Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1995 August 1997, NCJ-164266 The full text of this report is available through: * the BJS Clearinghouse, 1-800-732-3277 * on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Director James J. Stephan wrote this report, developed the census questionnaire, and coordinated data collection. Allen J. Beck supervised the development of the census and the writing of the report. Christopher J. Mumola assisted in the analysis of the data. Valerie Tumminia provided statistical assistance. Tom Hester edited and produced the report, assisted by Ida Hines. Marilyn Marbrook prepared the report for final printing, assisted by Jayne Robinson and Yvonne Boston. Pamela Butler, the U.S. Bureau of the Census, conducted the data collection and processing, assisted by Martha Greene, Henrietta Herrin, Martha Haselbush, Lisa McNelis, Patricia Torreyson, and Charlene Watz, under the general direction of Alan Stevens. This report and its data are available on the Internet: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data offers the data and their codebook. The archive may be reached through the BJS site or at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/home.html ************ Contents ************ Highlights iv (All topics listed are for 1990 and 1995 unless otherwise noted.) Number of facilities and inmates 1 Operators of correctional facilities, 1995 only 2 Facilities and inmates, by region 2 Number of inmates, by race and Hispanic origin, 1995 only 3 Inmates and rated capacity, by facility size 4 Facilities Size, by region 4 Type, by function 5 Regional location, by age 6 Characteristics, by security level 7 Number of inmates, by_ Level of security and facility characteristics 8 Type of facility and security level 9 Custody level 10 Deaths, furloughs, and special populations in confinement facilities 11 Facilities under court order, by the reason for the order and whether ordered to limit population 12 Assaults and other inmate violations 13 Facilities offering work, education and counseling programs and the number of participants 14 Prison bootcamps 15 Number of employees, 1995 only, by _ Occupational category and type of facility 15 Occupational category and region 16 Type of facility, sex of inmates housed, and occupational category 17 Sex, race, and Hispanic origin and by facility type 18 Number of inmates per employee, by facility type and occupational category, 1995 only 18 Number of employees and inmate-employee ratio, by occupational category and facility type 19 Characteristics of private correctional facilities under contract to State or Federal authorities 20 Number of inmates under age 18 in State correctional facilities by security level and region, 1995 only 21 Appendixes 22 Methodology 23 Questionnaire 25 ********** Highlights ********** On June 30, 1995, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted an enumeration of all State and Federal adult correctional facilities. These facilities included places of confinement like prisons, prison hospitals, prison farms, boot camps, and centers for reception, classification, or alcohol/drug treatment, and community-based facilities like halfway houses and work release centers. Facilities were included if they housed primarily State or Federal prisoners; were physically, functionally, and administratively separate from other facilities; and were operational on the day of the census. Jails and other local or regional detention facilities were specifically excluded from the census, as were private facilities not exclusively for State or Federal inmates. Also excluded were facilities for the military, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and correctional hospital wards not operated by correctional authorities. Number of facilities ----------------------- *The number of State and Federal correctional facilities in operation increased 17%, from 1,287 at midyear 1990, when the last census was conducted, to 1,500 at midyear 1995. *In 1995 States operated 1,375 facilities and the Federal Bureau of Prisons operated 125 facilities. *About 1 in 6 State prisons or other types of correctional facilities and 1 in 2 Federal facilities were added during the early 1990's. ******************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------- 168 State facilities and 45 Federal facilities were added between 1990 and 1995 Community and confinement facilities --------------------------------------- State Federal Facility ------------- ------------- characteristic 1990 1995 1990 1995 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Number 1207 1375 80 125 Confinement 957 1084 80 112 Community-based 250 291 0 13 Rated capacity 650600 909908 42183 65811 Percent of capacity occupied 1.01 1.03 1.35 1.24 Private facilities 67 98 0 12 Average number of inmates held 7771 15408 0 1018 Security level Maximum/close/high 223 289 11 9 Medium 368 438 37 25 Minimum/low 616 648 32 91 Court orders/ consent decrees* For any reason 323 378 0 113 To limit population 264 228 0 1 For specific conditions 242 321 0 112 For the totality of conditions 212 149 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------ *Specific reasons add to more than "For any reason" because some facilities were under court order or consent decree for more than one reason. See page 12 for a discussion of reasons for court directives. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ****************************************************************** Capacity -------- *Each year from 1990 to 1995 the rated capacity of State facilities expanded an average 6.9%. In 1995 the capacity was almost 910,000, up from 650,600 in 1990. *The increase in State capacity lagged inmate growth so that percent of capacity occupied rose from 101% to 103%. *Federal capacity in 1995 was nearly 66,000. After 1990, rated capacity grew annually at an average of 9.3% so that the percent of Federal capacity occupied fell from 135% to 124%. Facility types -------------- *In both 1990 and 1995 community-based institutions -- those in which half or more of the inmates are permitted to leave the premises, unaccompanied -- accounted for about 20% of all facilities. Confinement facilities accounted for 80%. *The distribution of inmates by type of facility remained virtually unchanged from 1990 to 1995: In 1990 all but 2% of prisoners were housed in confinement facilities, and in 1995 all but 3%. Security levels ---------------- *More State facilities of all security levels were in operation in 1995 than 5 years earlier. By contrast, the Federal system operated more minimum security facilities and fewer maximum and medium security institutions. Court orders ------------ *Fewer facilities were under court orders or consent decrees to limit population and for the totality of conditions in 1995 than in 1990. However, more were being cited for specific conditions of confinement in 1995. Number of inmates ----------------- *The number of inmates in State and Federal correctional facilities rose 43% from 715,649 in 1990 to 1,023,572 in 1995, an average increase of about 7.5% per year. *In both 1990 and 1995 about 20% of inmates were classified as maximum security risks, 40% as medium security, and 33% as minimum security. The remainder were not assigned a custody level or were regarded as very low risk. **************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------- State and Federal facilities held 1,023,572 inmates in 1995, up from 715,649 in 1990 State and Federal correctional facilities ----------------------- Inmate characteristic 1990 1995 ----------------------------------------------- Number of inmates Total 715649 1023572 Under age 18 3600 5309 Noncitizen inmates/a 25250 51500 Type of facility Confinement 698570 992333 Community-based 17079 31239 Custody level Maximum/close/high 150205 202174 Medium 292372 415688 Minimum/low 219907 366227 Not classified 53165 39483 Number of assaults/b On other inmates 21590 25948 On staff 10731 14165 Rate of assault per 1,000 inmates All confinement facilit 46.8 40.8 Maximum security 60.7 61.5 Medium security 46.5 33.9 Minimum security 18.7 17.8 ---------------------------------------------------- /aData from 1995 were based on reporting from 81% of facilities. /bIn confinement facilties during the 12 months preceding the census. ----------------------------------------------------- **************************************************** Prisoner assaults ----------------- *Inmates committed more assaults against staff and other inmates during the annual period ending in 1995 than in 1990. *When inmate growth is considered, however, the 1995 rate of assault was slightly lower than the 1990 rate. The declining rate of assault occurred in medium and minimum security facilities. Number of correctional employees -------------------------------- *The number of employees in correctional facilities totaled 347,320 at midyear 1995, up from 264,201 in 1990. *Nearly two-thirds of all correctional staff were in custody or security positions. At midyear 1995 nearly 221,000 employees worked in custody or security positions, 56,000 in professional, technical, or educational positions, 27,000 in clerical positions, 24,000 in maintenance or food service, and 9,500 in administration. *************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------- 347,320 persons were employed in State or Federal correctional facilities in 1995, an increase of 32% in 5 years State and Federal correctional facilities ----------------------- Personnel characteristic 1990 1995 ----------------------------------------------- All facilities All staff 264201 347320 Custody/security staff 169587 220892 Federal All staff 18451 25379 Custody/security staff 7055 10348 State All staff 245750 321941 Custody/security staff 162532 210544 Confinement All staff 258758 339070 Custody/security staff 166215 215824 Community-based All staff 5443 8250 Custody/security staff 3372 5068 Number of inmates per employee All staff 2.7 2.9 Custody/security staff only 4.2 4.6 Sex/a Male 190564 246581 Female 62833 100659 Race/Hispanic origin/b White 187093 232382 Black 49226 65513 Hispanic 13148 20702 Other 3930 6576 Not reported 0 974 --------------------------------------------------------------- /aData from 1990 for sex of staff exclude nonpayroll and contract staff, about 4% of employees. Data from 1995 for sex of staff exclude information from 1 private facility with 80 employees. /bBoth 1990 and 1995 data for race/Hispanic origin of staff exclude nonpayroll and contract employees. The majority of all data on race/Hispanic origin were estimated by the respondents. --------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************** Inmate-to-staff ratio --------------------- *Between 1990 and 1995 the number of inmates held grew faster than the correctional staff. In 1990 there were 2.7 inmates per employee, and in 1995, 2.9. *Relative to the number of custody or security employees, the number of inmates rose from 4.2 to 4.6. Female staff ------------ *The female payroll staff rose 60% between 1990 and 1995, while male staff rose by 29%. Women made up nearly a third of all correctional staff in 1995. In 5 years their number had grown from 62,833 to 100,659. Race of staff ------------- *About 71 in every 100 correctional facility employees in 1995 were white, 20 were black or African American, 6 Hispanic, and 2 other races. *Between 1990 and 1995 the number of white employees rose by 24%, the number of blacks by 33%, and the number of Hispanics, by 57%. *More than 86,000 correctional staff in 1995 were black or Hispanic, up from 62,000 in 1990. *********************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------- Table 1. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities and inmates, by type of facility and sex of inmates, midyear 1990 and 1995 Type of facility -------------------------------------------- All facilities Confinement -------------- Percent ------------- Percent 1990 1995 change 1990 1995 change ----------------------------------------------------- Number of facilities Total 1287 1500 17% 1037 1196 15% Federal 80 125 56 80 112 40 State 1207 1375 14 957 1084 13 Number of inmates Total 715649 1023572 43 698570 992333 42 Male 675624 961210 42 660222 932641 41 Female 40025 62362 56 38348 59692 56 Federal 56821 81930 44 56821 80799 42 Male 52642 76393 45 52642 75328 43 Female 4179 5537 32 4179 5471 31 State 658828 941642 43 641749 911534 42 Male 622982 884817 42 607580 857313 41 Female 35846 56825 59 34169 54221 59 Community-based --------------- Percent 1990 1995 change ---------------------------------- Number of facilities Total 250 304 22% Federal 0 13 ... State 250 291 16 Number of inmates Total 17079 31239 83 Male 15402 28569 85 Female 1677 2670 59 Federal 0 1131 ... Male 0 1065 ... Female 0 66 ... State 17079 30108 76 Male 15402 27504 79 Female 1677 2604 55 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Confinement institutions are facilities in which less than 50% of the inmates are regularly permitted to leave the premises unaccompanied by staff. Community-based institutions are facilities in which 50% or more of the inmates are regularly permitted to leave the premises unaccompanied. Confinement facilities include institutions for general adult population confinement: boot camps; reception, diagnosis, and classification centers; prison hospitals; alcohol and drug treatment centers; and youthful offender facilities. Community-based facilities include halfway houses, restitution centers, and prerelease, work release, and study release centers ...Not applicable. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** The 1995 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities identified 1,500 facilities in operation at midyear ***************************************************************** Number of facilities -------------------- Overall, the number of correctional facilities, both confinement and community-based, increased 17% from midyear 1990 when the previous Census counted 1,287 facilities. Facilities operating under State authority grew 14% from 1,207 to 1,375 while facilities operating under Federal authority rose 56% from 80 to 125. The number of confinement facilities throughout the country reached 1,196 in 1995, up 15% from 5 years earlier, and the number of community-based facilities grew by 22% to 304. Population ---------- State and Federal correctional facilities at midyear 1995 held 1,023,572 persons, 43% more than at midyear 1990, when 715,649 inmates were in custody. The number of inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents rose from 263 in 1990 to 390 in 1995. Men and women ------------- 94% of all inmates were men and 6% were women. The number of male inmates increased 42%, and female inmates, 56%, over the 5-year period. Type of facility ---------------- 97% of all State and Federal prisoners were in confinement facilities where less than half the population regularly leave the premises unaccompanied by staff. 3% were in community-based facilities where half or more of the population leave unaccompanied. ***************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------- Table 2. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities and inmates, by type of facility and facility operator, midyear 1995 Facility operator ----------------------------------- Joint auth- Total State Federal Private ority* ---------------------------------------------------- Facilities Total 1500 1262 112 110 16 Confinement 1196 1048 110 29 9 Community-based 304 214 2 81 7 Inmates Total 1023572 922421 79702 16663 4786 Confinement 992333 896260 78963 12736 4374 Community-based 31239 26161 739 3927 412 ---------------------------------------------------- *Includes a variety of operating arrangements, such as a facility owned and staffed by State employees providing services to multiple counties for a fee; a facility that is co-owned by the State and a county that share in its operation; and a facility staffed by county employees who are State certified for correctional administration. ---------------------------------------------------- **************************************************** State prison authorities operated more than four-fifths of the Nation's correctional facilities **************************************************** Facilities ---------- State authorities operated 84% of all correctional facilities; the Federal Bureau of Prisons , 7%; private contractors, 7%; and States and localities as joint authorities, 1%. Prisoners --------- More than 9 of every 10 prisoners were held in facilities operated by State authorities. 8% of the Nation's prisoners were held by Federal authorities, 2% by private contractors, and less than 1% by cooperative arrangement between State and local authorities. **************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------- Table 3. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities and inmates, by region, midyear 1990 and 1995 Popu- Inmates lation per Number of Number of per 100,000 Jurisdic- facilities inmates cent popu- tion and ----------- ------------ change lation region 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990-95 in 1995 ------------------------------------------------------ U.S. 1287 1500 715649 1023572 43% 390 Federal 80 125 56821 81930 44 31 State 1207 1375 658828 941642 43 358 Northeast 182 204 117865 150794 28 293 Midwest 255 275 141726 188155 33 304 South 534 629 253453 401309 58 437 West 236 267 145784 201384 38 350 ----------------------------------------------------- *Based on the estimated U.S. resident population for July 1, 1995. ----------------------------------------------------- *************************************************** The South accounted for nearly 50% of State correctional facilities and more than 40% of State prisoners at midyear 1995 *************************************************** Regions ------- State facilities housed between 150,000 and 200,000 inmates in each region except the South, where institutions held more than 400,000 prisoners. The South had the largest number of prisoners per 100,000 State residents (437), and the Northeast had the lowest number (293). ********************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 4. Number of inmates in State and Federal correctional facilities, by race/Hispanic origin and region, midyear 1995 White Black Asian/ Jurisdiction non- non- Native Pacific Not and region Total Hispanic Hispanic Hispanic American Islander reported -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. total 1023572 363918 488222 147365 10519 8436 5112 Federal 81930 36403 29178 14385 1171 771 22 State 941642 327515 459044 132980 9348 7665 5090 Northeast 150794 38893 74310 35349 1140 584 518 Midwest 188155 80120 98307 7325 1648 410 345 South 401309 130894 233420 32717 1518 635 2125 West 201384 77608 53007 57589 5042 6036 2102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: The number of inmates of Hispanic origin is underreported. In 28 Federal facilities race but not Hispanic origin was reported for 21,563 inmates. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** More than 6 in every 10 persons held in correctional facilities were black or Hispanic ******************************************************************************** All inmates ----------- 48% of inmates were black non-Hispanic; 36%, white non-Hispanic; 14%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 1%, Asian/Pacific Islander. Federal ------- 44% of inmates were white non-Hispanic; 36%, black non-Hispanic; 18%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 1%, Asian/Pacific Islander. Because of underreporting of race and Hispanic origin of 21,563 inmates in 28 Federal facilities, the proportion of white non-Hispanic inmates may be overstated and the proportion of Hispanic inmates understated. State ----- 49% of inmates were black non-Hispanic; 35%, white non-Hispanic; 14%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 1%, Asian or Pacific Islander. ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 5. Average daily population in State and Federal correctional facilities, by region, 1990 and 1995 Average daily population Percent ---------------- change, Jurisdiction 1990 1995 1990-95 ------------------------------------------ U.S. total 690771 990616 43.4 Federal 54797 81070 47.9 State 635974 909546 43 Northeast 112439 147236 30.9 Midwest 139373 183025 31.3 South 245224 382603 56 West 138938 196682 41.6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Average daily population was calculated either by totaling daily populations for the annual period and dividing by 365 or by summing the monthly average daily populations for the annual period and dividing by 12. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************** State and Federal correctional facilities had an average daily population of 990,616 for July 1, 1994-June 30, 1995 ********************************************************************** Federal ------- The average daily population was 81,070, about 48% greater than in 1990. State ----- The average daily population was 909,546, about 43% higher than in 1990. ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6. Number of inmates and rated capacity of State and Federal correctional facilities, by facility size, midyear 1990 and 1995 Percent of Inmates Rated capacity capacity occupied --------------- --------------- ----------------- Facility size* 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. total 715649 1023572 692783 975719 103 105 Federal 56821 81930 42183 65811 135 124 Fewer than 500 7195 14706 7187 14691 100 100 500-999 25873 22956 18985 19611 136 117 1,000-2,499 23753 41007 16011 28321 146 145 2,500 or more 0 3261 0 3188 ... 102 State 658828 941642 650600 909908 101 103 Fewer than 500 123585 143792 128783 153545 96 94 500-999 174236 198414 169647 195598 103 101 1,000-2,499 249555 400533 243829 372629 102 108 2,500 or more 111452 198903 108341 188136 103 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *Based on average daily population. ...Not applicable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************** From 1990 to 1995 the number of inmates increased slightly more than facility capacity, making occupancy rise from 103% to 105% of rated capacity ********************************************************************** State facilities ---------------- The rated capacity grew 40% between 1990 and 1995, somewhat less than the 43% growth in State prisoners, causing occupancy in State facilities to rise from 101% to 103%. State facilities housing 1,000-2,499 inmates and 2,500 inmates or more had population growths of 60% and 78%, respectively. Capacity increased less than the population so that occupancy went from 102% to 108% (1,000-2,499) and from 103% to 106% (2,500 or more). Federal facilities ------------------ Between 1990 and 1995 the rated capacity rose 56% while the prison population grew more than 44%. Occupancy thereby declined from 135% to 124%. Facilities housing 1,000-2,499 people accounted for almost half the Federal inmates in 1995. From 1990 to 1995facilities of this size had a population increase of 73% and a growth in rated capacity of 77%. In 1995, population was 145% of rated capacity for facilities holding 1,000 to 2,499--higher than for any other size category of facility. ********************************************************************************************************* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities, by size and region, 1990 and 1995 Size of facility* Fewer than Jurisdiction Total 500 inmates 500-999 1,000-2,499 2,500 or more ------------- -------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- and region 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 U.S. total 1287 1500 816 854 260 286 185 306 26 54 Federal 80 125 30 58 32 31 18 35 0 1 State 1207 1375 786 796 228 255 167 271 26 53 Northeast 194 224 99 101 51 55 43 63 1 5 Federal 12 20 4 8 5 4 3 7 0 1 State 182 204 95 93 46 51 40 56 1 4 Midwest 269 293 162 160 56 52 49 76 2 5 Federal 14 18 5 9 6 6 3 3 0 0 State 255 275 157 151 50 46 46 73 2 5 South 572 691 366 386 123 147 78 144 5 14 Federal 38 62 16 30 12 12 10 20 0 0 State 534 629 350 356 111 135 68 124 5 14 West 252 292 189 207 30 32 15 23 18 30 Federal 16 25 5 11 9 9 2 5 0 0 State 236 267 184 196 21 23 13 18 18 30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Based on average daily population. ******************************************************************************************************** Most facilities in 1995 were comparatively small, holding fewer than 500 inmates ******************************************************************************************************** All facilities -------------- Over 50% of facilities held fewer than 500 inmates; about 20% held 500-999; about 20%, 1,000-2,499; and less than 5%, 2,500.1990 and 1995 The percentage of inmate facilities with fewer than 500 inmates fell from 63% in 1990 to 57% in 1995. More institutions housing 1,000 inmates or more were in use in 1995 (24%) than 5 years earlier (16%). Federal and State ----------------- Facilities holding 500 or more inmates were more common in the Federal system (54%) than in State systems(42%). Regions ------- The West, compared to other regions, had a distinctive distribution of correctional facilities: 71% of the institutions housed fewer than 500 inmates. ******************************************************************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 8. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities, by type and function, midyear 1990 and 1995 Confinement Community-based --------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ Total State Federal Total State Federal ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ------------- ---------- Facility function* 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 1037 1196 957 1084 80 112 250 304 250 291 0 13 Holding general adult population 979 1036 899 930 80 106 71 100 71 94 0 6 Boot camp 22 53 22 50 0 3 1 2 1 2 0 0 Reception, diagnosis, or classification 147 158 138 154 9 4 1 3 1 3 0 0 Medical treatment or hospitalization 86 177 81 169 5 8 0 5 0 5 0 0 Alcohol/drug treatment 97 192 93 180 4 12 20 41 20 38 0 3 Holding youthful offenders 23 39 23 39 0 0 4 2 4 2 0 0 Work release/pre-release 161 149 159 147 2 2 250 294 250 283 0 11 Holding persons returned to custody 88 85 83 78 5 7 4 19 4 17 0 2 Other* 119 248 101 237 18 11 21 43 21 40 0 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: Figures add to more than the total number of facilities because facilities may have more than one function. *Includes psychiatric, geriatric, pre-sentence, conservation camp, firefighting, community service, restitution, mother/child, sex offender, public works, death row, and skilled nursing functions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **************************************************************** Correctional facilities overall were more specialized in 1995 than in 1990:13% were for specialized functions in 1995, and 6%, in 1990 **************************************************************** Treatment facilities -------------------- Medical treatment was a primary function of 15% of State and Federal confinement facilities in 1995, up from 8% in 1990. Alcohol and drug treatment accounted for 16% in 1995 and 9% in 1990. Community-based facilities -------------------------- States added 41 facilities, from 250 in 1990 to 291 in 1995. Most of those added had work release or pre-release as primary functions. *************************************************************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 9. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities and inmates, by facility age and region, midyear 1990 and 1995 U.S. total Northeast Midwest South West -------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- Characteristic 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All facilities 1287 1500 194 224 269 293 572 691 252 292 Facilities that were: Less than 10 years old 314 497 38 71 68 102 136 239 72 85 10-19 163 273 20 40 20 44 97 128 26 61 20-49 373 366 33 41 77 61 160 173 103 91 50-99 379 310 83 59 82 64 172 143 42 44 100 years or more 58 45 20 12 22 20 7 5 9 8 Not reported 0 9 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 3 All inmates 715649 1023572 125867 166934 152891 200209 279940 440637 156951 215711 Inmates in facilities Less than 10 years old 203814 393241 29045 47560 43577 72842 84522 185928 46670 86911 10-19 81109 169468 9355 27027 11082 23994 48429 87532 12243 30915 20-49 161324 199567 16865 23489 26836 34011 62580 82279 55043 59788 50-99 206330 204584 53951 53302 49488 48049 73481 79092 29410 24141 100 years or more 63072 55956 16651 15542 21908 21177 10928 5369 13585 13868 Not reported 0 756 0 14 0 136 0 437 0 88 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Facility age is the age of the oldest building in a complex currently used to house inmates. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************************************************** As States and the Federal Prison System opened new institutions or replaced old ones, the overall age of the facilities fell sharply: In 1995, 51% of the facilities were less than 20 years old, compared to 37% in 1990 *************************************************************************************************************** Regions ------- Newer housing stock prevailed in every region of the country but was most notable in the Northeast where the proportion of institutions less than 20 years old rose from 30% in 1990 to 50% in 1995. Inmates ------- In 1995 well over half the inmates were housed in facilities built after 1975. In 1990, 4 in 10 inmates had been in facilities less than 20 years old. The percentage of inmates in institutions 50 years old or older decreased from 38% in 1990 to 25% in 1995. In 1995 nearly 56,000 inmates were held in facilities that were at least 100 years old. ******************************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 10. Characteristics of State and Federal confinement facilities, by level of security, midyear 1990 and 1995 Number of confinement facilities, by security level ------------------------------------------------------- Total Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b/c ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facility characteristic 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 All facilities 1037 1196 234 298 403 458 400 440 Sex of inmates housed/d Males only 889 1008 201 254 338 388 350 366 Females only 71 104 16 20 28 36 27 48 Both sexes 77 84 17 24 37 34 23 26 Function Holding general adult population 979 1036 216 267 387 426 376 343 Boot camp 22 53 5 10 8 18 9 25 Reception/diagnosis/classification 147 158 65 70 72 76 10 12 Medical treatment/hospital 86 177 32 67 49 86 5 24 Alcohol/drug treatment 97 192 19 38 51 88 27 66 Holding youthful offenders 23 39 4 11 10 16 9 12 Work release/pre-release 161 149 9 12 44 42 108 95 Holding persons returned to custody 88 85 26 21 48 37 14 27 Other/e 119 248 44 76 45 79 30 93 Age/f/g Less than 10 years 279 430 72 109 131 163 76 158 10-19 124 209 38 59 52 92 34 58 20-49 293 278 36 50 87 108 170 120 50-99 289 235 57 57 120 82 112 96 100 years or more 52 41 31 23 13 13 8 5 Average daily population Fewer than 500 inmates 567 557 60 62 145 143 362 352 500-999 259 280 82 83 145 132 32 65 1,000-2,499 185 305 80 125 99 158 6 22 2,500 or more 26 54 12 28 14 25 0 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /aIncludes facilities with security characteristic as "close" or "high." /bIncludes facilities with security characteristic as "low." /cIncludes 11 State-operated and 1 Federally operated facilities with no physical security, and 6 Federal facilities reporting security level as "administrative" in 1995. /dThe sex of inmates housed was not reported for one medium security and one maximum security facility in 1990. /eIncludes psychiatric, geriatric, pre-sentence, conservation camp, firefighting, community service, restitution, mother/child, sex offender, public works, death row and skilled nursing functions. /fRefers to the number of years between date of original construction and the census years. The oldest Federal confinement facility in operation at the time of the census was the U.S. Penitentiary, Leavenworth, KS (1896). The oldest State confinement facility was the New Jersey State Prison, Trenton, NJ, originally constructed in 1797. /gThe ages of 3 minimum security facilities were not reported in 1995. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************** Despite the addition of facilities or the replacement of old ones after 1990, the mix of facilities with maximum, medium, or minimum security levels remained about the same in 1995 *************************************************************** Security levels --------------- Maximum security confinement facilities comprised 23% of State and Federal facilities in 1990 and 25% in 1995. Medium security institutions were 38% and minimum security facilities 37% of the total in 1995. Facility size and security level -------------------------------- Maximum security facilities were most likely large institutions, and minimum security facilities, small institutions. Over half the maximum security facilities in 1995 housed 1,000 inmates or more. About 80% of the minimum security facilities held fewer than 500 each. Medium security facilities were of every size: 31% small capacity, 29% medium, and 40% large capacity. Sex of inmates and security level --------------------------------- About 85% of both maximum and medium security facilities held men only, and 7% or 8% women only, and 7% or 8% both sexes. Minimum security institutions in 1995 were slightly less likely than other facilities to house men only (83%), more likely to house women only (11%), and about as likely to house both sexes (6%). ************************************************************************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 11. Number of inmates in State and Federal confinement facilities, by facility characteristics, midyear 1990 and 1995 Number of inmates in confinement facilities, by facility security level ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b/c -------------- -------------- --------------- ----------------- Facility characteristic 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All facilities 698570 992333 253664 363772 351900 478466 93006 150095 Sex of inmates housed/d Males only 622545 883822 232777 333290 307806 423606 81962 126926 Females only 27682 51392 9493 11024 11294 26821 6895 13547 Both sexes 48343 57119 11394 19458 32800 28039 4149 9622 Function Holding general adult population 669965 934151 237069 342803 344522 460463 88374 130885 Boot camp 18662 50319 7819 14824 9075 28926 1768 6569 Reception/diagnosis/classification 143733 181835 69065 76076 70342 99224 4326 6535 Medical treatment/hospital 107236 212441 43435 90108 61767 107234 2034 15099 Alcohol/drug treatment 70386 168846 25320 47638 39493 92604 5573 28604 Holding youthful offenders 12687 37632 3410 17941 6185 16113 3092 3578 Work release/pre-release 59179 94034 12645 18930 25237 46917 21297 28187 Holding persons returned to custody 88726 87230 32149 32868 53595 41370 2982 12992 Other/e 98527 226433 42709 92149 50,261 109958 5557 24326 Age/f/g Less than 10 years 201444 385708 63582 136061 119560 198854 18302 50793 10-19 78621 162920 31828 54061 37572 86566 9221 22293 20-49 156074 190378 36502 56348 84561 97776 35011 36254 50-99 199523 197302 76106 80722 94773 78688 28644 37912 100 years or more 62908 55807 45646 36580 15434 16602 1828 2625 Average daily population Fewer than 500 inmates 114261 133173 17912 18878 35628 41119 61081 73176 500-999 199189 216663 64208 64099 112642 104342 22339 48222 1,000-2,499 273308 440333 123614 186946 140108 227951 9586 25436 2,500 or more 111452 202164 47930 93849 63522 105054 0 3261 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /aIncludes facilities with security characterized as "close" or "high." /bIncludes facilities with security characterized as "low". /cIncludes 11 State-operated and 1 Federally-operated facilities with no physical security, and 6 Federal facilities reporting security level as "administrative" in 1995. /dThe sex of inmates housed was not reported for one medium security and one maximum security facility in 1990. /eIncludes psychiatric, geriatric, pre-sentence, conservation camp, firefighting, community service, restitution, mother/child, sex offender, public works, death row and skilled nursing functions. /fRefers to the number of years between date of original construction and the census years. The oldest Federal confinement facility in operation at the time of the census was the U.S. Penitentiary, Leavenworth, KS (1896). The oldest State confinement facility was the New Jersey State Prison, Trenton, NJ., originally constructed in 1797. /gThe ages of 3 minimum security facilities were not reported in 1995. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** 9 out of 10 confined inmates were in male-only facilities in 1995 ***************************************************************** Sex of inmates -------------- 5% of inmates were in facilities for females only, and 6% in facilities for both sexes. Security levels --------------- Inmates in maximum security facilities were the most likely to be in male-only institutions (92%), whereas inmates in minimum security were the least likely (85%). Age of facility and security levels ----------------------------------- 10% of the inmates in maximum security facilities and 2% of the inmates in minimum security facilities were also in buildings 100 years old or older. Size of facility ---------------- Two-thirds of inmates in 1995 lived in facilities with average daily populations between 500 and 2,499 inmates. About 13% of confined inmates were in facilities with fewer than 500, and 20% were in institutions of 2,500 or more. *********************************************************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 12. Number of inmates in State and Federal correctional facilities, by type and security level, midyear 1990 and 1995 Number of inmates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of Physical security of State facility Physical security of Federal facility facility ----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- and year Total Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b Total Maximum Medium Minimum/c/d ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All facilities 1990 658828 244118 316990 97720 56821 9546 35861 11414 1995 941642 354500 454057 133085 81930 9272 26156 46502 Confinement 1990 641749 244118 316039 81592 56821 9546 35861 11414 1995 911534 354500 452310 104724 80799 9272 26156 45371 Community-based 1990 17079 0 951 16128 0 0 0 0 1995 30108 0 1747 28361 1131 0 0 1131 /aIncludes facilities with physical security classified as "close" or "high." /bIncludes inmates in 11 facilities with no physical security in 1995. /cIncludes inmates in 1 facility with no security and 6 facilities categorized as "administrative" in 1995. dIncludes facilities with security characterized as "low." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************** The percentage of inmates held in maximum security facilities remained stable between 1990 and 1995 ************************************************************** State ----- In both 1990 and 1995, about the same proportions of State prisoners were kept in maximum (under 40% of all inmates), medium (almost 50%), or minimum (10%) security facilities. Federal ------- Compared to State inmates in 1995, smaller percentages of Federal inmates were in maximum (11%) or medium (32%) security facilities. Most Federal inmates were in minimum (57%) security institutions. Between 1990 and 1995 the proportion of Federal prisoners in maximum security institutions remained nearly unchanged. Medium security facilities held a declining percentage of inmates as minimum security facilities held an increasing one. Community-based facilities -------------------------- Between 1990 and 1995 the number of State community-based inmates living in medium security institutions increased 84%, and those in minimum security facilities, 76%. All Federal community-based facilities were minimum security. ********************************************************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 13. Number of inmates in State and Federal correctional facilities, by custody level of inmate, midyear 1990 and 1995 Inmates in State facilities Inmates in Federal facilities --------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Custody level of inmate Custody level of inmate ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Type of Maximum, Maximum, facility close, Minimum Not close, Minimum Not year Total or high Medium or low/c classified/b Total or high Medium or low/c classified/b ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All facilities 1990 658828 146480 262062 201911 48375 56821 3725 30310 17996 4790 1995 941642 192902 389532 319725 39483 81930 9272 26156 46502 0 Confinement 1990 641749 146420 261624 186126 47579 56821 3725 30310 17996 4790 1995 911534 192724 378100 292408 39302 80799 9272 26156 45371 0 Community-based 1990 17079 60 438 15785 796 0 0 0 0 0 1995 30108 178 2432 27317 181 1131 0 0 1131 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /aIncludes inmates in 11 facilities with no physical security in 1995. /bIncludes unsentenced inmates. /cIncludes inmates in 1 facility with no security and 6 categorized as "administrative" in 1995. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **************************************************************** The custody levels of State inmates, like the security levels of the facilities, were similarly distributed in 1990 and 1995: The percentage of maximum security prisoners remained about 21% **************************************************************** State ----- In 1995 about 21% of prisoners were classified as maximum security, 43% as medium security, and 35% as minimum security. Federal ------- The number of inmates classified as medium security fell from 58% to 32% of all inmates, as minimum security expanded from 35% to 57%. The number of maximum security inmates increased from 7% to 11% of all Federal inmates. Population increases -------------------- Among the State custody levels between 1990 and 1995, the rate of increase for minimum security inmates was highest: 58%. The number classified as medium security went up 49% and those classified as maximum, 32%. During this period the number of minimum security Federal inmates jumped 158% and maximum security inmates increased 149%, while the number of medium security prisoners in the Federal system declined 14%. ************************************************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 14. Deaths, furloughs, and special inmate populations in State and Federal confinement facilities, midyear 1990 and 1995 Number of inmates ---------------------------------------------------------------- Total/a State confinement Federal confinement ---------------- ------------------ ------------------- 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inmate deaths Total 1729 3311 1521 3091 165 220 Illness/natural cause (excluding AIDS) 992 1836 868 1690 105 146 Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)/b 470 1111 420 1060 45 51 Suicide 134 169 119 156 11 13 Homicide by other inmate(s) 65 82 57 74 3 8 Other causes/c 68 113 57 111 1 2 Inmate furloughs Regularly scheduled furloughs 28849 11776 25192 11453 3657 323 Emergency furloughs 7319 2963 6773 2920 546 43 Special inmate populations Prisoners under sentence of death/d 2368 2934 2368 2934 0 0 Non-U.S. citizens/e 25250 51500 15044 34366 10162 17134 Inmates under age 18/f 3600 5309 3509 5309 39 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: Inmate deaths and furloughs are for the full year, ending the last day of June. /aIncludes residents of community-based facilities not shown separately. /bIncludes AIDS mortalities resulting from Pneumocystic carinii pneumonia, Kaposi's sarcoma, and other AIDS-related diseases. /cIncludes accidents, homicides, and other deaths. /dThe State count for 1995 and the total for 1995 includes 6 Federal inmates held under sentence of death in State facilities. /eThe number of non-U.S. citizens was not reported in 19% of all facilities in 1995. /fFor 1995 excludes 64 Federal inmates held under contract outside the Federal system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************** From 1990 to 1995 the number of prisoner deaths almost doubled and the number of noncitizen inmates more than doubled *************************************************************** Deaths ------ The number of inmate deaths rose 92%, from 1,729 during the 12 months preceding the 1990 census to 3,311 during the 12 months preceding the 1995 census. The number of inmate deaths rose from 2.4 per 1,000 State inmates in 1990 to 3.4 in 1995. The death rate declined in Federal prisons, from 2.9 per 1,000 inmates held in 1990 to 2.7 in 1995. Noncitizens ----------- The number of noncitizens more than doubled, from 25,250 in 1990 to 51,500 in 1995. In 1995 5.0% of State and Federal prisoners were noncitizens, up from 3.5% in 1990. Furloughs --------- The number of regularly scheduled inmate furloughs fell 59% from 28,849 during the year preceding the 1990 census to 11,776 in the year leading up to the 1995 census. During this period the number of emergency furloughs declined 60% from 7,319 to 2,963. ************************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 15. Number of State correctional facilities under court order or consent decree at midyear 1990 and 1995, by reason and whether ordered to limit the population Number of facilities ---------------------------------------------- Ordered to limit All population limit population Whether under court ---------- ---------- --------------- order and reason 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 1207 1375 264 228 943 1147 Not under court order or consent decree for specific conditions 965 1054 81 54 884 1000 Under court order for specific conditions* 242 321 183 174 59 147 Crowding 186 213 172 161 14 52 Medical facilities 172 139 134 100 38 39 Administrative segregation 121 76 99 60 22 16 Staffing 155 118 135 105 20 13 Food service/nutrition 136 83 116 70 20 13 Education 139 96 117 81 22 15 Disciplinary policies 114 78 93 57 21 Recreation 127 100 109 85 18 15 Visiting/mail 130 88 109 66 21 22 Fire hazards 114 78 105 65 9 13 Counseling programs 106 69 88 60 18 9 Inmate classification 121 76 103 63 18 13 Library services 122 129 93 72 29 57 Grievance policies 113 74 94 60 19 14 Religion policies ... 74 ... 61 ... 13 Search policies ... 30 ... 18 ... 12 Other 41 88 19 25 22 63 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: A total of 323 State facilities were under court order or consent decree to limit population, for specific conditions of confinement, or for both reasons, in 1990; in 1995 this total was 378. *Detail adds to more than the total number of facilities under court order for specific conditions because some facilities were under court order for more than one reason. ...Not reported. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************** In both 1990 and 1995 over a quarter of State correctional facilities operated under a court order or consent decree ********************************************************** State ----- 378 correctional facilities (27%) were under court order or consent decree for specific conditions, to limit population, or for the totality of conditions at midyear 1995. Five years earlier 323 State facilities, 27% of those in operation in 1990, were under court order. Causes for orders ----------------- Crowding was the most frequently citedspecific condition in 1995, affecting 213 facilities, followed by medical facilities (139), library services (129), and staffing (118). More facilities were under court directives to remedy specific conditions in 1995 (321) than in 1990 (242). Fewer institutions were ordered to limit population in 1995 (174 versus 183). Two causes cited in 1995 were absent in 1990: 74 facilities were to revise policies concerning inmate rights to religious expression, and 30 facilities were to modify search policies. Federal ------- 113 Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities were under court order in 1995: 112 to modify the inmate phone service and 1 to limit the facility population. No Federal facility was under court order in 1990. ******************************************************************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 16. Inmate violations in State and Federal confinement facilities between July 1, 1989, and June 30, 1990, and between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1995 Number of violations Number of violations per 1,000 inmates/a ------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Total State Federal Total State Federal ------------ --------------- ---------- ----------- ------------- ----------- Inmate violation 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assaults on inmates 21590 25948 21184 24959 406 989 31.3 27.0 34.3 28.4 7.4 12.4 Resulting inmate deaths / 82 65 74 / 8 ... .1 .2 .1 ... .1 Assaults on staff 10731 14165 10562 13041 169 1124 15.5 14.7 17.1 14.8 3.1 14.1 Resulting staff deaths / 14 / 13 / 1 ... .1 ... ** ... ** Riots/b 814 317 801 317 13 0 1.2 .3 1.3 .3 .3 ... Fires 2006 816 1921 722 85 94 2.9 .8 3.1 .8 1.6 1.2 Other disturbances 4163 1808 3865 1796 298 12 6.1 1.8 6.3 2.0 5.4 .1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Excludes tickets, official warnings, and other minor incidents. /Not available. ...Not applicable. **Less than 0.05 per 1,000. /aBased on average daily population. /bIncludes only incidents that had 5 or more inmates participating, that required the intervention of additional or outside assistance, and that resulted in serious injury or significant property damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------************************************************************************************ The rates of inmate assaults on other inmates and on staff declined from 1990 to 1995 ********************************************************** Assaults on inmates ------------------- The annual number of assaults by inmates on other inmates rose 20% -- from 21,590 in 1990 to 25,948 in 1995. However, the number per 1,000 inmates decreased from 31.3 in 1990 to 27.0 in 1995. Assaults on staff ----------------- Assaults on staff grew by a third from 10,731 in 1990 to 14,165 in 1995. The number per 1,000 State prisoners declined from 17.1 in 1990 to 14.8 in 1995, but the number per 1,000 Federal inmates rose from 3.1 to 14.1 per 1,000 prisoners. Other violations ---------------- Fewer inmate violations unrelated to assault were reported in 1995 than in 1990. ************************************************************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 17. Number of State and Federal correctional facilities providing work, education, and counseling programs, and number of inmates participating, midyear 1995 All facilities State Federal ----------------------- ------------- ------------ Con- Com- Con- Com- Con- Com- fine- munity fine- munity fine- munity Characteristic Total ment based ment based ment based ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facilities All facilities 1500 1196 304 1084 291 112 13 With work programs 1404 1182 222 1070 213 112 9 Prison industries 560 554 6 464 6 90 0 Facility support services/a 1348 1141 207 1033 201 108 6 Farming/agriculture 371 357 14 341 13 16 1 Public works assignments 781 693 88 658 85 35 3 Other work programs 149 130 19 122 17 8 2 Without work programs 96 14 82 14 78 0 4 With education programs 1311 1090 221 978 212 112 9 Basic adult education 1118 1002 116 899 112 103 4 Secondary/b 1195 1042 153 930 149 112 4 Special/c 496 456 40 418 37 38 3 Vocational training 806 770 36 687 34 83 2 College 498 452 46 375 44 77 2 Study release 161 52 109 46 104 6 5 Without education programs 189 106 83 106 79 0 4 With counseling programs 1451 1152 299 1040 286 112 13 Drug dependency, counseling, awareness 1327 1052 275 940 263 112 12 Alcohol dependency, counseling, awareness 1345 1075 270 966 258 109 12 Psychological, psychiatric counseling 1028 914 114 810 110 104 4 Employment 897 688 209 609 198 79 11 Life skills, community adjustment 999 795 204 705 194 90 10 Parenting 576 479 97 381 94 98 3 Other 269 226 43 218 42 8 1 Without counseling programs 49 44 5 44 5 0 0 Inmates participating/d Work programs 662807 647278 15529 574369 14699 72909 830 Education programs 234996 232004 2992 208100 2762 23904 230 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: Inmate participation numbers are based on reporting from 95% or more of facilities. aIncludes office work, administration, food services, laundry, building maintenance, repair, construction and similar programs. /bIncludes General Equivalency Diploma (GED). /cFor example, programs for inmates with learning disabilities. /dInmate participation numbers for counseling programs were not collected. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************ Almost all State and Federal correctional facilities offered inmate counseling and work programs ************************************************************ Counseling ---------- Overall, 97% of the facilities offered counseling. Drug and alcohol counseling was available in nearly 90% of the facilities; psychological, life skills, and psychiatric counseling in 69%; community adjustment counseling in 67%; employment search counseling in 60%; and parenting and child rearing in nearly 40%. Work programs ------------- Overall, 94% of the facilities operated inmate work programs. About 65% of all inmates -- 63% of State inmates and 90% of Federal inmates -- participated in one or more work programs. Facility support activities engaged inmates in 90% of the institutions, public works programs in 52%, and prison industries in 37%. About a fourth of the correctional facilities had farming or other agricultural work. Education programs ------------------ Including General Equivalency Diploma (GED), 80% of the facilities provided secondary educational programs; 75% provided basic adult education; 54%, vocational training; and 33%, special educational programs such as studies for inmates with learning disabilities. College-level course work was offered by 33% of the facilities, and study release programs, by 11%. About 23% of the prisoners were enrolled in some type of education in 1995, including 22% of State inmates and 29% of Federal inmates. ************************************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------- Table 18. Profile of prison boot camp programs, midyear 1990 and 1995 1990 1995 ---------------------------------------- Number of inmates participating 2862 8968 Number of prisons with bootcamp programs 26 65 Physical security Maximum 7 12 Medium 8 20 Minimum 11 33 Sex of inmates housed Males only 22 43 Females only 1 6 Both sexes 3 16 Type of operation Federal 0 2 State 26 62 Private 0 1 Size of facility Fewer than 500 inmates 14 37 500-999 6 12 1,000-2,499 3 13 2,500 or more 3 3 ---------------------------------------- ************************************************************** Between 1990 and 1995 the number of prisoners participating in prison boot camp programs tripled ************************************************************** Boot camp programs ------------------ Over the 5 years the number of prisons operating a bootcamp program increased from 26 to 65. Most were in minimum security facilities. In 1995, 20 of the 65 programs operated in medium security facilities, and 12, in maximum security institutions. Regions ------- 45% of all prison boot camp programs were in the South, 22% in the West, 16% in the Northeast, and14% in the Midwest. Sixty-two were State-operated; 2 were Federally operated; and 1 was privately run. Smaller prisons --------------- 57% of the boot camps were in facilities with capacities under 500. About 20% were in institutions with 1,000-2,499 inmates, 19% in facilities holding 500-999 inmates, and 5% with capacities of 2,500 inmates or more. ************************************************************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 19. Number of employees in State and Federal correctional facilities, by occupational category and type of facility, midyear 1990 and 1995 Employees ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All facilities Confinement Community-based ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------ Percent Percent Percent Occupational category 1990 1995 change 1990 1995 change 1990 1995 change ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All employees* 264201 347320 31.5% 258758 339070 31.0% 5443 8250 51.6% Administrative 7382 9509 28.1 6910 8970 29.8 472 539 14.2 Custody/security 169587 220892 30.3 166215 215824 29.8 3372 5068 50.3 Clerical 20008 27383 36.9 19533 26593 36.1 475 790 66.3 Educational 10903 11020 1.1 10854 10937 .8 49 83 69.4 Professional/technical 34462 45291 31.4 33750 44226 31.0 712 1065 49.6 Maintenance and food service 21859 23605 7.9 21496 23079 7.4 363 526 44.9 *Includes employees with unspecified occupations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **************************************************************** The number of State or Federal employees staffing prisons increased about a third, from 264,201 in 1990 to 347,320 in 1995 **************************************************************** Occupations ----------- The number of correctional workers in administrative, clerical, professional and technical jobs expanded 28% or more between 1990 and 1995. The number of educational employees increased 1%. The number of maintenance and food service workers went up 8%. Custody/security staff ---------------------- Correctional officers and related security staff accounted for nearly 221,000 out of a total 347,320 employees in 1995, outnumbering by nearly 2 to 1 all other types of correctional workers combined. Professional, technical, and educational staff, accounted for 16%, followed by clerical (8%), maintenance and food service (7%), and administrative (3%) employees. Confinement and community-based ------------------------------- The size of confinement staffs increased 31%, compared to a 52% staff growth for community-based facilities. ********************************************************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 20. Number of employees in State and Federal correctional facilities, by occupational category and region, midyear 1995 Number of employees in correctional facilities by occupational category ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maintenance Other/ Jurisdiction All Adminis- Custody/ Professional/ and food unspecified and region employees* trative security Clerical Educational technical service employees ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. total 347320 9509 220892 27383 11020 45291 23605 9620 Federal 25379 1529 10348 2266 1164 4604 3014 2454 State 321941 7980 210544 25117 9856 40687 20591 7166 Northeast 63108 1365 42115 5283 2303 7196 4084 762 Midwest 64205 2226 40728 5186 2132 7412 5400 1121 South 134799 3011 90543 8608 3375 19910 6105 3247 West 59829 1378 37158 6040 2046 6169 5002 2036 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Includes all full-time, part-time, payroll, nonpayroll, and contract staff. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************** The pattern of correctional job categories varied greatly between the State and Federal prison systems ********************************************************** Federal and State ----------------- 41% of the Federal and 65% of the State correctional employees were reported to be in custody or security occupations. This difference may reflect the smaller percentage of prisoners sentenced for violent crime in Federal prisons than in State facilities. Because State correctional facilities hold a higher percentage of prisoners in maximum security, a similarly greater percentage of correctional officers is required to staff those facilities. Also, the Federal Bureau of Prisons trains and continually qualifies much of its staff to perform custody and security functions in addition to the duties of other occupations. About 6% of all Federal correctional workers were classified as administrative, compared to about 3% of State correctional staff. West and South -------------- Regional differences in job categories were fairly small. The West and South were the regions with the greatest differences in the employment mix. Custody and security personnel were about 67% of all staff in the Northeast and South but 62% in the West. Professional and technical staff comprised 15% of all State correctional workers in the South but 10% in the West. The larger categories in the West, when compared to the South, included clerical staff, 10% versus 6%, and maintenance and food service employees, 8% versus 5%. ***************************************************************************************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 21. Number of employees in State and Federal correctional facilities, by type of facility, sex of inmates housed, and occupational category, midyear 1995 Number of employees ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In confinementfacilities housing -- In community-based facilities housing-- Occupational category ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- and jurisdiction Either sex Males only Females only Both sexes Either sex Males only Females only Both sexes All employees* 339070 296805 19998 22267 8250 5943 556 1751 Federal 25088 22362 1473 1253 291 151 0 140 State 313982 274443 18525 21014 7959 5792 556 1611 Administrative 8970 7708 633 629 539 366 47 126 Federal 1495 1357 90 48 34 19 0 15 State 7475 6351 543 581 505 347 47 111 Custody/security 215824 191012 11525 13287 5068 3672 351 1045 Federal 10245 9319 492 434 103 39 0 64 State 205579 181693 11033 12853 4965 3633 981 Clerical 26593 23547 1630 1416 790 593 43 154 Federal 2232 2053 117 62 34 11 0 23 State 24361 21494 1513 1354 756 582 43 131 Educational 10937 9416 761 760 83 60 7 16 Federal 1157 1032 77 48 7 7 0 0 State 9780 8384 684 712 76 53 7 16 Professional/technical 44226 37142 3485 3599 1065 731 83 251 Federal 4551 3904 496 151 53 25 0 28 State 39675 33238 2989 3448 1012 706 83 223 Maintenance and food service 23079 20210 1453 1416 526 360 23 143 Federal 2981 2687 165 129 33 23 0 10 State 20098 17523 1288 1287 493 337 23 133 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Data include all full-time, part-time, payroll, nonpayroll, and contract employees. *Includes employees with unspecified occupations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************* Over 300,000 employees worked in facilities holding men only, over 20,000 worked in facilities for women alone, and over 24,000 worked in facilities housing both sexes ************************************************************ Facilities for men or women ---------------------------- 88% of all confinement facility employees worked where there were male inmates only, 6% where there were female inmates only, and 6% in facilities for both sexes. A larger proportion of the staff in community-based facilities worked where there were both sexes (21%), a relatively smaller proportion in facilities for men only (72%), and about the same proportion in facilities for women only (7%). State and Federal ----------------- State confinement employees were slightly more likely to be working in institutions for both sexes (7%)than were Federal employees (5%), and slightly less likely to be performing their duties in facilities for men only (87% versus 89%). Personnel categories -------------------- In both State and Federal prison systems, custody/ security and clerical employees were the occupational groups most likely to be working in confinement institutions for men only (89% of both categories); and professional/technical staff, the least likely (84%). ********************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 22. State and Federal correctional facility staff, by sex and race/Hispanic origin of employees, and type of facility, midyear 1995 Staff characteristic Total Confinement Community-based ------------------------------------------------------------------ All employees 347320 339070 8250 Sex Male 246581 241315 5266 Female 100659 97675 2984 Not reporte/d 80 80 0 Race/Hispanic origin/a/b White non-Hispanic 232382 228211 4171 Black non-Hispanic 65513 62496 3017 Hispanicc 20702 20317 385 Other races/d 6576 6422 154 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /aPayroll staff only. /bThe majority of the data were estimated by respondents. /cIncludes any race. /dIncludes Americian Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. Excludes staff of unknown race/Hispanic origin. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **************************************************** Women and whites accounted for higher proportions of correctional staff than of inmates ***************************************************** Sex --- Men were 71% of correctional employees and 94% of the inmates. About 72% of confinement facility workers and 64% of community-based staff were men. Race/Hispanic origin -------------------- 71% of the Nation's correctional payroll staff was white non-Hispanic, compared to 36% of the inmate population. Black non-Hispanics were 20% of the staff and 48% of the inmates; Hispanics, 6% and 14%; and other races, 2% of both staff and inmates. A smaller proportion of community-based payroll employees were white non-Hispanic (54%) than were confinement facility workers (72%). Relatively more community-based staff were black non-Hispanic: (39% of community-based staff and 20% of confinement staff). *************************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 23. Number of inmates per employee in State and Federal correctional facilities, by type of facility and occupational category, midyear 1995 Inmates per employee ----------------------------------------------------- State Federal ----------------------- ------------------------- Occupational Community- Community- category Confinement based Confinement based ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 2.9 3.8 3.2 3.9 Administrative 121.9 59.6 54.0 33.3 Custody/security 4.4 6.1 7.9 11.0 Clerical 37.4 39.8 36.2 33.3 Educational 93.2 396.2 69.8 161.6 Professional and technical 23.0 29.8 17.8 21.3 Maintenance and food service 45.4 61.1 27.1 34.3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Ratios are based on inmate population at midyear divided by all payroll, nonpayroll, fulltime, parttime, and contract staff, excluding community volunteers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************** The number of inmates per employee was lowest in State confinement facilities and highest in Federal community-based facilities ************************************************************** Inmate-to-employee ratios ------------------------- At midyear 1995 the overall number of inmates per correctional facility employee was lowest in State confinement institutions (2.9 to 1). The ratios for other types of facilities were as follows: Federal confinement (3.2 to 1) State community-based (3.8 to 1) Federal community-based (3.9 to 1). Custody and security staff -------------------------- Based on the number of inmates at midyear 1995 divided by all payroll, nonpayroll, full-time, part-time, and contract staff, excluding community volunteers--the inmate-to-staff ratio was lowest among custody or security staff in State-operated confinement facilities (4.4), and second lowest among custody or security staff in State-operated community-based facilities (6.1). For most occupational categories, the Federal system held fewer inmates per employee than the State systems overall. Custody or security staff were the exception: For each correctional officer, the Federal system had 7.9 inmates and State institutions, 4.4 inmates. ************************************************************************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 24. Number and percent of State correctional facility employees and number of inmates per employee, by occupational category, midyear 1990 and 1995 Total Confinement facilities Community-based facilities --------------------------------- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------- 1990 1995 1990 1995 1990 1995 ---------------- -------------- --------------- ---------------- --------------- --------------- Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number* Percent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Employees All employees 264201 100.0% 347320* 100.0% 258758 100.0% 339070* 100.0% 5443 100.0% 8250 100.0% Administrative 7382 2.8 9509 2.8 6910 2.7 8970 2.7 472 8.7 539 6.7 Custody/security 169587 64.2 220892 65.4 166215 64.2 215824 65.5 3372 62.0 5068 62.8 Clerical 20008 7.6 27383 8.1 19533 7.6 26593 8.1 475 8.7 790 9.8 Professional, technical, and educational 45365 17.1 56311 16.7 44604 17.2 55163 16.7 761 14.0 1148 14.2 Maintenance and food service 21859 8.3 23605 7.0 21496 8.3 23079 7.0 363 6.6 526 6.5 Number of inmates per employee All employees 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.8 Administrative 96.9 107.6 101.1 110.6 36.2 58 Custody/security 4.2 4.6 4.2 4.6 5.1 6.2 Clerical 35.8 37.4 35.8 37.3 36.0 39.5 Professional, technical, and educational 15.8 18.2 15.7 18.0 22.4 27.2 Maintenance and food service 32.7 43.4 32.5 43.0 47.0 59.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. Percentages are based on known data. *Detail excludes employees in unspecified occupations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **************************************************************** Correctional facilities held more prisoners per employee in 1995 than in 1990 **************************************************************** Inmate-to-employee ratios ------------------------- The overall inmate-to-staff ratio increased from 2.7 inmates per employee (1990) to 2.9 (1995). In confinement facilities it rose from 2.7 to 2.9, and in community-based facilities, from 3.1 to 3.8. Inmate-to-staff ratios rose in all occupational categories from 1990 to 1995. The largest increases were among administrative workers -- 96.9 in 1990 versus 107.6 in 1995, and maintenance and food service employees, 32.7 versus 43.4. Custody and security -------------------- The smallest increases in inmate-to-staff ratios were among custody and security employees: The number of inmates per confinement staff member rose from 4.2 in 1990 to 4.6 in 1995, and the number per community-based staff member grew from 5.1 to 6.2. **************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 25. Characteristics of private correctional facilities under contract to State or Federal authorities, 1990 and 1995 Private facilities under contract to State or Federal authorities ---------------------------------------------- Average daily number Number of facilities of inmates --------------------- -------------------- Facility characteristic 1990 1995 1990 1995 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. total 67 110 7771 16426 Type Confinement 21 29 5901 12534 Community-based 46 81 1870 3892 Average daily population Fewer than 500 inmates 65 101 6601 8448 500-999 2 6 1170 4119 1,000-2,499 0 3 0 3859 Security level Maximum/a 0 3 0 3038 Medium 10 6 3902 3395 Minimum/b 57 98 3869 9885 None 0 3 0 108 Main function General confinement 20 22 5473 8927 Work release or prereleas/e 45 81 1852 6419 Alcohol or drug treatment 0 4 0 1035 Return to custody 2 0 446 0 Prisoner mothers and children 0 3 0 45 Age Less than 10 years 12 32 3737 11521 10-19 2 16 58 1620 20-49 27 27 3090 1378 50-99 24 30 833 1565 100 years or more 2 1 53 11 Not reported 0 4 0 331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /aIncludes facilities with security characterized as "close" or "high." /bIncludes facilities with security characterized as "low." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************ The number of private correctional facilities and inmates in them increased from 1990 to 1995 ************************************************************ State and Federal facilities ---------------------------- The number of private faciliities operating under contract to State or Federal authorities increased 64% from 67 in 1990 to 110 in 1995. State and Federal inmates ------------------------- The average daily number of inmates incarcerated in private facilities more than doubled from 7,771 to 16,426. Midyear 1995 ------------ The 110 private facilities in operation accounted for 7% of the Nation's total correctional housing stock. The 16,426 inmates in private institutions accounted for 2% of the total prisoner population. Community-based facilities -------------------------- Nearly 3 in every 4 private correctional facilities were community-based, that is, institutions in which 50% or more of the residents were permitted to leave, unaccompanied by staff for work or study. More than 9 in every 10 held fewer than 500 inmates; 9 in every 10 were classified as minimum security institutions; and nearly 3 in every 4 functioned primarily as work release or prerelease facilities. ************************************************************************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 26. Number of inmates under age 18 in State correctional facilities, by facility security level and region, midyear 1995 Inmates under age 18 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All facilities Confinement facilities Community-based filiates --------------------------------------- ----------------------------- ------------------------------- Region Total Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b Maximum/a Medium Minimum/b U.S. total 5309 2491 2252 566 2491 2226 526 0 26 40 Northeast 1388 756 539 93 756 516 85 0 23 8 Midwest 796 323 294 179 323 294 168 0 0 11 South 2696 1132 1290 274 1132 1287 253 0 3 21 West 429 280 129 20 280 129 20 0 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /aIncludes facilities with security characterized as "close" or "high." /bIncludes facilities with sercurity characterized as "low." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************************* A half of 1% of all State prisoners in 1995 were under age 18 ************************************************************* State ----- State correctional facilities held a total of 5,309 inmates under age 18 at midyear 1995, about « of 1% of all State inmates. The number of prisoners under 18 rose 47% from 3,600 at midyear 1990. This was a slightly larger increase than that of the overall State prisoner population (43%). Security level -------------- Nearly all the prisoners under age 18 were held in confinement facilities. About 47% of these youngest prisoners were in maximum security institutions, 42% in medium security, and 11% in minimum security. Regions ------- The West reported the highest proportion of inmates under age 18 who were assigned to maximum security prisons (65% of the young prisoners), followed by the Northeast (54%), the South (42%), and the Midwest (41%). Federal ------- No inmates in Federal facilities were under age 18; however, 64 persons in the age group were housed under contract outside the Federal system. ******************************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix table 1. Design capacity and rated capacity of State correctional facilities, by region, midyear 1984, 1990, and 1995 State facilities ----------------------------------------------------------- Capacity and occupancy level All Northeast Midwest South West --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facility design capacity 1984 355201 59640 74688 166670 54203 1990 541568 92700 114846 229126 104896 1995 587024 119379 115513 207746 144386 Percent of design capacity occupied 1984 111% 114% 108% 105% 132% 1990 122 127 123 111 139 1995 160 126 163 193 140 Facility rated capacity 1984 403126 65555 83937 183831 69803 1990 650600 109448 134106 262268 144760 1995 909908 141157 154320 416591 197840 Percent of rated capacity occupied 1984 98% 104% 96% 95% 103% 1990 101 108 106 97 101 1995 103 107 122 96 102 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Correctional reporting authorities use a variety of capacity measures to reflect both available space to house inmates and the ability to staff and operate an institution. Design capacity is the number of inmates or residents that planners or architects intended. Rated capacity is the number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official. Percent of capacity occupied is determined by dividing the number of inmates or residents housed on the day of the census by the reported capacity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix table 2. Number of State correctional facilities, by region and size, midyear 1984, 1990, and 1995 Size of facility* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Fewer than 500 inmates 500-999 1,000-2,499 2,500 or more -------------------- ---------------------- -------------------- ------------------- ------------------ Region 1984 1990 1995 1984 1990 1995 1984 1990 1995 1984 1990 1995 1984 1990 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. total 903 1207 1375 661 786 796 138 228 255 88 167 271 16 26 53 Northeast 134 182 204 91 95 93 20 46 51 23 40 56 0 1 4 Midwest 193 255 275 142 157 151 26 50 46 23 46 73 2 2 5 South 435 534 629 319 350 356 79 111 135 31 68 124 6 5 14 West 141 236 267 109 184 196 13 21 23 11 13 18 8 18 30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ****************************************************************************************************************************************** Methodology ************ The 1995 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities was the fifth enumeration of State institutions and the second of Federal institutions sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Earlier censuses were completed in 1974, 1979, 1984, and 1990. The facility universe was developed from the Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities conducted in 1990. Each department of corrections was contacted to identify new facilities and facilities that had been closed since June 30, 1990. Telephone follow-ups with data providers were carried out in the fall of 1995 and resulted in a final response rate of 100%. Facilities were included in the census if they were staffed with Federal, State, local, or private employees; housed primarily State or Federal prisoners; were physically, functionally, and administratively separate from other facilities; and were operational on June 30, 1995. The census also included 110 private facilities under exclusive contract to State governments or to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to house prisoners. The Census included the following types of State and Federal adult correctional facilities: prisons; prison farms; reception, diagnostic and classification centers; road camps; forestry and conservation camps; youthful offender facilities (except in California); vocational training facilities; drug and alcohol treatment facilities; and State-operated local detention facilities in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. (Of these six States only Alaska had some locally administered correctional facilities _ five local jails.) Jails and other local regional detention facilities, including those housing State prisoners, were specifically excluded from the census, as were private facilities not exclusively for State or Federal inmates. Also excluded were facilities for the military, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and correctional hospital wards not operated by correctional authorities. Correctional facilities were classified as community-based if 50% or more of the residents were regularly permitted to leave, unaccompanied, to work or study. These facilities included halfway houses, restitution centers, and prerelease, work release, and study release centers. Correctional facilities in which less than 50% of the inmates regularly left the facility unaccompanied were classified as confinement institutions. Because the census was a complete enumeration, the results were not subject to sampling error. The census counted prisoners held in the facilities, a custody count, rather than prisoners over whom correctional authorities exercised control, a jurisdictional count. END OF BJS REPORT: CENSUS OF STATE AND FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, 1995