U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Prisoners in 2008 December 2009 NCJ 228417 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1763 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://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid=40 ------------------------------------------------------------ William J. Sabol, Ph.D., and Heather C. West, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians Matthew Cooper, BJS Intern At yearend 2008, federal and state correctional authorities had jurisdiction over 1,610,446 prisoners (figure 1). Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. The prison population increased by 12,201 prisoners from 2007 to 2008, the smallest annual increase since 2000. The 0.8% growth during 2008 was the second year of decline in the rate of growth and the slowest growth in eight years. From 2000 to 2008 the growth of the prison population (1.8% per year on average) was less than a third of the rate observed during the 1990s (6.5% per year on average) (not shown in figure). State correctional authorities had jurisdiction over 1,409,166 prisoners at yearend 2008, an increase of 10,539 state prisoners during the year. Federal correctional authorities (or the federal prison system) had jurisdiction over 201,280 prisoners, up 1,662 federal prisoners from the previous year. While the numbers of state and federal prisoners reached all-time yearend highs in 2008, the respective growth rates for each slowed to 0.8% (figure 2). This was the second smallest annual rate of growth in the state prison population (0.1% growth occurred in 2001) and the lowest rate for the federal prison population since 2000. Detailed information is included in the appendix tables, following Methodology. Topics covered in the appendix tables are shown on page 13. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights *The U.S. prison population grew at the slowest rate (0.8%) since 2000, reaching 1,610,466 sentenced prisoners at yearend 2008. *Growth of the prison population since 2000 (1.8% per year on average) was less than a third of the average annual rate during the 1990s (6.5% per year on average). *Slower growth in the state prison population was associated with fewer new court commitments during 2007 and 2008, reversing the trend of steady growth of state prison admissions witnessed from 2000 to 2006. *An increase in the number of prison releases was led by offenders released to the community without supervision. *Between 2000 and 2008 the number of blacks in prison declined by 18,400, lowering the imprisonment rate to 3,161 men and 149 women per 100,000 persons in the U.S. resident black population. *The U.S. imprisonment rate declined for the second time since yearend 2000; about 1 in every 198 persons in the U.S. resident population was incarcerated in state or federal prison at yearend 2008. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twenty states reported a decline in the number of prisoners under their jurisdiction in 2008 for a total decrease of 9,719 prisoners (appendix table 2). New York (down 2,273 prisoners), Georgia (down 1,537), and Michigan (down 1,495) reported the largest reductions, accounting for more than half (54.6%) of the decline in the total number of prisoners. New York (down 3.6%) recorded the largest rate of decrease in its prison population during 2008, followed by Kentucky (down 3.3%), and New Jersey (down 3.3%). Twenty-nine states and the federal prison system reported a combined increase of 21,920 prisoners at yearend. Pennsylvania (up 4,178 prisoners) and Florida (up 4,169) had the largest increases, followed by Arizona (1,843), the federal prison system (1,662), and North Carolina (1,512). Combined, these five jurisdictions accounted for 61% of the growth among jurisdictions holding more prisoners at yearend. Pennsylvania also reported the fastest rate of growth (up 9.1%) for 2008. Selected characteristics of the prison population under state and federal jurisdiction *Men were 93% of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, and women were 7% (table 1). *About 34% of all sentenced prisoners were white, 38% were black, and 20% were Hispanic. *Males were incarcerated at a rate about 15 times higher than females (table 2). *Black males were incarcerated at a rate six and half times higher than white males. Slower growth in the state prison population associated with fewer new court commitments Several factors contributed to slowing the growth of the state and federal prison populations from 2006 to 2008, including a decrease in the number of prison admissions, a decline in the number of new court commitments to state prison, and an increase in the number released from both state and federal prison. Prison admissions have declined for the past two years as the number of admissions dropped by about 6,923 sentenced offenders during 2007 and by 3,743 prisoners during 2008 (table 3). The number of offenders released from state and federal prisons rose by 2.0% to reach 735,454 prisoners while the number of admissions declined by 0.5% (down 3,743). Among the states, admissions and releases of sentenced prisoners have converged since 2006 as admissions declined and releases of state prisoners increased (figure 3). In 2008, 30 states reported a decrease in prisons admissions, totaling 19,019 prisoners. The remaining 20 states reported an increase in prison admissions, totalling 15,783 prisoners. Four states accounted for 40.7% of the total decrease in prison admissions from 2007 to 2008 (appendix table 11). Georgia (down 2,509) reported the largest absolute decrease, followed by Mississippi (down 1,841), Kansas (down 1,408), and Washington (down 1,229). Fewer new court commitments to state prison accounted for the declining number of state prison admissions in 2007 and 2008, reversing the trend in the increasing number of state prison admissions observed from 2000 to 2006 (figure 4).***Footnote 1 New court commitments include felony offenders sentenced to state prison and probation violators entering prison for the first time on a violation of a condition of probation. Parole violators include any conditionally released parolee admitted to prison either for a technical violation of the conditions of supervision or for a new crime.*** The number of new court commitments to state prison dropped by 10,587 in 2007 and 2,189 in 2008 as the total number of state prison admissions declined by 3,046 and 3,787, respectively. The number of parole violators admitted to state prison increased during 2008 at a slower rate than during the previous two years, offsetting some of the effect of the decline in new court commitments on the total number of state prison admissions. Number and rate of prison releases increased in 2008 The number of offenders released from state and federal prisons increased by 2% (or 14,293 releases) during 2008 to reach 735,454. In total, 29 states and the federal system reported increases in the number of prison releases totaling 23,524 offenders. This increase was offset by a total decrease of 9,034 releases in the remaining 21 states (appendix table 11). The increase in the number of prison releases was led by an 8% (or 16,883 releases) increase in the number of prisoners released unconditionally during 2008. ***Footnote 2 Unconditional releases include expirations of sentence, commutations, and other unconditional releases.*** Unconditional releases from state prisons accounted for 91% of the increase in the total number of prisoners released unconditionally (not shown in a table). During 2008 the number released unconditionally from state prisons increased by about 13,000 (or 8.5%), while conditional releases from state prisons increased by fewer than 1,000 (or about 0.2%) (table 4).***Footnote 3 Conditional releases include releases to probation, supervised mandatory release, and other unspecified conditional releases.*** As a result of the increase in unconditional releases from state prisons, the share of all state prison admissions accounted for by unconditional releases reached 24% in 2008, a higher share than any year since 2000. Slower growth in the prison population since 2000 was associated with a decline in the number of sentenced black prisoners A decrease in the number of sentenced black offenders has been associated with slower growth in the size of the state and federal prison populations. The number of imprisoned blacks has declined by about 18,400 since yearend 2000, reducing the total number of blacks in prison to about 591,900 at yearend 2008 (table 5). Conversely, the numbers of sentenced white and Hispanic offenders have increased since 2000. the number of imprisoned whites has risen by 57,200 since 2000 to reach 528,200 at yearend 2008. The total number of imprisoned Hispanics rose by 96,200 to reach 313,100 during this period. A decrease in the black imprisonment rates accompanied the decline in the number of imprisoned black offenders (table 6). Between 2000 and 2008 the imprisonment rate for black men decreased from 3,457 per 100,000 in the U.S. resident population to 3,161, and the imprisonment rate for black women declined from 205 per 100,000 in the U.S. resident population to 149. For Hispanic men the imprisonment rate remained relatively steady at about 1,200 per 100,000 in the U.S. resident population during this period. For white men the imprisonment rate increased from 449 per 100,000 in the U.S. resident population in 2000 to 487 per 100,000 in 2008. The decline in the black imprisonment rate since 2000 means that an estimated 61,000 fewer blacks were in state or federal prisons than expected at yearend 2008 if the imprisonment rate for blacks had remained at its 2000 level (not shown in table). In contrast, the increase in the imprisonment rate for whites resulted in about 54,000 more sentenced white prisoners at yearend 2008 than expected if their rate of imprisonment had remained unchanged since 2000. The number of imprisoned Hispanics and the Hispanic U.S. resident population experienced about the same rates of growth from 2000 to 2008. Consequently, there was relatively little difference (3,600) between the number of sentenced Hispanics who would have been in prison in 2008 if the Hispanic imprisonment rate had remained at its 2000 level. Fewer blacks imprisoned for drug offenses accounted for most of the decline in the number of sentenced blacks in state prison From 2000 to 2006 (the most recent offense data available), the total number of sentenced offenders in state prisons increased by 124,700 to reach 1,331,100 state prisoners. Offenders convicted of a violent offense accounted for 63% of the growth in the state prison population; offenders convicted of a drug offense accounted for about 12% (table 7). The number of sentenced blacks in state prisons fell to 508,700 in 2006, declining by 53,300 prisoners since 2000. More than half of this decline (56%) was made up of 29,600 fewer blacks imprisoned for drug offenses. The number of sentenced white and Hispanic prisoners convicted of a drug offense increased from 2000 to 2006, offsetting the decline in the number of imprisoned black drug offenders. Imprisoned white drug offenders increased by 13,800 prisoners during this period; the number of Hispanic drug offenders increased by 10,800. Consequently, the overall number of sentenced drug offenders in state prison increased by 14,700 prisoners. Changes in the types of drugs involved in drug offenses could not be identified in the available data. BJS's most recent survey focusing on the types of drugs involved in drug offenses was conducted in 2004. The data collected through inmate interviews revealed an increase in the percentage of state prisoners serving time for drug law violations involving stimulants, such as methamphetamines. About 10% of the drug offenders in state prison in 2004 were convicted of a drug offense involving stimulants, up from 10% in 1997. Additionally, the percentage of state prisoners convicted of a cocaine-related drug offense declined from 72% in 1997 to 62% in 2004.***Footnote 4 See Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004 available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/dudsfp04.htm (last accessed October 16, 2009).*** The U.S. imprisonment rate decreased for the second time since yearend 2000 The imprisonment rate at yearend 2008 was 504 per 100,000 U.S. residents, a decrease from 506 per 100,000 at yearend 2007 (appendix table 10). About 1 in every 198 persons in the U.S. resident population was incarcerated in state or federal prison at yearend 2008. Imprisonment rate refers to the number of prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year per 100,000 U.S. residents. A decrease in the imprisonment rate resulted from a lower rate of growth in the sentenced prison population (0.5% increase) than in the U.S. resident population (0.8% increase). This was the second decline in the U.S. imprisonment rate since 2000. Twenty-eight states reported a decrease in their imprisonment rates, 20 states reported an increase, and two states reported no change to their imprisonment rates at yearend 2008 (figure 5). Massachusetts and Texas (both down 31 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) reported the largest declines in their imprisonment rates. Pennsylvania (up 28 prisoners per 100,000), Florida (up 21 prisoners per 100,000), and Alabama (up 19 prisoners per 100,000) reported the largest increases in their imprisonment rates at yearend. Selected characteristics of the custody population at yearend 2008 On December 31, 2008-- *State and federal prisons and local jails had custody or physical guardianship over 2,304,115 inmates, an increase of 0.3% from yearend 2007 (table 8). *About 1 in every 133 U.S. residents was in custody of state or federal prisons or local jails. *The incarceration rate the number of inmates held in custody of state or federal prisons or in local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents decreased to 754 inmates at yearend 2008, down from 756 inmates at yearend 2007. *The total incarcerated population reached 2,424,279 inmates up 0.2% or 5,038 inmates from yearend 2007 (table 9). *Populations held in ICE facilities (up 2.4%) and in local jails (up 0.7%) increased during 2008. The largest absolute increase of inmates occurred in local jails (5,382), followed by state and federal prisons (692). *Populations held in military facilities (down 8.0%), prisons in U.S. territories (down 7.5%), and jails in Indian country (down 1.3%) decreased. The largest absolute decrease of 1,102 inmates occurred in the U.S. territories during 2008. Men ages 30 to 34 and women ages 35 to 39 had the highest imprisonment rates At yearend 2008, 1,434,800 men and 105,300 women were serving prison sentences of more than one year (appendix table 13). Men ages 25 to 29 represented the largest share (17.2%) of sentenced male prisoners in state or federal prison. The imprisonment rate for men was highest for those ages 30 to 34 (2,366 per 100,000 men in the U.S. resident population), followed by men ages 25 to 29 (2,238 per 100,000) (appendix table 14). Women ages 35 to 39 made up the largest percentage (19.8%) of sentenced female prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction. The imprisonment rate for women was also highest for those ages 35 to 39 (201 per 100,000 women in the U.S. resident population), followed by women ages 30 to 34 (190 per 100,000) (appendix table 14). State prison capacities were higher in 2008 than in 2000; percent of capacity occupied decreased in 2008 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 and the federal system across the three capacity measures. Lowest capacity is the minimum of these three capacity measures reported by the states and the federal system. Estimates of prison populations as a percentage of capacity are based on the jurisdiction's custody population. In general a jurisdiction'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. Where this occurs, prison population as a percent of capacity includes private prisoners. The federal system reported a rated capacity of 122,479 beds at yearend 2008 (appendix table 24). The highest capacity reported by the states was 1,275,4240, and the lowest capacity reported was 1,142,129 (table 10). These capacities are between 11% and 14% higher than the capacities reported by the states in 2000. In 2008 the percent of capacity occupied in state prisons decreased. States were operating at 97% of their highest capacity and over 8% of their lowest capacity at yearend. Thirteen states were operating at more than 100% of highest capacity by yearend 2008, and 20 were operating at more than 100% of lowest capacity. Trends in the ICE population At yearend 2008, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had custody over 34,161 detainees, up 14,646 detainees from yearend 2000 and up 3,730 detainees from yearend 2007 (table 11). The 12.3% growth in the number of detainees in custody of ICE during 2008 was greater than the average annual growth rate (6.6%) of the number of detainees held from 2000 to 2007. More than half (57.5%) of all detainees were held in facilities in Texas (8,695), California (3,694), Arizona (2,975), Florida (2,195), and Georgia (2,075). The number of detainees held in Texas has increased by 5,080 since 2000, representing 34.7% of the growth in the number of detainees held nationwide (14,646 detainees) during this period. Nationwide, the overall number of ICE detainees held per facility (state, federal, local, or ICE) has doubled since 2000 (not shown in table). Approximately 53 detainees were held per facility in 2000, compared to about 115 in 2008. The number of state, federal, and local jails responsible for holding this growing population declined from 347 to 256 during this period, and the average number of detainees held per facility increased from approximately 37 to 95. ICE increased its number of facilities from 24 in 2000 to 41 in 2008, while its average number of detainees held per facility fell from about 276 to 243. Texas has independently added a net of three ICE/INS-owned or -contracted facilities since 2000, and increased the number of detainees held in the average Texas facility from approximately 79 in 2000 to 248 in 2008. Mexican citizens represented over a third (36.2% or 12,360 detainees) of the detainee population in 2008, followed by El Salvadorans (10.3% or 3,521 detainees), Guatemalans (9.4% or 3,227 detainees), and Hondurans (8.1% or 2,780) (figure 6). Among these groups the fastest growth occurred in the Mexican detainee population, increasing from 4,267 ICE detainees in 2000 to 4,623 in 2005. From 2005 to 2007 the Mexican detainee population more than doubled from 4,623 to 10,358 ICE detainees. The number of Mexican detainees increased at a slower pace in 2008, reaching 12,360 at yearend. While the El Salvadoran detainee population experienced a similar pattern of growth, the population increased at a slower pace during these same periods. The El Salvadoran detainee population rose from 1,125 in 2000 to 1,727 in 2005. From 2005 to 2007 this detainee population increased from 1,727 to 3,005 ICE detainees. During 2008 the El Salvadoran detainee population increased at a slower pace, reaching 3,521 at yearend. 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 the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). BJS depends entirely upon the voluntary participation by state 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 prisoner counts that distinguish between custody and jurisdiction. The NPS jurisdiction counts include prisoners serving a sentence within a jurisdiction's facilities. These facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, correctional facilities, halfway houses, boot camps, farms, training/treatment centers, and hospitals. Jurisdiction counts include inmates who are *temporarily absent (less than 30 days), out to court, or on work release *housed in privately-operated facilities, local jails, 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 facilities. The custody counts exclude inmates held in local jails and in other jurisdictions. 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. The District of Columbia has operated only a jail system since yearend 2001. Prisoners sentenced under the District of Columbia criminal code are housed in federal facilities. Selected previously published prisoner counts and percent population change statistics include DC jail inmates for 2001, the last year of collection. Additional information is provided in notes to the tables, where applicable. Nevada was not able to provide 2007 data. Estimates were calculated using ratio estimates. All numbers were reviewed and approved by individuals at the respective department of corrections. See (last accessed October 20, 2009) for more information about the NPS data collection instruments. Military Corrections Statistics BJS obtains yearend counts of prisoners in the custody of U.S. military authorities from the Department of Defense Corrections Council. The council, composed of representatives from each branch of the military services, adopted a standardized report (DD Form 2720) with a common set of items and definitions in 1994. 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 prisoners from the department 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 or 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. Additionally, BJS obtains reports on the design and rated and operational capacities of these correctional facilities. BJS obtains yearend counts of person detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formerly the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Located within the Department of Homeland Security, ICE is responsible for holding persons for immigration violations. ICE holds persons in federal, state, and locally operated prisons and jails, as well as 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 2008 Statistical Tables available online at (last accessed October 20, 2009). Federal prisoner data used to calculate race and offense distributions are obtained from BJS' Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP). The FJSP obtains its 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. Guam did not submit data for 2008. Data for 2008 are estimates based on the percent change from 2006 to 2007 as reported by Guam's Department of Corrections. Estimates of juvenile inmates for 2007 and 2008 are based on data from 2006 as reported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Estimating changes in admissions and releases Technically, the change in the prison population from the beginning of the year to the end of the year should equal the difference between the number of admissions and releases during the year. The formula used to calculate this change is P(t)-P(t-1)=A(t)-R(t). Within this formula, t equals the year referenced, P(t-1) equals the start of the year population, P(t) equals the end of the year population, A(t) equals admissions during the year, and R(t) equals releases during the year. However, throughout this report, the references to differences in prison populations refer to the differences between two yearend differences, such as the difference between December 31, 2007, and December 31, 2008. Hence, comparisons of admissions and releases during the year with two yearend population counts may be equal, as there may be changes in the prisoner counts between the last count of the year (December 31) and the first count of the following year (January 1). Also, due to information- system processing issues within states, the two sets of differences do not always equal the difference between the number of admissions and releases for various reasons, such as the final data on admissions and releases may be logged into systems after the surveys have been submitted to BJS. During the 2008 collections, all but three states submitted data in which the differences between the start of year and yearend populations equaled the difference between admissions and releases. Estimating age-specific incarceration rates Estimates are provided for the number of sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction by gender. Further, prisoners are characterized within genders 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. Estimates were produced separately for prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction and then combined to obtain a total estimated population for 2000 and 2007. State estimates were prepared by combining information about the gender of prisoners from the NPS with information reported during inmate interviews on race and Hispanic origin in the 2004 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, 2008, were applied to the NPS counts of sentenced federal prisoners by gender at yearend 2008. Estimates of the U.S. resident population for January 1, 2009, by age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin, were generated by applying the December 31, 2008, age distributions within gender, race, and Hispanic origin groups to the January 1, 2009, 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. Totals by gender include all prisoners and U.S. residents regardless of racial or Hispanic origin. Detailed race and Hispanic origin imprisonment rates exclude persons identifying two or more races. Definitions Average annual change--arithmetic average (mean) annual change across a specific time period. Custody--physical location in which an inmate is held regardless of which entity has legal authority over an inmates. For example, a local jail may hold, or have custody over, a state-sentenced prisoner who may be held there because of overcrowding. The custody population refers to the number of inmates held in state or federal public prisons or local jails, regardless of sentence length or the state having jurisdiction Design capacity-- the number of inmates that planners or architects intended for a facility. Highest capacity--the sum of the maximum number of beds reported across three capacity measures: design capacity, operational capacity, and rated capacity. Imprisonment rate--the number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction sentenced to more than 1 year, per 100,000 U.S. resident population. Incarceration rate--see total incarceration rate. Inmates individuals held in the custody of state and federal prisons and in local jails. Jail--confinement facilities usually administered by a local law enforcement agency, intended for adults but sometimes holding juveniles, before or after adjudication. Facilities include jails and city/county correctional centers, special jail facilities such as medical treatment or release centers, halfway houses, work farms, and temporary holding or lockup facilities that are part of the jail's combined function. Inmates sentenced to jail facilities usually have a sentence of 1 year or less. Jails in Indian country--jails, confinement facilities, detention centers, and other facilities operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Jurisdiction--the entity having legal authority over a prisoner, regardless of where that prisoner is held. The prison population under jurisdiction refers to the number of prisoners under state or federal correctional authority regardless of the facility in which a prisoner is held. For example, state-sentenced prisoners held in local jails are under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Lowest capacity--the sum of the minimum number of beds across three capacity measures: design capacity, operational capacity, and rated capacity. Operational capacity--the number of inmates that can be accommodated based on a facility's staff, existing programs, and services. Prisons--compared to jail facilities, prisons are longer-term facilities run by a state or the federal government typically holding felons and prisoner with sentences of more than 1 year. However, sentence length may vary by state. Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, Alaska, and Hawaii operate integrated systems that combine prisons and jails. Prisoners--individuals confined in correctional facilities under the legal authority (jurisdiction) of state and federal correctional officials. Rated capacity--the number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to institutions within the jurisdiction. Sentenced prisoner--a prisoner sentenced to more than 1 year. Total incarceration rate--the number of inmates held in the custody of state or federal prisons or in local jails, per 100,000 U.S. residents. Total inmates in custody--includes inmates held in any public facility run by a state or the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including halfway houses, camps, farms, training/treatment centers, and hospitals. This number also includes the number of inmates held in local jails as reported by correctional authorities in the Annual Survey of Jails. Data for jails are as of the last weekday of June. Appendix table contents The following topics are detailed in online appendix tables 1 through 24 at : *Appendix Table 1. Prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of state or federal prisons or local jails, December 31, 2000-2008 *Appendix Table 2. Prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 3. Male prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 4. Female prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 5. Sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 6. Number of sentenced male prisoners under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities, December 31, 2000-2008 *Appendix Table 7. Sentenced male prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 8. Number of sentenced female prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, December 31, 2000-2008 *Appendix Table 9. Sentenced female prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 10. Imprisonment rates of sentenced prisoners under jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities, by gender and jurisdiction, December 31, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 11. Number of sentenced prisoners admitted and released from state or federal jurisdiction, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 12. Number of sentenced prisoners admitted and release from state or federal jurisdiction, by type, December 31, 2008 *Appendix Table 13. Estimated number of sentenced prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction, by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age, December 31, 2008 *Appendix Table 14. Estimated number of sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction per 100,000 U.S. residents, by gender, race, Hispanic origin, and age, December 31, 2008 *Appendix Table 15. Estimated number of sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction, by offense, gender, race, and Hispanic origin, yearend 2006 *Appendix Table 16. Estimated percent of sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction by offense, gender, race, and Hispanic origin, yearend 2006 *Appendix Table 17. Number of sentenced prisoners in federal prison, by most serious offense, 2000, 2007and 2008 *Appendix Table 18. Number of state or federal prisoners in private facilities, December, 2000-2008 *Appendix Table 19. Number of state or federal prisoners in private facilities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2006-2008 *Appendix Table 20. Number of state or federal prisoners in local facilities, December 31, 2000-2008 *Appendix Table 21. Number of state and federal prisoners in local jail facilities, by jurisdiction, December 31, 2000, 2006-2008 *Appendix Table 22. Prisoners in custody of correctional authorities in the U.S. territories and commonwealths, yearend 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 23. Prisoners under military jurisdiction, by branch of service, yearend 2007 and 2008 *Appendix Table 24. Reported state and federal prison capacities, December 31, 2008 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. This definition is comparable to the 1998 NPS 1b definition. Discrepancies between admissions and releases and within-year change in the prison population are due to incomplete data about inmate movements, such as inmates out to court or readmitted on violations. Colorado--Counts include 222 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 had a direct contract with a private operator or a sub-contract with a private provider at a local government facility. Custody includes inmates held in non-secure privately operated community corrections centers or Halfway Houses and inmates held on home confinement. Florida--Counts are not comparable to 2006 counts due to new methods of data collection beginning in 2007. Georgia--Counts are based on custody data. Hawaii--Prisons and jails form one integrated systems. All NPS data include jail and prison populations Iowa--Population counts are based on custody data. Population counts for Inmates with a sentence of more than 1 year include an undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of less than 1 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. Discrepancies between admissions and releases and within-year change in the prison population are due to data entry corrections made throughout the year. Kansas--Admission and release data are based on the custody population. Due to a new, computerized reporting system, 2007 admission and release data is not comparable to previous years' counts. Louisiana--Counts for 2007 are as of December 27, 2007. Custody and jurisdiction counts include evacuees from Hurricane Katrina and other pre-trial offenders from Orleans and Jefferson parish jails. Maryland--The number of prisoners identifying 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 2.5 years in locally-operated jails and correctional institutions. Such populations are included in counts and rates for local jails and correctional institutions. Counts exclude 4,012 inmates with sentences of more than 1 year held in local jails in 2008 and 6,200 inmates in 2007. 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. 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 include those temporarily offline. Missouri Department of Corrections does not have updated design capacity for prison extension 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 its 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, resulting in some changes to previous years' counts. Nevada--Due to an information system conversion that occurred during 2007, Nevada officials were unable to report data for 2007. All 2007 data were estimated from 2006 reported data. All estimates were reviewed by individuals at the Nevada Department of Corrections. New Hampshire--Due to a system conversion, detailed information on prisoners sentenced to 1 year or less, unsentenced males, and specific types of admission and releases cannot be captured. New Jersey--Counts of inmates with a sentence of more than 1 year include an undetermined number of inmates with sentences of 1 year. The Department of Corrections has no jurisdiction over inmates with sentences of less than 1 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 1 year include an undetermined number of inmates with sentences of 1 year or less. Due to a system conversion, admission and release data may vary from past years. Returns and conditional releases involving Transitional Control inmates are reported only after movement from confinement to actual release status occurs. Oklahoma--Population counts for inmates with sentences of less than 1 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 1 year or less. County authorities retain jurisdiction over the majority of these types of inmates. Pennsylvania--As of May 31, 2004, the Department 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. Data reported include jail and prison populations. Improved methods were used to measure admissions and releases during 2007. Admission and release data for 2000 and 2007 are not comparable. South Carolina--Population counts include 36 inmate 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. Since 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. South Dakota--Discrepancies between admissions and releases and within-year change in the prison population result because admission and release data is gathered in a separate database than the jurisdiction population data. 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. Data reported include jail and prison populations. Improved methods were used to measure admissions and releases during 2007. Admission and release data for 2000 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 1 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 statistics agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Michael D. Sinclair is acting director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs. William J. Sabol, Ph.D., and Heather C. West, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians, and Matthew Cooper, BJS Intern, wrote this Bulletin. Todd Minton and Paige M. Harrison verified the report. Georgette Walsh and Jill Duncan edited the report, Tina Dorsey produced the report, and Jayne Robinson prepared the report for final printing under the supervision of Doris J. James. December 2009, NCJ 228417 ---------------------------------------------------------- This report in portable document format and in ASCII and its related statistical data and tables are available at the BJS World Wide Web Internet site: . ------------------------------------------------------------- Office of Justice Programs Innovation  Partnerships  Safer Neighborhoods http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/8/2009/JER/ 10:21am