U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Prisoners in 2007 December 2008, NCJ 224280 ---------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.csv) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#prisoners. 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/abstract/ppus07st.htm ----------------------------------------------------------- Heather West and William J. Sabol, Ph.D. , BJS Statisticians This report presents data from the National Prisoner Statistics program. It describes the change in the prison population during 2007 and the characteristics of the 1,598,316 prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction on December 31, 2007. Additionally, it provides the imprisonment rates and age, race, gender distributions for the 1,532,817 prisoners sentenced to more than one year. It quantifies changes in prison admissions and releases, inmates held in custody, prison capacity, and components of the total incarcerated population. Growth in the prison population slowed during 2007 At yearend 2007, federal and state correctional authorities had jurisdiction over 1,598,316 prisoners (1,483,896 males; 114,420 females) (table 1). Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. After increasing 2.8% during 2006, the growth of the prison population slowed to 1.8% during 2007. The 1.8% increase was slower than the average annual growth witnessed from 2000 to 2006 (2.0%). During 2007, the prison population increased more rapidly than the U.S. resident population. The imprisonment rate--the number of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents increased from 501 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents in 2006 to 506 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents in 2007. From 2000 through 2007, the imprisonment rate increased from 475 per 100,000 U.S. residents to 506 per 100,000 U.S. residents. During these seven years, the number of sentenced prisoners increased by 15% while the general population increased by 6.4%. As in previous years (with the exception of 2002) the majority of the 2007 growth in the prison population occurred during the first 6 months of the year (figure 1). From December 31, 2006 to June 30, 2007, the prison population increased by 1.5%, whereas from June 30, 2007 to December 31, 2007, the prison population increased 0.2%. During 2007, the prison population increased by 27,625 prisoners. The state prison population increased by 21,053-- reaching 1,398,698 prisoners. The federal prison population increased by 6,572--reaching 199,618 prisoners. The prison populations in 37 jurisdictions increased during 2007. The federal prison population experienced the largest absolute increase of 6,572 prisoners, followed by Florida (up 5,250 prisoners), Kentucky (up 2,457 prisoners) and Arizona (up 1,945 prisoners), resulting in 58.7% of the change in the overall prison population (table 2). Kentucky (12.3%), Mississippi (6.5%), Florida (5.6%), West Virginia (5.6%), and Arizona (5.4%) reported the largest percentage increases in their prison populations. In the 12 months ending December 31, 2007, the prison populations in the remaining 14 states decreased. Michigan's (1,344) and California's (1,230) prison populations experienced the greatest absolute decrease. Vermont (down 3.2%), Montana (down 2.8%), Michigan (down 2.6%), and New Mexico (down 2.6%) prison populations had the largest percent decreases. Rate of growth in admissions and releases slowed during 2007 During 2007, the number of sentenced prisoners (751,593) admitted to either state or federal prison was greater than the number who were released (725,402), a difference of 26,191 sentenced prisoners (table 3). The 0.2% increase in admissions during 2007 was the slowest growth since yearend 2000. This growth was also slower than the average annual increase of 2.7% witnessed from 2000 through 2007. In addition, the 1.7% increase in releases during 2007 was the lowest increase since yearend 2002 (0.2%) and was lower than the average annual increase of 2.6% from 2000 through 2007. In 2007, federal admissions totaled 53,618 prisoners and state admissions totaled 697,975 prisoners (table 4). New court commitments accounted for 64.5% of all admissions, 62.4% of state admissions, and 90.8% of federal admissions (appendix table 5). Parole violators accounted for 33.8% of all admissions, 35.7% of state admissions, and 9.2% of federal admissions. 1 in every 198 U.S. residents was serving a sentence in state or federal prison in 2007 Males accounted for most (93.1%) of the 1.5 million sentenced prisoners under jurisdiction. Black males made up the largest percentage of the overall sentenced population (36.3%) and the sentenced male population (39.0%) (table 5). An estimated 471,400 white males made up 30.8% of the overall sentenced population and 33.0% of the sentenced male population. Hispanic males made up about a fifth of both populations. The largest absolute number and percentage of sentenced females were white (50,500 prisoners or 47.9%), followed by black females (29,300 prisoners or 27.8%) and Hispanic females (17,600 prisoners or 16.7%). Increases in the sentenced population resulted in higher imprisonment rates (the number of state or federal sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction per 100,000 U.S. residents). As of December 31, 2007, there were 506 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents (1 in every 198 U.S. residents) up from 501 per 100,000 at yearend 2006 (table 6). At yearend 2007, the federal imprisonment rate reached 59 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. The state imprisonment rate reached 447 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. The 2007 sentenced male imprisonment rate (955 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) was almost 14 times that of the female imprisonment rate (69 per 100,000). Black male offenders had the highest imprisonment rate (3,138 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) of all racial groups, male or female. This was 6.5 times the imprisonment rate of white males and 2.5 times that of Hispanic males. Similarly, the black female imprisonment rate (150 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) was almost double the imprisonment rates for Hispanic (79 prisoners per 100,000) and 3 times the rate for white females (50 per 100,000). Black imprisonment rates have decreased since 2000 Between 2000 and 2007, the number of sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction increased by an estimated 201,500 prisoners (table 7). The increase of about 69,500 white males resulted in 34.5% of the overall change. Almost a third of the growth (29.1%) resulted from the increase of about 58,600 Hispanic males, followed by an estimated increase of 24,500 sentenced black males (12.2% of the overall increase). White women accounted for 8.4% of the overall change, and Hispanic females for about 2.2%. The number of imprisoned black females declined by approximately 2,900 during this period. In 2000, Hispanic males comprised 18.2% of the sentenced male population. At yearend 2007, this percentage had increased to 19.7%. The percentage of white males also increased slightly from 30.2% to 30.8% while the percentage of black males decreased from 40.0% to 36.3%. White females made up 2.5% of the total prison population in 2000 and 3.3% in 2007. During the same periods, the percentage of the prison population made up of black females decreased from 2.4% to 1.9%. The Hispanic female prison population was fairly stable, comprising 1.0% of all sentenced prisoners in 2000 and 1.1% in 2007. While the imprisonment rates for most groups increased during the past 7 years, the imprisonment rates for black males and black females decreased. At yearend 2000, the black male imprisonment rate was 3,188 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. White men were imprisoned at a rate of 410 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. By yearend 2007, the black male imprisonment rate had decreased to 3,138 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, while the white male imprisonment rate increased to 481 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. These changes resulted in a decrease in the ratio of imprisoned black men to imprisoned white men. In 2000 the ratio was 8 to 1 and in 2007 the ratio was 7 to 1. The ratio of the black female imprisonment rate to white female imprisonment rate also decreased. The imprisonment rate for black females dropped from 175 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents at yearend 2000 to 150 prisoners per 100,000 at yearend 2007. The white female imprisonment rate increased from 33 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents to 50 prisoners per 100,000. These changes resulted in a decreased in the ratio of imprisoned black females to imprisoned white females. The ratio at yearend 2007 was 3 to 1. In 2000 the ratio was 5 to 1. Trends in imprisonment rates, 2000-2007 From 2000 to 2007, the imprisonment rate increased from 478 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents to 506 residents per 100,000. Imprisonment rate refers to the number of prisoners sentenced to more than one year, under state or federal jurisdiction, per 100,000 U.S. residents. State (37 states) and federal imprisonment rates increased between yearend 2000 and yearend 2007. States with the largest increases during these years were Kentucky (up by 139 prisoners per 100,000 residents), West Virginia (up by 123 prisoners per 100,000), Alaska (up by 106 prisoners per 100,000), and Indiana (up by 91 prisoners per 100,000) (figure 2). The sentenced jurisdiction populations of these four states also increased during these years. With the exception of Alaska, the general populations of these states increased only slightly. During the same time period, the imprisonment rates in 12 states decreased. New York experienced the largest decrease of 62 prisoners per 100,000 residents, followed by Texas, down 61 prisoners per 100,000 residents, and New Jersey, down 54 prisoners per 100,000 residents. The sentenced prison populations in New York and New Jersey declined during this period. In Texas the prison population increased from 2000 to 2007, while the state resident population increased at a faster rate, leading to the decline in the imprisonment rate. Kansas was the only state in which there was no change in the imprisonment rate. Number of inmates in custody reached nearly 2.3 million As of December 31, 2007, there were 2,293,157 inmates held in custody in state and federal prisons and in local jails. Custody comprises all inmates held in state or federal public prisons or local jails, regardless of sentence length or the state having jurisdiction.***The total custody count does not include inmates held in U.S. territories, military facilities, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, jails in Indian Country, and juvenile facilities.*** This 1.5% increase during 2007 was slightly smaller than the rate of growth in the jurisdiction and sentenced populations (table 8). Two-thirds of inmates in custody (1,512,576 inmates) were held in state or federal prisons. The remaining third (780,581 inmates) were being held in local jails. During 2007, the incarceration rate rose to 756 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents--up from 751 per 100,000 in 2006.***2Incarceration rate refers to the number of inmates held in the custody of state or federal prisons or in local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents.*** At yearend 2007, 1 in every 132 persons in the United States was held in custody. States increased prison capacity during 2007 State and federal correctional authorities provide three measures of their facilities' capacity: Rated capacity is the number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to institutions within the jurisdiction. Operational capacity is the number of inmates that can be accommodated based on a facility's staff, existing programs, and services. Design capacity is the number of inmates that planners or architects intended for the facility. Highest capacity is the sum of the maximum number of beds and inmates reported by the states or federal system across the three capacity measures, and the lowest capacity is the minimum of these three measures. Estimates of prison populations as a percentage of capacity are based on the custody population. In general, a state's capacity and custody counts exclude inmates held in private facilities. Some states include prisoners held in private facilities as part of the capacity of their prison systems. In these states, prison population as a percent of capacity includes private prisoners. At yearend 2007, the federal system reported a capacity of 122,461 beds. The highest capacity reported by states was 1,280,037 and the lowest capacity was 1,091,934 (table 9).***Capacity numbers for Illinois, Maine, and Nevada are based on capacity reported at yearend 2006.*** States operated at 96% of their highest capacity and 113% of their lowest reported capacity. Since yearend 2006, highest capacity has increased by 2.1% and lowest capacity by 1.6%. During 2007, 19 states and the federal system were operating at more than 100% of highest capacity. An equal number of states (19) operated in a range between 90% and 99% of capacity. The federal system was operating 36% above capacity. The total incarcerated population reached 2.4 million At yearend 2007, the total incarcerated population reached 2,413,112 inmates (table 10). The total incarcerated population comprises all inmates held in custody in state or federal public prisons, local jails, U.S. territories, military facilities, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, jails in Indian country, and juvenile facilities. The majority (62.7%) of these inmates were held in state or federal correctional facilities. Another 32.3% of these inmates were held in local jails. A very small percentage (5.0%) were divided among territorial, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, military and juvenile facilities, and jails in Indian country. During 2007, the incarcerated populations decreased in military facilities (7.7%), and territorial prisons (3.5%). The largest absolute decrease occurred in territorial prisons (527 inmates), followed by the decrease in military facilities (150). Other available information The following topics are detailed in appendix tables 1-19, following Methodology: Appendix table 1. Male prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities Appendix table 2. Female prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities Appendix table 3. Number of sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities Appendix table 4. Number of sentenced prisoners admitted and released from state or federal jurisdiction, by region and jurisdiction Appendix table 5. Number of sentenced prisoners admitted and released from state or federal jurisdiction, by type Appendix table 6. Imprisonment rates of sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by region, and jurisdiction Appendix table 7. Estimated number of persons under state or federal jurisdiction, by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age Appendix table 8. Estimated number of persons held in state or federal jurisdiction per 100,000 U.S. residents, by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age Appendix table 9. Imprisonment rates of sentenced male and female prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by gender Appendix table 10. Estimated number of sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction, by offense, gender, race, and Hispanic origin Appendix table 11. Estimated percent of sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction, by offense, gender, race, and Hispanic origin Appendix table 12. Number of sentenced prisoners in federal prisons by most serious offense Appendix table 13. Number of state and federal prisoners under jurisdiction housed in private facilities Appendix table 14. Number of state and federal prisoners under jurisdiction housed in local jails Appendix table 15. Reported state and federal prison capacities Appendix table 16. Prisoners in custody of correctional authorities in the U.S. territories and commonwealths Appendix table 17. Prisoners under military jurisdiction, by branch of service Appendix table 18. Number of detainees held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), by facility type Appendix table 19. Number of detainees held in custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities, by offense type ----------------------------------------------------------- Detailed information is available in appendix tables in the online version of this report on the BJS website at . ------------------------------------------------------------ Methodology National Prisoner Statistics Begun in 1926 under a mandate from Congress, the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program collects statistics on prisoners at midyear and yearend. The Census Bureau serves as the data collection agent for Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). BJS depends entirely on the voluntary participation by states' departments of corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons for NPS data. The NPS distinguishes between prisoners in custody and prisoners under jurisdiction. To have custody of a prisoner, a state or federal prison must hold that prisoner in one of its facilities. To have jurisdiction over a prisoner, a state or federal prison must have legal authority over the prisoner. Some states are unable to provide counts that distinguish between custody and jurisdiction. The NPS jurisdiction counts include prisoners serving a sentence within a jurisdiction's facilities, including prisons, penitentiaries, correctional facilities, halfway houses, boot camps, farms, training/treatment centers, and hospitals. They include prisoners who are: * temporarily absent (less than 30 days), out to court, or on work release * housed in privately-operated facilities, local jails, or other state or federal facilities * serving concurrent sentences for more than one correctional authority. The NPS custody counts include all inmates held within a respondent's facilities, including inmates housed for other correctional authorities. The custody counts exclude inmates held in local jails and in other facilities. With a few exceptions for several respondents, the NPS custody counts exclude inmates held in privately-operated facilities. Additionally NPS data include counts of inmates in combined jail-prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NPS prisoner counts have excluded prisoners held by the District of Columbia. Since yearend 2001 the District of Columbia has operated only a jail system. Prisoners sentenced under the District of Columbia criminal code are housed in federal facilities. Ratio estimates were used to generate the jurisdiction counts for gender and sentenced individuals in Illinois during 2007 using data provided in 2006. Yearend 2007 data were not received from Illinois Department of Corrections. Maine and Nevada were not able to provide data for December 31, 2007. Estimates were calculated using ratio estimates. All numbers were reviewed and approved by individuals at the respective departments of corrections. For more information about the NPS data collection instruments, see: . Military Corrections Statistics BJS obtains yearend counts of prisoners in the custody of U.S. military authorities from the Department of Defense Corrections Council. In 1994, the council, composed of representatives from each branch of military service, adopted a standardized report (DD Form 2720) with a common set of items and definitions. This report obtains data on persons held in U.S. military confinement facilities inside and outside of the continental United States, by branch of service, gender, race, Hispanic origin, conviction status, sentence length, and offense. It also provides data on the number of facilities and their design and rated capacities. Other inmate counts In 1995, BJS began collecting yearend counts of inmates from the departments of corrections in the U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and U.S. Commonwealths (Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico). These counts include all inmates for whom the territory or commonwealth had legal authority (jurisdiction) and all inmates in physical custody (held in prison or local jail facilities). The counts are collected by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and sentence length. In addition, BJS obtains reports on the design, rated, and operational capacities of these correctional facilities. BJS obtains yearend counts of persons detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formerly the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. ICE holds persons for immigration violations in federal, state, and locally operated prisons and jails, as well as in privately-operated facilities under exclusive contract and ICE-operated facilities. Data on the number of inmates held in the custody of local jails are from the BJS Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ). The ASJ provides data on inmates in custody at midyear. For more information about the ASJ, see Methodology in Jail Inmates at Midyear 2007. See . Data on federal prisoners are obtained from BJS' Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP). The FJSP obtains data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. These data include individual-level records of prisoners in federal facilities as of September 30. Specifically the FJSP provides counts of sentenced federal inmates by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and offense. Estimates of juvenile inmates for 2007 are based on average annual change from 2003 to 2006 as reported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Estimating age-specific imprisonment rates Estimates are provided for the number of sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction by gender. Further, within genders, prisoners are characterized by age group, race (non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black), and Hispanic origin. The detailed race and Hispanic origin categories exclude estimates of persons identifying two or more races. For 2000 and 2007, estimates were produced separately for prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction, and then combined to obtain a total estimated population. State estimates were prepared by combining information about the gender of prisoners from the NPS with information on self-reported race and Hispanic origin from the 2005 Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities. For the estimates of federal prisoners, the distributions of FJSP counts of sentenced federal prisoners by gender, age, race, and Hispanic origin on September 30, 2007, were applied to the NPS counts of sentenced federal prisoners by gender at yearend 2007. Estimates of the U.S. resident population for January 1, 2008, by age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin, were generated by applying the December 31, 2007 age distributions within gender, race, and Hispanic origin groups to the January 1, 2008 population estimates by gender. The population estimates were provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Age-specific rates of imprisonment for each demographic group were calculated by dividing the estimated number of sentenced prisoners within each age group by the estimated number of U.S. residents in each age group. That number was multiplied by 100,000, and then rounded to the nearest whole number. Gender totals include all prisoners and U.S. residents regardless of racial or Hispanic origin. Imprisonment rates for detailed race and Hispanic origin groups exclude persons identifying two or more races. NPS jurisdiction notes Alaska Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations housed in-state and out of state. Jurisdictional counts exclude inmates held in local jails that are operated by communities. Arizona Population counts are based on custody data and inmates in contracted beds. California Jurisdiction counts include felons and unsentenced inmates who are temporarily absent, i.e., housed in local jails, hospitals, etc. Colorado Counts include 211 inmates in the Youthful Offender System, which was established primarily for violent juvenile offenders. Capacity figures exclude seven privately run facilities under contract with the Department of Corrections. Delaware Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Federal Custody counts include inmates housed in secure facilities where the BOP contracted directly with a private operator or subcontracted with a private provider at a local government facility. Custody includes inmates held in non-secure privately-operated community corrections centers, e.g., halfway houses, and on home confinement. Florida Counts are not comparable to last year due to new methods of data collection by Florida correctional officials. Georgia Counts are based on custody data. Hawaii Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Illinois Data for 2007 were not received. All data for December 31, 2007 are based on ratio estimates using NPS 1b data from 2005. Population counts are based on jurisdiction data. Counts of inmates with a sentence of more than a year include an undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of less than a year. These estimates will be updated upon receipt of data. Iowa Population counts are based on custody data. Population counts for inmates with a sentence of more than a year include an undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of less than a year and unsentenced inmates. Iowa does not differentiate between these groups in its data system. Due to a change in reporting in 2006, out of state inmates have been included in jurisdiction counts. Kansas Admission and release data are based on the custody population. Due to a new, electronic reporting system, 2007 admission and release data are not comparable to previous years' counts. Louisiana Counts are as of December 27, 2007. Counts include 15,789 males and 1,289 females housed in local jails as a result of a partnership with the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association and local authorities. Custody and jurisdiction counts include evacuees from Hurricane Katrina and other pre-trial offenders from Orleans and Jefferson parish jails. Due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Orleans and Jefferson parish prison capacities are down. Therefore, local jail population is down from the 2004 counts. Maine Data for 2007 were not available at the time of publication. Estimates based on 2006 numbers were used for all tables. These estimates will be updated upon receipt of data. Maryland The number of prisoners listed with their race as "unknown" has increased due to changes in the information system. Massachusetts By law, offenders may be sentenced to terms of up to 2 years and 6 months in locally-operated jails and correctional institutions. Such populations are included in counts and rates for local jails and correctional institutions. About 6,200 inmates with sentences of more than one year were held in local jails. Jurisdiction and custody counts include an undetermined number of inmates who were remanded to court, transferred to the custody of another state, federal, or locally-operated system, and subsequently released. NPS jurisdiction notes Minnesota Counts include inmates temporarily housed in local jails or private contract facilities, or on work release and community work crew programs. Mississippi Operational and design capacities include private prison capacities. Missouri Design capacities are not available for older prisons. Operational capacity is defined as the number of available beds including those temporarily offline. Missouri Department of Corrections does not have updated design capacity for prison extensions or improvements. Montana Population counts include a small number of inmates with unknown sentence lengths. Capacity figures include two county operated regional prisons (an estimated 300 beds), one private prison (500 beds), and a state operated boot camp (60 beds). In 2006, the Department of Corrections changed the method of accounting for community corrections offenders placed in residential treatment programs. To track growth patterns, a new standard process was applied to historic populations which resulted in some changes to previous years' counts. Nevada Due to a system conversion, data for 2007 were calculated with ratio estimates, and are based on 2006 numbers. All estimates were reviewed by individuals at the Nevada Department of Corrections. New Jersey Counts of inmates with a sentence of more than a year include an undetermined number of inmates with sentences of just a year. The Department of Corrections has no jurisdiction over inmates with sentences of less than a year or over unsentenced inmates. Rated capacity figures are not maintained. North Carolina Capacity figures refer to standard operating capacity, based on single occupancy per cell and 50 square feet per inmate in multiple occupancy units. Ohio Counts of inmates with a sentence of more than a year include an undetermined number of inmates with sentences of a year or less. Oklahoma Population counts for inmates with sentences of less than a year consist mainly of offenders ordered by the court to the Delayed Sentencing Program for Young Adults pursuant to 22 O.S. 996 through 996.3. As of November 4, 1998, Oklahoma has one type of capacity, which includes state prisons, private prisons, and contract jails. Oregon Counts include an undetermined number of inmates with sentences of a year or less. County authorities retain jurisdiction over the majority of these types of inmates. Pennsylvania As of May 31, 2004, the Department of Corrections began using a new capacity reporting system based on design as well as other crucial factors such as facility infrastructure, support services, and programming. Rhode Island Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. South Carolina Population counts include 36 inmates who were unsentenced, under safekeeping, or ICC status. As of July 1, 2003, South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) began releasing inmates due for release and housed in SCDC institutions on the 1st day of each month. Because January 1, 2008 was a holiday, inmates eligible for release on January 1 were released on December 31, 2007. Therefore, the inmate count was at its lowest point for the month on December 31, 2007. Texas Jurisdiction counts include inmates serving time in a pre-parole transfer (PPT) or intermediary sanctions facility (ISF), substance abuse felony punishment facility (SAFPF), private facilities, halfway houses, temporary releases to counties, and paper-ready inmates in local jails. Vermont Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Improved methods were used to measure admissions and releases. Admission and release data for 2006 and 2007 are not comparable. Virginia Jurisdiction counts are as of December 28, 2007. Rated capacity is the Department of Corrections' count of beds, which takes into account the number of inmates that can be accommodated based on staff, programs, services and design. Washington A recently revised law allows increasing numbers of certain inmates with sentences of less than a year to be housed in prison. Wisconsin Operational capacity excludes contracted local jails, federal and other state and private facilities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Michael D. Sinclair is the acting director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs. The Bulletin was written by Heather C. West and William J. Sabol, Ph.D. Todd Minton verified the report and provided statistical support. Steve Simoncini carried out the data collection and processing under the supervision of Charlene M. Sebold, Governments Division, Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. Duane H. Cavanaugh provided technical assistance. Catherine Bird edited the report. Tina Dorsey and Georgette Walsh produced the report. Jayne E. Robinson prepared the report for final printing under the supervision of Doris J. James. December 2008, NCJ 224280 This report in portable document format (includes 19 appendix tables) and in ASCII and its related statistical data are available at the BJS World Wide Web Internet site: . Office of Justice Programs Innovation Partnerships Safer Neighborhoods http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov 2/13/2009/tld