispanic only. Over half of adult jail inmates were awaiting trial On June 30, 1998, an estimated 57% of the Nation's adult jail inmates were awaiting court action on their current charge. An estimated 252,600 of the 584,372 adults held in local jails were serving a sentence in jail, awaiting sentencing, or serving time for a probation or parole violation. At midyear 1998, 97% of jail capacity was occupied At midyear 1998 the rated capacity of the Nation's local jails was an estimated 612,780, an increase of 26,216 in 12 months (table 8). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 8. Rated capacity of local jails and percent of capacity occupied, 1990-98 Year Rated Amount of Percent of capacity capacity/a capacity added/b occupied/c 1998 612780 26216 97 1997 586564 23593 97 1996 562971 17208 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 Average annual increase 6/30/90-98 5.8% 30,626 -- Note: Capacity data for 1990-92 and 1994-98 are survey estimates subject to sampling error. See the appendix table for sampling errors. 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 1990-93 the ratio may include some inmates under supervision who were not confined in a jail facility. For 1994-98 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, 1998, was larger than the previous 12-month period (23,593) but smaller than the average growth of 30,626 beds every 12 months since 1990. As of June 30, 1998, 97% of the local jail capacity was occupied. As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, the percentage occupied decreased by 12 percentage points from 1990 to 1996. At midyear 1990 local jails operated at 4% above their capacity. By midyear 1996 jail jurisdictions added a sufficient number of beds to drop the ratio to 8% below capacity. However, since 1996 the inmate population has outpaced jail capacity growth. From July 1, 1996, to June 30, 1998, the local jail population increased an estimated 73,970, while capacity rose 49,809 beds. Jail jurisdictions with the largest average daily populations reported the highest rates of occupancy. At midyear 1998 occupancy was 103% of rated capacity in jail jurisdictions with an average daily population of 1,000 or more inmates, compared to 77% in those with fewer than 50 inmates. Size of Percent of jurisdiction capacity occupied Total 98% Fewer than 50 inmates 77% 50-99 86 100-249 93 250-499 99 500-999 94 1,000 or more 103 *Based on the average daily population in the year ending June 30, 1998. The 25 largest jail jurisdictions housed more than a quarter of all jail inmates In 1998 the Nation's 25 largest jail jurisdictions accounted for 27% of all jail inmates. The jurisdictions were in 12 States: 7 in California; 5 in Florida; 4 in Texas; and 1 each in New York, Illinois, Arizona, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, and Wisconsin (table 9). --------------------------------------------------------------- Table 9. The 25 largest local jail jurisdictions: Number of inmates held, average daily population, and rated capacity, midyear 1996-98 Number of inmates held/a Average daily population/b Rated capacity/c Percent of capacity occupied at midyear/d Jurisdiction 1996 1997 1998 1996 1997 1998 1996 1997 1998 1996 1997 1998 Los Angeles County, CA 18627 21962 21268 18167 19931 21136 20099 21416 21366 93% 103% 100% New York City, NY 19890 17528 17680 18382 19205 17524 20862 22634 22584 95 77 78 Cook County, IL 8713 9189 9321 9169 9100 9297 9617 9376 9776 91 98 95 Dade County, FL 6357 7320 7036 6499 7157 7836 6387 6237 6005 100 117 117 Harris County, TX 7703 8224 7587 7140 8153 7781 8698 8657 8657 89 95 88 Dallas County, TX 6380 6439 6941 5862 6528 7000 8374 8182 8182 76 79 85 Maricopa County, AZ 5679 6732 7019 5542 6520 6910 6252 6252 6252 91 108 112 Orleans Parish, LA 5368 6537 6670 5433 6270 6398 7174 7174 7174 75 91 93 Philadelphia County, PA 5695 5563 5990 5341 5600 5753 5600 5600 6179 102 99 97 San Diego County, CA 5549 5709 6040 5522 5588 5745 4653 5539 5815 119 103 104 Shelby County, TN 5264 5568 5808 5153 5297 5627 6364 6532 6583 83 85 88 Orange County, CA 5326 5368 5546 5143 5246 5374 3821 3821 3821 139 140 145 San Bernardino County, CA 3958 4156 5713 4119 4500 5103 4957 5000 5000 80 83 114 Santa Clara County, CA 4213 4588 4658 4314 4317 4722 3774 3774 3774 112 122 123 Broward County, FL 3528 4125 4640 3470 4129 4289 3656 3736 3756 96 110 124 Fulton County, GA 2489 3982 3827 2395 3401 4276 2320 2987 2987 107 133 128 Alameda County, CA 3994 4098 4164 3954 4109 3823 4264 4218 4590 94 97 91 Baltimore City , MD 3309 3598 3881 3300 3636 3791 2933 2933 2966 113 123 131 Orange County, FL 3120 3411 3865 3332 3321 3547 3329 3234 3234 94 105 120 Tarrant County, TX 2881 3366 3572 2876 3291 3529 4193 4193 4739 69 80 75 Sacramento County, CA 3093 3505 3654 3217 3329 3507 3700 3871 3871 84 91 94 Bexar County, TX 3058 3683 3368 2821 3491 3398 3640 3670 3670 84 100 92 Hillsborough County, FL 2661 3155 3101 2679 2973 3062 2757 2877 2909 97 110 107 Milwaukee County, WI 2653 2876 2850 2695 2757 2918 2274 2274 2466 117 126 116 Duval County, FL 2384 2743 2899 2473 2687 2755 3300 3100 3000 72 88 97 Note: Jurisdictions are ordered by their average daily population in 1998. 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. 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 38,900 inmates, or 7% of the national total. Overall, the 25 largest jurisdictions at midyear 1998 held 157,098 inmates -- an increase of 3,673 from a year earlier (153,425). A total of 18 jurisdictions reported increases in their populations; 7 reported decreases. San Bernardino County, CA (up 37.5%), Orange County, FL (up 13.3%), and Broward County, FL (up 12.5%), reported the largest increases among the 25 largest jail jurisdictions. Bexar County, TX (down -8.6%), Harris County, TX (down -7.7%), and Fulton County, GA, and Dade County, FL (each down -3.9%), led all jurisdictions reporting declines. As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, jails in Orange County, CA, had the highest percentage occupied (145%), followed by jails in Baltimore City (131%), and Fulton County, GA (128%). Jail facilities in Tarrant County, TX (75%), New York City (78%), and Dallas County, TX (85%), had the lowest percentage occupied at midyear 1998. 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 sample survey of jails is conducted to estimate baseline characteristics of the Nation's jails and the inmates housed in these jails. The 1998 ASJ is the 14th such survey in a series begun in 1982. The reference date for the 1998 survey was June 30. Based on information from the 1993 Census of Jails, a sample of jail jurisdictions was selected for the 1994-98 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 jurisdictions and 25 multijurisdiction 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 some-what 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 664,847 on June 30, 1998, was 0.87%; for persons held in the custody of jail authorities of 592,462, 0.67%. (See the appendix table) --------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix table. Standard error estimates for the Annual Survey of Jails, 1998 Standard Relative Characteristic Estimate error standard error (percent) Total number under supervision 664847 5774 0.87% Held in jail 592462 3958 0.67 Supervised outside a jail facility 72384 3718 5.14 Average daily population 593808 10233 1.72% Rated capacity 612780 4891 0.80% Sex Male 528157 3577 0.68% Female 64306 604 0.94 Adults 584372 3930 0.67% Juveniles 8090 232 2.87% Held as adults 6542 202 3.09 Held as juveniles 1548 183 11.82 Race/Hispanic origin/a White, non-Hispanic 243798 3031 1.24% Black, non-Hispanic 242927 2400 0.99 Hispanic 91388 1312 1.44 Other/b 11732 496 4.23 Adult conviction status Awaiting trial or in other unconvicted category 331323 2662 .80% Convicted 252266 2769 1.10 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 jail and prison populations. Jurisdiction counts exclude inmates held in local jails that are operated by communities. Arizona -- Jurisdiction counts are based on custody data. Connecticut -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Starting in the 1998 report year, Connecticut reports jurisdiction and custody counts. Connecticut revised its June 30, 1997, jurisdiction and custody counts to allow comparisons of 1997 and 1998 data. Delaware -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. District of Columbia -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Florida -- Counts are based on custody data. Georgia -- Counts are based on custody data. Hawaii -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Illinois -- Counts are based on custody data. Iowa -- Counts are based on custody data. Massachusetts -- Jurisdiction counts exclude approximately 6,200 male inmates in the county system (local jails and houses of correction) serving a sentence of over 1 year. These male inmates are included in Massachusetts' incarceration rate. By law, offenders in Massachusetts may be sentenced to terms of up to 2 1/2 years in locally operated jails and correctional institutions. Michigan -- Counts are based on custody data. Rhode Island -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Tennessee -- Jurisdiction counts exclude 3,543 felons sentenced to serve their time in local jails. Tennessee pays to house these 3,543 felons, but the local court maintains jurisdiction. Vermont -- Prisons and jails form an integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Starting in the 1998 report year, Vermont reports separate jurisdiction and custody counts; therefore, data for 1997 are not comparable to those for 1998. Jurisdiction counts exclude 424 inmates on extended furlough release. Wisconsin -- Data for June 30, 1997, and June 30, 1998, are not comparable because of a change in Wisconsin's reporting method. Beginning in December 1997, Wisconsin provides a more complete jurisdiction count, including prisoners held in county jails, mental health facilities, halfway houses, and out-of-State noncontract facilities. --------------------------------------------------------- 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 wrote this report under the supervision of Allen J. Beck. Paula M. Ditton and Christopher J. Mumola provided statistical review. Ida Hines produced the report, which Tom Hester edited. 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. March 1999, NCJ 173414 --------------------------------------------------------- Data from the Annual Survey of Jails 1998 (ICPSR 2682) can be obtained from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, 1-800-999-0960. The archive, the report, and NPS data are available on the Internet: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ --------------------------------------------------------- th 3/12/99 pm 5/20/99