U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics ******************************************************** 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 on BJS website at: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5387 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.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid=40 ********************************************************* Bulletin Prisoners in 2014 E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician At yearend 2014, the United States held an estimated 1,561,500 prisoners in state and federal correctional facilities, a decrease of approximately 15,400 prisoners (down 1%) from December 31, 2013. A third (34%) of the decrease was due to fewer prisoners under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which declined for the second consecutive year (figure 1). Prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year in state or federal prison declined by almost 1% (down 11,800 prison inmates) from yearend 2013 (1,520,400) to yearend 2014 (1,508,600). The number of prisoners housed in private facilities in the United States decreased by almost 2% in 2014 to 131,300 prison inmates. The statistics in this report are based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, which collects annual data from state DOCs and the BOP on prisoner counts, prisoner characteristics, admissions, releases, and prison capacity. The 2014 NPS collection is number 90 in a series that began in 1926. Forty-nine states and the BOP reported NPS data for 2014, while data for Alaska were obtained from other sources or imputed. (See Methodology.) ********************************************************* ***************** HIGHLIGHTS ***************** * The number of prisoners held by state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2014 (1,561,500) decreased by 15,400 (down 1%) from yearend 2013. * The federal prison population decreased by 5,300 inmates (down 2.5%) from 2013 to 2014, the second consecutive year of decline. * On December 31, 2014, state and federal correctional authorities held 1,508,600 individuals sentenced to more than 1 year in prison, 11,800 fewer inmates than at yearend 2013. * The number of women in prison who were sentenced to more than 1 year increased by 1,900 offenders (up 2%) in 2014 from 104,300 in 2013 to 106,200 in 2014. * The decline in the BOP population in 2014 was explained by 5% fewer admissions (down 2,800) than in 2013. * The imprisonment rate declined from 621 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older in 2013 to 612 per 100,000 in 2014. * In 2014, 6% of all black males ages 30 to 39 were in prison, compared to 2% of Hispanic and 1% of white males in the same age group. * Violent offenders made up 54% of the state male prison population at yearend 2013, the most recent year for which data were available. * The BOP housed 40,000 prisoners in private secure and nonsecure facilities at yearend 2014, which represents 19% of the total federal prison population. * Half of males (50%) and more than half of females (59%) in federal prison were serving time for drug offenses on September 30, 2014. ********************************************************* ************************************** The U.S. prison population decreased by 1% in 2014** ************************************** The total number of persons held under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2014, decreased 1% (15,400 prisoners) from the count at yearend 2013 (table 1). The estimated 1,561,500 prisoners at yearend 2014 represent the smallest total prison population since 2005, and reverse the 0.4% increase that occurred from 2012 to 2013. Several states updated their 2013 counts, which resulted in an even larger increase than originally reported. The total prison population on December 31, 2013, was 1,577,000, an increase of 6,600 prisoners from 2012 (1,570,400). The decrease observed in 2014 was the second largest decline in the number of prisoners in more than 35 years. The decline of 28,600 prisoners from 2011 to 2012 coincided with the enactment of California’s Public Safety Realignment policy, which diverted newly sentenced nonviolent, nonserious, nonsex offenders from state prison to serve time in local jails and under community supervision. More than a third of the total decline in the number of prison inmates (34% or 5,300 prisoners) occurred in the federal prison population. This was the second straight year of decline in the federal system, which is the nation’s largest prison jurisdiction followed by Texas and California (table 2, figure 2). The federal system held 13% of all prison inmates at yearend 2014. States held 10,100 fewer prisoners at yearend 2014 than in 2013. Twenty-four states and the federal BOP showed decreases in total prison populations between yearend 2013 and 2014 (figure 3). Mississippi held 3,200 fewer prison inmates at yearend 2014 (down 15% from 2013), which resulted from new policies that encourage supervision of nonviolent offenders in the community instead of in prison. The Texas prison population, the second largest in the United States with 166,000 inmates at yearend 2014, declined by 2,200 prisoners (down 1%) from yearend 2013 (168,300). Louisiana, Georgia, and New York also had modest declines that amounted to between 1,000 and 1,300 fewer prisoners for each jurisdiction in 2014 than in 2013. Most states that observed growth in their prison populations had smaller prison systems, including North Dakota, which increased its yearend 2013 population by 140 (up 9%) to 1,700 on December 31, 2014. Nebraska experienced an 8% increase in its prison population, from 5,000 prisoners in 2013 to 5,400 in 2014. While females have represented approximately 7% of the total prison population over the past decade, the number of females under state or federal correctional jurisdiction increased by 1,600 inmates (up more than 1%) to 113,000 in 2014, the largest number of female prisoners since 2009. Sixteen states and the BOP observed decreases among their female prison populations, compared to 23 states and the BOP for males. Much of the growth took place in states with smaller prison systems so that modest increases in the number of imprisoned females caused large state- specific percent changes between 2013 and 2014. Missouri held 300 more women at yearend 2014 than in 2013 (up 12%), and Kentucky had an additional 260 female prisoners (up 11%). In comparison, from yearend 2013 to 2014, Texas held 500 additional women, an increase of almost 4%. **************************************** 97% of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state and federal authorities were sentenced to more than 1 year in prison **************************************** From yearend 2013 to 2014, the number of persons in state or federal prison who were sentenced to more than 1 year declined by 11,800 (down slightly less than 1%) to 1,509,000 prisoners (table 3). Prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year made up 97% of the total prison population, while unsentenced inmates and those with terms of 1 year or less accounted for the remaining 3% (53,000 prisoners). The decreasing number of sentenced prisoners accounted for 76% of the change in the total jurisdictional population. State prisons housed 8,000 fewer sentenced inmates on December 31, 2014, for a total of 1,317,300 prisoners. The BOP had 191,400 sentenced prisoners at yearend 2014, 2% fewer than in 2013 (195,100). The number of females in state or federal prison who were sentenced to more than 1 year increased by 1,900 prisoners (up nearly 2%) from 2013 (104,300 female prisoners) to 2014 (106,200). Sentenced female prisoners reached their highest count in 2014 since 2008, when states and the BOP imprisoned 106,400 females sentenced to at least 1 year under correctional authority. Twenty-two states and the BOP saw a decline in the number of prison inmates who had been sentenced to more than 1 year under correctional authority (table 4). The BOP (down 3,700 prisoners), Mississippi (down 2,900 prisoners), Texas (down 1,700), and Louisiana (down 1,300) had the largest decreases in the number of these prisoners in 2014. Among states with an increase in prison populations, Arizona imprisoned 40,200 sentenced inmates at yearend 2014, an increase of 1,100 prisoners from 2013. No other jurisdictions had increases of more than 1,000 sentenced prisoners during 2014. As with the total jurisdiction population, 17 states and the BOP showed declines among sentenced female prisoners. Among states with an increase in sentenced female prisoners, Texas (up 700 females), Missouri (up 300), and Kentucky and North Carolina (up 200 each) made up 75% of the total change in the number of sentenced females from yearend 2013 to 2014. **************************************** The imprisonment rate in the United States continued to decline in 2014 **************************************** At yearend 2014, the United States imprisoned 471 persons per 100,000 residents of all ages and 612 persons per 100,000 residents age 18 or older (table 5). Both statistics represent the lowest rate of imprisonment in more than a decade, and continue decreases that began in 2007 and 2008. More than 1% of adult U.S. males were in state or federal prison on December 31, 2014. The male imprisonment rate in 2014 (1,169 per 100,000 adult males) was lower than in 2013 (1,189 per 100,000). While the imprisonment rate for females was lower (65 per 100,000 female residents of all ages and 84 per 100,000 adult females), the rates for women increased from 2013. Louisiana had the highest imprisonment rate for persons of all ages (816 per 100,000 state residents) and adults (1,072 inmates per 100,000 state residents age 18 or older) (table 6). Oklahoma (928 per 100,000), Alabama (820 per 100,000), Texas (792 per 100,000), and Mississippi (788 per 100,000) had the next highest rates of imprisonment among persons age 18 or older. Maine imprisoned the fewest state residents per capita at yearend 2014 (153 per 100,000 residents of all ages or 189 per 100,000 adults), followed by Massachusetts (188 per 100,000 residents of all ages or 237 per 100,000 adult residents). Although Louisiana imprisoned males at a higher rate than any other state on December 31, 2014 (1,577 per 100,000 male state residents of all ages), its imprisonment rate for females (87 per 100,000 female residents of all ages) was low compared to all other states. Oklahoma (142 per 100,000), Idaho (125 per 100,000), and Kentucky (108 per 100,000) had the highest female imprisonment rates at yearend 2014. **************************************** A decline in admissions during 2014 led to the smaller federal prison population **************************************** The decrease in the federal prison population from yearend 2013 to yearend 2014 was driven by declining admissions rather than an increase in releases. The BOP admitted 2,800 fewer prisoners in 2014, a 5% decrease from admissions during 2013. During the same period, the number of releases from the BOP was nearly stable, with 300 fewer released prisoners in 2014 compared to 2013 (table 7). In comparison, state prisons admitted 500 fewer persons in 2014 than in 2013, but released 12,600 more prisoners (up 2%). In total, state and federal prisons admitted 626,600 persons during 2014, including 449,000 entries for newly convicted offenders. They released 636,300 inmates overall (figure 4, figure 5). Admissions increased in 18 states, including a 34% rise in Hawaii, 26% in Oklahoma, 16% in Kentucky, and 14% in North Carolina. With the exception of Hawaii, these states also saw smaller increases in the number of persons released during 2014. After the BOP, Indiana had the largest decline in admissions during 2014, admitting 1,800 fewer inmates than in 2013 (down 10%). Mississippi admitted 19% fewer prisoners in 2014, a decline of 1,500 prison admissions from the previous year. In 2014, new court commitments accounted for 91% of the BOP’s total admissions, compared to 70% for state prisons. Parole violation admissions, which include all conditional release violators, made up the majority of the remaining admissions. Of states with the largest prison populations, Texas admitted 66% (50,000) of its inmates in 2014 on new court commitments, compared to 86% (33,500) for California and 97% (31,000) in Florida. Vermont, Washington, Idaho, and Arkansas admitted more than 50% of prisoners during 2014 on violations of post-custody supervision programs. Twenty-one states increased the number of prison releases from 2013 to 2014, led by Texas (up 4%), Arkansas (up 35%), and California (up 6%). These three leading states accounted for 61% of the total increase in state prison releases. Seventy percent of all prison inmates released from state prisons in 2014 had post-custody community supervision conditions to fulfill. Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, Rhode Island, and New Jersey placed no post-custody supervision conditions on the majority of prisoners they released during 2014.***Footnote *The majority of releases from the federal prison population are reported as unconditional. Under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, the federal parole system was eliminated, but federal courts were allowed to impose a term of supervised release after imprisonment as part of an inmate's sentence. Because this supervised release term is not implemented under the jurisdiction of the federal prison system, the BOP reports prison releases as unconditional even though inmates may serve post-custody community supervision***. **************************************** Nineteen jurisdictions were operating their prison facilities at more than 100% maximum capacity in 2014 **************************************** The yearend 2014 custody populations of the BOP and 18 states exceeded the maximum measure of their prison facilities’ capacity. The BOP and 28 states had more prisoners in custody than their minimum number of beds (table 8). BJS reports three different measures of capacity: the operational capacity, which is based on the ability of the staff, programs, and services to accommodate a certain size population; the rated capacity, which measures the number of beds assigned by a rating official to each facility; and the design capacity, which is the number of beds that the facility was originally designed to hold. Although many jurisdictions cannot report all three types of capacity, most provide at least two types. Based on these data, BJS calculates the percent capacity of facilities based on the custody population for the largest (maximum) and smallest (minimum) capacity measures. Prison facilities in Illinois held 48,300 inmates at yearend 2014, 150% of the rated capacity of 32,100 (maximum), and 171% of the design capacity of 28,200 (minimum). BOP facilities were officially rated to house 132,700 inmates, but 170,000 prisoners were in custody at yearend 2014, which was 128% of the maximum capacity reported. Other jurisdictions with more inmates housed than the maximum number of beds for which their facilities were designed, rated, or intended include Ohio (132%), Massachusetts (130%), and Nebraska (128%). **************************************** The number of prisoners held in private facilities declined in 2014 **************************************** Of states with prison facilities operating at more than 100% maximum capacity, both Ohio and the BOP decreased the number of inmates held in private facilities. Illinois, Nebraska, and Massachusetts do not house any prisoners in private facilities. In 2014, 131,300 inmates were held in private prison facilities under the jurisdiction of 30 states and the BOP, a decrease of 2,100 prisoners from yearend 2013 (table 9). The federal prison system held 1,100 fewer prisoners in private prisons (down 3%), for a total of 40,000 or 19% of the BOP population. Idaho had the largest decline (down 77%) in private prisoners during 2014, as operations at a prison facility formerly run by a private entity were taken over by the state DOC. Seven states housed at least 20% of their inmate population in private facilities at yearend 2014, including New Mexico (44% of the total state prison population), Montana (39%), Oklahoma (26%), and Hawaii (24%). Since 1999, when BJS began tracking the number of prisoners in private facilities at yearend on an annual basis through the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS), the size of this population has grown 90%, from 69,000 prisoners at yearend 1999 to 131,300 in 2014. The use of private prisons was at a maximum in 2012, when 137,200 (almost 9%) of the total U.S. prison population were housed in private facilities (figure 6). Between 5% and 7% of state prison inmates were held in private facilities each year, while the BOP increasingly relied on facilities not managed by a state, federal, or local government to house inmates in recent years, including both secure and nonsecure facilities, and home confinement. In 1999, almost 3% of federal prison inmates were held in secure private facilities. This grew to more than 13% in 2012 and 2013, before declining in 2014 to slightly less than 13%. In 2014, 13,000 (32%) of the BOP’s 40,000 privately supervised inmates were in nonsecure community corrections facilities or on home confinement, up from 6,100 in 2000, the first year the BOP reported this population to BJS (not shown). **************************************** In 2014, states held 4,100 fewer prisoners in local jails than in 2013 **************************************** At yearend 2014, almost 82,000 prisoners were held in the custody of local jails for 35 states and the BOP. This represented a 5% decline (down 3,900) from the 85,700 prisoners held in jail facilities in 2013. Fourteen states and the BOP increased the number of prisoners housed in local jails during 2014, while Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas held at least 1,000 fewer prison inmates in jail facilities than in 2013. Louisiana housed the most prisoners in local facilities, with 19,300 (51%) of the state’s yearend 2014 prison population residing in jails. ******************************************* 2.7% of black males and 1.1% of Hispanic males were sentenced to more than 1 year in state or federal prison at yearend 2014 ******************************************* An estimated 516,900 black males were in state or federal prison at yearend 2014, accounting for 37% of the male prison population (table 10, appendix table 3). White males made up 32% of the male prison population (453,500 prison inmates), followed by Hispanics (308,700 inmates or 22%). White females (53,100 prisoners) in state or federal prison at yearend 2014 outnumbered both black (22,600) and Hispanic (17,800) females. As a percentage of residents of all ages at yearend 2014, 2.7% of black males (or 2,724 per 100,000 black male residents) and 1.1% of Hispanic males (1,090 per 100,000 Hispanic males) were serving sentences of at least 1 year in prison, compared to less than 0.5% of white males (465 per 100,000 white male residents). On December 31, 2014, black males had higher imprisonment rates than prisoners of other races or Hispanic origin within every age group. Imprisonment rates for black males were 3.8 to 10.5 times greater at each age group than white males and 1.4 to 3.1 times greater than rates for Hispanic males. The largest disparity between white and black male prisoners occurred among inmates ages 18 to 19. Black males (1,072 prisoners per 100,000 black male residents ages 18 to 19) were more than 10 times more likely to be in state or federal prison than whites (102 per 100,000). Imprisonment rates by race and Hispanic origin were highest for males ages 30 to 34 (6,412 per 100,000 black males, 2,457 per 100,000 Hispanic males, and 1,111 per 100,000 white males). More than 1% of white male residents ages 30 to 39 were in state or federal prison at yearend 2014. Black males exceeded 6% of their total U.S. population in prison for persons ages 30 to 39. Female prisoners ages 30 to 34 had the highest imprisonment rates among black (264 per 100,000 black females of the same age), white (163 per 100,000), and Hispanic inmates (174 per 100,000). Black females were between 1.6 and 4.1 times more likely to be imprisoned than white females of any age group. ********************************************** Compared to violent and property offenders, inmates serving time for drug offenses in state prisons showed little racial disparity ********************************************* More than half of all state prisoners on December 31, 2013 (the most recent date for which offense data are available) were serving sentences of at least 1 year for violent offenses on their current term of imprisonment (704,800 prisoners or 53%), including 165,600 persons for murder or nonnegligent manslaughter and 166,200 for rape or sexual assault (table 11, appendix table 4). A smaller percentage of females were sentenced for violent offenses (37%) than males (54%), although the proportion of those sentenced for murder was similar for males (13%) and females (11%) in state prisons. Almost 16% of state prisoners were convicted drug offenders (208,000 inmates), including 24% of all females in state prison (22,000 inmates) and 15% of all males in state prison (186,000 inmates). The percentage of white (15%), black (16%), and Hispanic (15%) state prisoners sentenced for drug offenses were similar, but a smaller percentage of whites were in prison for violent offenses (48%) than blacks (57%) and Hispanics (59%). The number of whites (78,500 prisoners) serving time for rape or another sexual offense at yearend 2013 was more than the total of both blacks (39,700 prisoners) and Hispanics (37,300 prisoners) in state prison for these crimes. Twenty-five percent of all white prisoners under state jurisdiction were serving time for property offenses, compared to 16% of black prisoners and 14% of Hispanic prisoners. Almost half (48% or 24,400 prisoners) of blacks imprisoned in state facilities for public order offenses were sentenced for weapons crimes, which include carrying, exhibiting, firing, possessing, or selling a weapon. State prisons held an additional 13,900 Hispanic and 11,200 white prisoners sentenced for weapons crimes. **************************************** 59% of females in federal prison were serving time for drug crimes **************************************** Fifty percent (95,800) of sentenced inmates in federal prison on September 30, 2014 (the most recent date for which federal offense data are available) were serving time for drug offenses (table 12, appendix table 5). In comparison to the 53% in state prisons, violent offenders represented 7% of the federal prison population (14,000 prisoners). Among female federal prisoners, 4% were convicted of violent crimes in 2014. Public order offenders made up 36% of the BOP population, and 9% of federal prisoners (17,000) were serving time for immigration offenses. Among Hispanics in federal prisons, 26% were sentenced for immigration offenses (16,100 inmates), and 57% were sentenced for drug crimes (36,000 inmates). Fifty-three percent of black federal prisoners were convicted drug offenders in 2014, and 25% served sentences for weapons offenses. **************************************** More than 40% of personnel held under military jurisdiction had committed violent offenses **************************************** The U.S. military held 1,100 persons sentenced to at least 1 year or 1,400 persons of all sentence lengths under the jurisdiction of military correctional authorities at yearend 2014 (table 13). The sentenced population increased by slightly more than 1% from 2013. More than half (54% or 580) of the prisoners had served in the U.S. Army before imprisonment. U.S. Air Force personnel made up an additional 18% of the sentenced military confined population (200 persons). The Army had custody of 67% of all military personnel sentenced to more than 1 year on December 31, 2014, with an additional 32% held in the custody of the U.S. Navy. Of military personnel with known offense data sentenced to any term of imprisonment under military jurisdiction, 43% had committed violent offenses, including 24% for violent sexual offenses and 8% each for murder and assault (table 14). An additional 37% had committed nonviolent sexual offenses, including sexual misconduct. The Navy had the highest percentage of violent offenders (including violent sexual offenders), making up 47% of all its convicted and imprisoned personnel, compared to 45% for the Army, 39% for the Air Force, and 31% for U.S. Marine personnel. More than 75% of convicted naval personnel were serving time for sexual offenses, including 34% for rape or sexual assault. **************************************** National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) Program jurisdiction notes **************************************** Alabama--Prisons have not been rated recently for official capacity, but the majority of Alabama prisons are operating in a state of overcrowding. Currently, 26,145 beds are in operation. This number represents the physical capacity for inmates but is not based on staffing, programs, and services. Operational capacity differs from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) definition. Alaska--Alaska did not submit 2014 NPS data. BJS based 2014 jurisdiction and custody counts on a state report, 2015 Recidivism Reduction Plan: Cost-Effective Solutions to Slow Prison Population Growth and Reduce Recidivism (http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_documents.asp?session=29& docid=1372), which indicated that the prison population on January 23, 2015, was 5,216 prisoners, which was 2.65% higher than the reported 2013 NPS total jurisdiction population. Alaska submitted total custody and jurisdiction counts and total admissions and releases for 2013 NPS data. None of the 2013 counts were broken down by sex, so the sex distribution from the 2012 NPS data submitted by Alaska was used in 2013. BJS assumed that the distribution of inmates under custody and jurisdiction across sentence lengths (e.g., more than 1 year, 1 year or less, or unsentenced) was the same in 2014 as in 2013. BJS assumed that the percentage of inmates in privately operated facilities, local facilities, federal facilities, and out-of-state facilities was the same in 2014 as in 2013. BJS applied the racial distribution of offenders from the 2013 National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) custody records submitted by Alaska to 2014 counts to obtain the 2014 offender racial distribution. BJS assumed that the increase in the 2014 jurisdiction counts was due to an increase in admissions and that there was no change in the number of releases from 2013 to 2014. No information was available on the distribution by admission type, so BJS categorized all admissions as Other admissions. BJS assumed that the distribution by release type in 2014 was the same distribution that Alaska reported in the 2013 NCRP release records. BJS based 2014 operational capacity on the same 2015 state report, which indicated that the Department of Corrections (DOC) has 5,352 beds. BJS assumed that the percentage of beds for males and females in 2014 was the same as previously reported in the 2012 NPS survey. BJS also assumed that the percentages of offenders age 17 or younger and those who were not U.S. citizens were the same in 2014 as in 2013. Arizona--Jurisdiction counts are based on custody data and inmates in contracted beds, but do not include inmates held in other jurisdictions because Arizona receives an equal number of inmates to house from other jurisdictions. In 2014, Arizona classified persons returned to prison from deportation as transfer admissions. In 2013, these persons had been included in the Other admissions category. Other admissions include the return of an inmate erroneously released. Other unconditional releases include inmates released by the court. Other conditional releases include releases onto other community supervision programs. Other releases include persons released to deportation. Arkansas--Other conditional releases include those made to boot camps. California--Due to a high-level data conversion project by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the movement data used to report detailed counts of admissions and releases were not available for this report’s publication. CDCR was able to differentiate between new court commitment and parole violation admissions, but was not able to provide any other detailed breakdown of other admission types or any release types. Custody counts include California out-of-state correctional facility contracted beds (COCF), community correctional facility (CCF) private contract beds, and private work furlough inmates. Jurisdiction counts for inmates with maximum sentences of more than 1 year include felons who are temporarily absent, such as in court, in jail, or in a hospital. The majority of temporarily absent inmates are absent for fewer than 30 days. Jurisdiction counts for unsentenced inmates include civil addicts who are enrolled for treatment and are not serving a criminal conviction sentence, but are under the jurisdiction of CDCR. California is unable to differentiate between inmates held in federal facilities and those held in other states’ facilities. The sum of offenders by race reported by California in 2014 does not match the total jurisdiction count because of differences in the data systems from which the data were extracted. Changes in design capacity are based on information from an annual facilities planning and management report. Colorado--Jurisdiction and custody counts include a small, undetermined number of inmates with a maximum sentence of 1 year or less, as well as 225 males and 8 females who are part of the Youthful Offender System. Admission and release data for inmates who are absent without leave (AWOL) or who have escaped are estimated. Other admissions include returns from the Colorado State Hospital. Other releases include discharges from both the probation and youthful offender systems. Design and operational capacities do not include the privately run facilities in Colorado. Connecticut--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Connecticut changed the way it reports inmates under jurisdiction in 2014, excluding parolees who were counted in previous NPS data and including Connecticut inmates in the custody of another state. Jurisdiction, admission, and release counts from earlier years are not comparable to 2014 data. New court commitment admissions include inmates admitted on accused status, but who received a sentence later in 2014. Counts of other types of admissions and releases include persons with legitimate types of prison entries and exits that do not match BJS categories. Legislation in July 1995 abolished the capacity law, making a facility’s capacity a fluid number based on the needs of the department. The needs are dictated by security issues, populations, court decrees, legal mandates, staffing, and physical plant areas of facilities that serve other purposes or have been decommissioned. The actual capacity of a facility is subject to change. Delaware--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Capacity counts include the halfway houses under the DOC. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) --Data reflect inmates under BOP jurisdiction on December 27, 2014. Jurisdiction counts include inmates housed in secure private facilities where the BOP had a direct contract with a private operator, and inmates housed in secure facilities where there was a subcontract with a private provider at a local government facility. Jurisdiction counts also include inmates housed in jail or short-term detention and others held in state-operated or other nonfederal secure facilities. Counts include 9,480 inmates (8,181 males and 1,299 females) held in nonsecure privately operated community corrections centers or halfway houses and 3,473 offenders on home confinement (3,006 males and 467 females). A total of 63 male and 4 female juveniles were held in contract facilities; these inmates were included in the jurisdiction totals but excluded from the counts of private, locally operated, or federally operated facilities. Some of these juveniles are under the jurisdiction of U.S. probation but are being housed in the custody of the BOP in contract facilities. Due to information system configuration, Asians and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are combined, and inmates of Hispanic origin are included in the race categories. On December 27, 2014, the BOP held 68,128 male and 4,363 female inmates of Hispanic origin. Other admissions include hospitalization and treatment. Parole violation counts combine those with and without a new sentence. Expirations of sentence include good-conduct releases that usually have a separate and distinct term of supervision, and releases from the residential drug abuse treatment program. Other releases include court-ordered terminations, compassionate release, and releases based on the amount of time served. The BOP population on December 31, 2014, was 169,840 inmates (excluding contracted and private facilities), and the rated capacity on that date was 132,731. The crowding rate was 28%. Florida--In 2014, three inmates received other unconditional releases through vacated sentences. Other conditional releases include provisional release supervision, conditional medical release, program supervision, mandatory conditional, and parole reinstatement. Other releases include exits due to fraudulent court orders. Because the count of noncitizen inmates is based on citizenship status, as opposed to the method employed prior to 2013 which made the determination based on country of birth, 2014 statistics are comparable only to 2013. Georgia--Females are not housed in privately operated correctional facilities in Georgia. Subtotals of race, sex, sentence length for jurisdiction, and custody counts were adjusted by the Georgia DOC using interpolation to match the overall totals. Counts of admissions and releases were adjusted using interpolation to balance the jurisdictional populations on January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014. Hawaii--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. In custody and jurisdiction counts, sentenced felon probationers and probation violators are included with the counts of prisoners with a total maximum sentence of 1 year or less. Jurisdiction counts include dual-jurisdiction (state of Hawaii or federal) inmates currently housed in federal facilities and in contracted federal detention center beds. Hawaii does not have a rated capacity for its integrated prison and jail system. Information on foreign nationals held in correctional facilities was based on self- reports by inmates. Idaho--Due to improvements in data extraction methods, Idaho shows substantial changes in the counts of new court commitment, parole violation, and other conditional release violation admissions from previous years. Idaho defines rated capacity as 100% of maximum capacity. In 2014, the Idaho DOC took over operation of a prison that had previously been operated by a private corporation. Illinois--All population counts are based on jurisdiction. Jurisdiction and custody population and admission and release counts for inmates with maximum sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number of inmates with a 1-year sentence. Counts of escape admissions and releases include one escape from a minimum security facility, with the remaining escapes occurring at adult transition centers. Other admission and release types include an undetermined number of transfers to other jurisdictions, and the net difference between long-term admissions and release movements not reported in other categories but required to balance yearend populations. Indiana--Other types of admissions include inmates on active supervision or who were admitted for prior charges. Indiana reported changes to its 2013 admissions counts during 2014. See the CSAT-Prisoners web tool (http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps) for updated information. Iowa--In 2009, the Iowa DOC began including offenders on work release, the operating while intoxicated population, and Iowa inmates housed in out-of-state prisons in its jurisdiction counts. Iowa data included in BJS reports prior to 2009 were custody counts only. The admission and release data quality and methodology were updated in 2013; therefore, changes from previous years’ counts may reflect these updates. Counts of AWOL admissions and releases are of the work release and operating while intoxicated populations. Escape admissions and releases are of the prison population only. Transfer admissions include those entering from other jurisdictions with an Iowa prison sentence. Other conditional releases include sex offenders released to special sentences. Kansas--Custody and jurisdiction counts reported for 2014 are not comparable to previous years’ counts. Prior to 2014, actual time of incarceration, instead of sentence length, was used to differentiate persons sentenced to 1 year or less from those sentenced to serve more than 1 year. The number of conditional releases will fluctuate from year to year. Kansas DOC considers releases to be any time an individual leaves a facility to return to the community, enter another program, or make a court appearance. Kentucky--Other types of admissions include special admissions. Other types of conditional prison releases include exits to home incarceration. Louisiana--Jurisdiction and capacity counts are correct as of December 30, 2014. Other types of unconditional releases include court orders and releases for good time with no supervision. Other conditional release types include reinstatement to probation. Other types of release include supervised and compassionate releases. Maine--Counts of inmates age 17 or younger reflect only those held in adult correctional facilities. Maryland--Due to an information systems upgrade, Maryland was able to provide only custody, jurisdiction, private prison, and local facility counts to BJS in 2014. BJS assumed that the percentage of offenders in federal facilities and in other states' facilities was the same in 2014 as in 2013. Likewise, BJS assumed that the offender distribution by race, prison capacity, percentage of offenders age 17 or younger, and the percentage of non-U.S. citizens were the same in 2014 as in 2013. Because the system used to report Maryland data in 2013 did not capture Hispanic origin, BJS could not impute the number of Hispanics under state jurisdiction. Based on the decrease in the jurisdiction population from 2013 to 2014, BJS assumed that the total number of admissions was the same in 2014 as in 2013 and adjusted the number of releases for 2014 to balance the population size change. The distribution of admission and release types were assumed to be the same in 2014 as in 2013. Because the system used to report Maryland data in 2013 did not distinguish between AWOL and escape releases, BJS could only impute the total of AWOL and escape releases for 2014. Massachusetts--By law, offenders in Massachusetts may be sentenced to terms of up to 2.5 years in locally operated jails and correctional institutions. This population is excluded from the state count but is included in published population counts and rates for local jails and correctional institutions. Jurisdiction counts exclude approximately 2,630 inmates (2,511 males and 119 females) in the county system (local jails and houses of correction) who are serving a sentence of more than 1 year, but these inmates are included in imprisonment rate calculations at the request of the Massachusetts DOC. Jurisdiction and custody counts may include a small but undetermined number of inmates who were remanded to court; transferred to the custody of another state, federal, or locally operated system; or subsequently released. In 2014, there was a continued increase in inmates transferred to local jails prior to their release from prison as part of a step-down initiative for reentry. Other types of admissions include returns from court release. Other unconditional releases include court releases. Michigan--Due to an information systems upgrade, the Michigan DOC had to modify its statistical techniques to obtain much of the data reported in this survey. The numbers reported are solidly in line with previous trends which have remained stable over several years, but some detailed measures, including type of admission and race, were estimated based on previous trends. Michigan’s database system treats Hispanic as an ethnicity rather than a race. Because this is currently an optional field, the numbers for Hispanics are significantly underreported, and the state included them in the white race category. Releases to appeal or bond, and admissions of inmates returning from appeal or bond, are not disaggregated by length of time out to court. These counts represent the net difference between all movements to and from court. Operational capacity is institutional net capacity. Minnesota--Jurisdiction counts include inmates temporarily housed in local jails, on work release, or on community work crew programs. The count of inmates under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota DOC in the custody of federal and other states' facilities increased from 2013 to 2014 due to database upgrades. Admissions and releases due to AWOL or escape, returns from or releases to appeal or bond, and releases because of transfer are not included in Minnesota’s database file. Minnesota measures only operational capacity. Mississippi--Mississippi’s prison population decreased in 2014 because the state parole board released more nonviolent offenders and placed some on house arrest. These actions demonstrate that the Mississippi DOC is moving more toward community-based supervision rather than imprisonment. Jurisdiction counts of local facilities include both local county jails and county regional facilities. Violators of parole and conditional release are not distinguished by their sentence status in the Mississippi file. Other types of admission and release data include corrections to data because of a lag in processing. Total operational capacity on December 31, 2014, was 26,008. Missouri--Offenders reported to have a total maximum sentence of 1 year or less have a sentence of exactly 1 year. Other types of unconditional releases include resentenced completions, court- ordered discharges, and compensation. Other types of conditional releases include parole board holdover returns. The Missouri DOC does not have the design capacity of its older prisons, nor does it update design capacity for prison extensions or improvements. Missouri does not use a rated capacity. The state defines operational capacity as the number of beds available, including those temporarily offline. Noncitizen data are based on self- reported place of birth. Nebraska--By statute, inmates are housed where they are sentenced by the judge and are not housed in local jails or by another state to ease prison crowding. Other admissions and other conditional releases reflect movements in the population of the reentry furlough program. Nebraska defines operational capacity as its stress capacity, which is 125% of design capacity for designated facilities. The total design and operational capacities for institutions that house females include one female multicustody facility. The department operates two coed facilities that represent a design capacity of 290 and are counted in the male design and operational capacities. Nevada--Other admission types in 2014 included safekeepers and inmates located out of state serving concurrent sentences for Nevada and another state. Nevada did not submit NPS data in 2013. See Methodology in Prisoners in 2013 (BJS web, September 2014, NCJ 247282) for a description of the 2013 data imputation procedure. New Hampshire--Other admission types include admissions from probation. Other conditional releases include releases to home confinement. New Hampshire’s operating capacity is defined as the inmate population on any given day. New Jersey--Population counts for inmates with a maximum sentence of more than 1 year include inmates with sentences of a year. The New Jersey DOC has no jurisdiction over inmates with sentences of less than 1 year or over unsentenced inmates. Reporting of other conditional releases includes those to an intensive supervision program, while other types of unconditional releases include vacated and amended sentences ordered by the courts. New Jersey data for escapes do not differentiate between inmates disappeared from confined walls and those who disappear while out of institutions. Other releases include inmates brought too soon from the county jails into the state prison system then released back to the county jails, and other transfers. New Mexico--New Mexico does not include its inmates housed in other states under the interstate compact agreement in its total jurisdiction count. According to BJS definitions, these inmates should be included in the total state jurisdiction and were in this report. The count of noncitizens includes inmates in both state-run and private facilities. New York--Other admissions include the return to prison of persons erroneously discharged. North Carolina--As of December 1, 2011, North Carolina prisons no longer house misdemeanor offenders with sentences of less than 180 days. Captured escapees are not considered a prison admission type in North Carolina, and escape is not considered a type of prison release. Supervised mandatory releases are post-release offenders. Post-release supervision is defined as a reintegration program for serious offenders who have served extensive prison terms. This form of supervision was created by the Structured Sentencing Act of 1993. Rated capacity is not available. North Dakota--In 2013, North Dakota erroneously added females housed in private facilities into their custody count. Data presented in this report have been updated. Ohio--Population counts for inmates with a maximum sentence of more than 1 year include an undetermined number of inmates with a sentence of 1 year or less. Admissions of parole violators without a new sentence include only formally revoked violators. Other unconditional releases include vacated sentences. Escapes include nonconfinement escapes. Returns and conditional releases involving transitional-control inmates are reported only after movement from confinement to a terminal release status occurs. The count of noncitizens excludes inmates housed in privately operated facilities. Oklahoma--In March 2014, an initiative was made to relieve county jail backups and to house the offenders in DOC facilities, which has resulted in increases to the number of admissions and releases and to the prison population. Jurisdiction counts include offenders in a DOC jail program, those in court, escapees in the custody of local jails, and those sentenced to the DOC but not yet in custody. Prior to 2013, those not yet in custody were not included in the counts. Most inmates with sentences of less than 1 year were part of the Oklahoma Delayed Sentencing Program for Young Adults. Offenders in the custody of other states are mostly escapees. Only DOC facilities are included in the capacity counts. Noncitizen status is determined by country of birth. Oregon--Most offenders with a maximum sentence of less than 1 year remain under the custody of local counties rather than the Oregon DOC. Oregon does not recognize rated capacity. Pennsylvania--Other types of unconditional releases include vacated sentences and convictions. Other releases include releases to the state hospital. Rhode Island--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Jurisdiction counts include inmates who have dual jurisdiction, or those serving Rhode Island sentences out of state while also serving that state’s sentence. The Rhode Island data system records Hispanic origin as a race rather than an ethnicity and does not capture Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders or persons identifying as two or more races, including those who may identify themselves as Hispanic second to another race. Prison admissions classified as escape returns include admissions under home confinement, serving out of state, and minimum-security facilities. Rhode Island DOC’s data system cannot differentiate between parole violation admissions with and without new sentences. Other types of unconditional releases consist of court-ordered discharges, while other types of conditional releases include discharge to the Institute for Mental Health. South Carolina--The December 31, 2014, custody count of unsentenced individuals includes Interstate Compact Commission inmates. As of July 1, 2003, the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) began releasing inmates due for release and housed in SCDC institutions on the first day of each month. Since January 1, 2015, was a holiday, inmates eligible for release on January 1 were released on December 31, 2014. Therefore, the inmate count was at its lowest point for the month on December 31, 2014. All inmates in private facilities in South Carolina were housed in private medical facilities. The local facilities holding inmates on December 31, 2014, included designated facilities and persons AWOL to county or local facilities. South Carolina does not have a specific race code to designate persons identifying as two or more races. These individuals are included in other specific race groups or labeled as other race. Other types of unconditional releases consist of remands. Conditional release counts include inmates released under community supervision after serving 85% of their sentence under truth in sentencing. Other release types include persons who are resentenced. There are two paroling authorities within the adult correctional system in South Carolina. The Intensive Supervision Administrative Release Authority of SCDC assumed Youthful Offender Act (YOA) Parole Board duties on February 1, 2013; prior to that, the Youthful Offender Branch of SCDC handled YOA paroles. SCDC paroled 1,098 offenders sentenced under the YOA, and the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services paroled 628 non-YOA sentenced offenders. South Carolina uses the operational capacity concept in its management reports and other requested surveys. South Dakota--Custody and jurisdiction counts of inmates serving a maximum sentence of 1 year or less include those under the sentence of probation who, as a condition of probation, must serve up to 180 days in state prison. In 2014, South Dakota updated its 2013 jurisdiction counts to include offenders serving concurrent sentences elsewhere. South Dakota does not separate discretionary and presumptive parole releases. Parole detainees are now included in the counts of other admission and other release types. Prior to 2014, these persons had not been included. The operational capacity reported is planned capacity. South Dakota does not have rated or design capacities. The reporting system for the South Dakota DOC does not have a category for inmates of two or more races. These inmates are included in the counts of other race prisoners. Texas--Offenders in custody were all offenders serving time in a facility owned and operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the time of data collection. Jurisdiction counts include offenders in custody and those held in privately operated prisons, intermediate-sanction facilities, substance abuse felony punishment facilities, and halfway houses; offenders temporarily released to a county for less than 30 days; and offenders awaiting paperwork for transfer to state-funded custody. Capacities exclude county jail beds because they do not have a minimum or maximum number of beds available for paper-ready and bench-warrant inmates. Admissions and releases include offenders received into an intermediate-sanction facility, which is a sanction in lieu of revocation. These offenders were counted in the parole violator category, although these were not revocations. Other conditional releases include discretionary mandatory releases. Other admission and other release types include transfers between divisions and adjustments. Executions are included in other releases. Utah--Other types of unconditional release include discharges of cases or inmate holds. Vermont--Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Vermont does not have the ability to record persons identifying as two or more races. Other types of conditional releases include furlough reintegration. Other releases include vacated sentences. Virginia--Jurisdiction counts were for December 31, 2014. As of September 1, 1998, the state is responsible for inmates with a sentence of 1 year or more, or a sentence of 12 months plus 1 day. Prior to September 1, 1998, the state had been responsible for a 1-year sentence, while local authorities were responsible for sentences of 12 months or less. Prior to 2013, the count of inmates housed in local facilities was taken from Compensation Board reports. Starting in 2013, these counts were obtained from DOC data. Pacific Islanders are included in the Asian race category. Admissions and releases are preliminary fiscal year 2014 figures. Other types of conditional releases include conditional pardons or clemency, conditional release of a sexually violent predator, and geriatric parole. Other releases include authorized temporary and court-ordered releases. In prior years, the Virginia DOC reported capacity under its definition of authorized capacity, which included aspects of both the BJS definition of rated capacity and took into account the number of inmates that could be accommodated based on staff, programs, services, and design. In 2014, the agency reviewed how it was reporting capacity and determined that for this survey, it would report capacity under the definitions of operational and design to be consistent with capacity figures reported in other documents. The figures do not include 35 beds assigned to institutional hospitals that cannot be designated as only male or only female and does not include Detention and Diversion Centers. Washington--The counting rule for offenders under Washington DOC custody changed in 2014 with the addition of several different facility codes that had previously been excluded, including those in violator facilities and work release programs. Jurisdiction counting methods did not change. Offenders sentenced to 1 year or less and unsentenced offenders generally reside in county jails, but revisions to law allow certain inmates with sentences of less than 1 year to be housed in prison. These inmates are included in the total jurisdiction counts. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are included in the Asian race category. Admissions and releases increased due to the implementation of swift and certain sanctions for violation behavior, where an offender is arrested on the spot for violations and is sanctioned to 1 to 3 days of confinement. Other unconditional releases include vacated sentences. West Virginia--Other types of admissions and releases included those to and from the Anthony Center for Young Adults and Diagnostics. Other types of unconditional releases included court-ordered releases. Wisconsin--Custody measures include inmates without Wisconsin sentences who were physically housed in a Wisconsin prison. Jurisdiction measures include inmates with Wisconsin sentences, regardless of where they are physically located. Counts for 2014 were calculated using the same methodology as in 2013, but because the data were extracted in January 2015 (compared to April 2014 for the 2013 data), the values are not comparable because there were more inmates with unknown sentence lengths earlier in the year. Sentence length for custody and jurisdiction counts was determined by calculating the time between an inmate’s admission date and the inmate’s maximum discharge date. If the maximum discharge date was not recorded, the inmate’s mandatory release date was used. This may not accurately reflect whether the inmate was initially sentenced to 1 year or less or more than 1 year. Unsentenced inmates were those who had not yet had data entered reflecting their mandatory release date and maximum discharge date. Some of these unsentenced inmates may have been sentenced, but the DOC was unable to determine the sentence length at the time they responded to NPS. This mainly affected probation offenders in the Milwaukee facility on temporary hold. Sentence length for admissions was calculated as the time between an inmate’s admission date and the inmate’s maximum discharge date, or mandatory release date if the maximum discharge date was not available. Other admissions include temporary holds, alternatives to revocation, persons admitted under the corrections compact, and erroneous releases. Sentence length for prison releases was calculated as the time between an inmate’s admission date and the actual release date, so this may not accurately reflect whether the inmate was sentenced to more than 1 year. As with the custody and jurisdiction counts, the early extraction of the 2014 data compared to the 2013 data resulted in fewer inmates admitted and released with known sentence lengths; therefore, the numbers are not comparable between years. Other releases include temporary holds and release after erroneous admissions. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander inmates are included in the Asian category. ************************* Terms and definitions ************************* Adult imprisonment rate--The number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction sentenced to more than 1 year per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older. Average annual change--Average (mean) annual change across a specific period. Capacity, design--The number of inmates that planners or architects intended for a facility. Capacity, highest--The maximum number of beds reported across the three capacity measures: design capacity, operational capacity, and rated capacity. Capacity, lowest--The minimum number of beds across the three capacity measures: design capacity, operational capacity, and rated capacity. Capacity, operational--The number of inmates that can be accommodated based on a facility’s staff, existing programs, and services. Capacity, rated--The number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to institutions within a jurisdiction. Conditional releases--Includes discretionary parole, mandatory parole, post-custody probation, and other unspecified conditional releases. Conditional release violators--Re-admission to prison of persons released to discretionary parole, mandatory parole, post-custody probation, and other unspecified conditional releases. Custody--Prisoners held in the physical custody of state or federal prisons or local jails, regardless of sentence length or the authority having jurisdiction. Imprisonment rate--The number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction sentenced to more than 1 year per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages. Inmate--A person incarcerated in a local jail, state prison, federal prison, or a private facility under contract to federal, state, or local authorities. Jail--A confinement facility usually administered by a local law enforcement agency that is intended for adults, but sometimes holds juveniles, for confinement before and after adjudication. Such facilities include jails and city or 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. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont operate integrated systems, which combine prisons and jails. Jurisdiction--The legal authority of state or federal correctional officials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. New court commitments--Admissions into prison of offenders convicted and sentenced by a court, usually to a term of more than 1 year, including probation violators and persons with a split sentence to incarceration followed by court-ordered probation or parole. Parole violators--All conditional release violators returned to prison for either violating conditions of release or for new crimes. Prison--A long-term confinement facility, run by a state or the federal government, that typically holds felons and offenders with sentences of more than 1 year. However, sentence length may vary by state. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont operate integrated systems, which combine prisons and jails. Prisoner--An individual confined in a correctional facility under the legal authority (jurisdiction) of state or federal correctional officials. Sentenced prisoner--A prisoner sentenced to more than 1 year. This excludes persons sentenced to 1 year or less and unsentenced inmates. Supervised mandatory releases--Conditional release with post- custody supervision generally occurring in jurisdictions using determinate sentencing statutes. Unconditional releases--Expirations of sentences, commutations, and other unspecified unconditional releases. **************** Methodology **************** Started in 1926 under a mandate from Congress, the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) Program collects annual data on prisoners at yearend. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) sponsors the survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau serves as the data collection agent. BJS depends entirely on voluntary participation by state departments of corrections (DOC) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for NPS data. The NPS distinguishes between inmates in custody and prisoners under jurisdiction. To have custody of a prisoner, a state or the BOP must hold that inmate in one of its facilities. To have jurisdiction over a prisoner, the state or BOP must have legal authority over that prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is incarcerated or supervised. Some states were unable to provide counts that distinguish between custody and jurisdiction. (See Jurisdiction notes to determine which states did not distinguish between custody and jurisdiction counts.) The NPS jurisdiction counts include persons held in prisons, penitentiaries, correctional facilities, halfway houses, boot camps, farms, training or treatment centers, and hospitals. Counts also include prisoners who were temporarily absent (less than 30 days), in court, or on work release; housed in privately operated facilities, local jails, or other state or federal facilities; and 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, the NPS custody counts exclude inmates held in privately operated facilities. Respondents to NPS surveys are permitted to update prior counts of prisoners held in custody and under jurisdiction. Some statistics on jurisdiction and sentenced prison populations for prior years have been updated in this report. All tables showing data based on jurisdiction counts, including tables of imprisonment rates, were based on the updated and most recently available data that respondents provided. Admissions include new court commitments, parole violator returns, and other conditional release violator returns; transfers from other jurisdictions; returns of prisoners who were absent without leave (AWOL), with or without a new sentence; escape returns, with or without a new sentence; returns from appeal or bond, and other admissions. For reporting purposes, BJS admission counts exclude transfers from other jurisdictions, AWOL returns, and escape returns. Releases include unconditional releases (e.g., expirations of sentence or commutations), conditional releases (e.g., probations, supervised mandatory releases, or discretionary paroles), deaths, AWOLs, escapes from confinement, transfers to other jurisdictions, releases to appeal or bond, and other releases. For reporting purposes, BJS release counts exclude AWOLs, escapes, and transfers to other jurisdictions. The NPS has historically included counts of inmates in the combined jail and prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The District of Columbia has not operated a prison system since yearend 2001. Felons sentenced under the District of Columbia criminal code are housed in federal facilities. Jail inmates in the District of Columbia are included in the Annual Survey of Jails. Some previously published prisoner counts and the percentage change in population include jail inmates in the District of Columbia for 2001, the last year of collection. Additional information about the NPS, including the data collection instrument, is available on the BJS website. Data on prisoners under the jurisdiction of U.S. territorial correctional authorities is collected separately from the state and federal NPS data, and U.S. totals in this report do not include territorial counts. Two territories, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, did not provide 2014 data for NPS, so older years’ data are shown in appendix table 7. Nonreporting states ************************ The Alaska state DOC did not respond to the 2014 NPS survey. BJS based 2014 jurisdiction and custody counts on a state report—2015 Recidivism Reduction Plan: Cost-Effective Solutions to Slow Prison Population Growth and Reduce Recidivism (http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_documents.asp?session=29& docid=1372)—that indicated that the January 23, 2015, prison population was 5,216 prisoners. BJS assumed that the increase in the 2014 jurisdiction counts was due to an increase in admissions and that there was no change in the number of releases from 2013 to 2014. For more details, see Jurisdiction notes. Military correctional data ****************************** BJS obtains an annual aggregate count of service personnel under military jurisdiction from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, along with limited demographic and offense data. The Department of Defense disaggregates these data by the branch in which inmates served, the branch having physical custody of the inmate, and whether the inmate was an officer or enlisted. Estimating yearend counts of prison population by age, sex, and race or Hispanic origin ******************************************* National-level estimates of the number of persons by race under the jurisdiction of state prisons on December 31, 2014, were based on an adjustment of NPS counts to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definitions of race and Hispanic origin. OMB defines persons of Hispanic or Latino origin as a separate category. Race categories are defined exclusive of Hispanic origin. OMB adopted guidelines for collecting these data in 1997, requiring the collection of data on Hispanic origin in addition to data on race. Not all NPS providers’ information systems categorize race and Hispanic origin in this way. In 1991, the earliest time point in the analysis, only a few states were able to report information on Hispanic origin separately from race. BJS adjusted the NPS data on race and Hispanic origin by the ratio of the relative distribution of prisoners by race and Hispanic origin in self- report inmate surveys that use OMB categories for race to the relative distribution of prisoners by race and Hispanic origin in the NPS data. For this report, the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities was used to calculate the ratio used for statistics on racial distributions in 2014. The ratio obtained by comparing the within-year relative distributions by race and Hispanic origin was then multiplied by the NPS distribution in a year to generate the estimate of persons by race and Hispanic origin. Estimates of the total number of sentenced prisoners by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin on December 31, 2014, were generated by creating separate totals for federal and state prisons. For the federal estimates, each sex and race count that BOP reported to the NPS was multiplied by the ratio of the age category count within the sex and race combination in the Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) to the FJSP total count within the sex and race combination (e.g., FJSP white males ages 18 to 19 divided by FJSP white males). The resulting product yielded the FJSP-adjusted NPS counts for each sex and race combination by age group (e.g., white male prisoners ages 18 to 19 in the federal prison system). State prison age distributions for the NPS use a similar sex and race ratio adjustment based on individual-level data from the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP). State and federal estimates were added together to obtain national estimates for yearend prison populations. Estimating imprisonment rates by age, sex, and race or Hispanic origin ******************************************* BJS calculated age-specific imprisonment rates for each age and sex and race group by dividing the estimated number of sentenced prisoners within each age group under jurisdiction on December 31, 2014, by the estimated number of U.S. residents in each age group on January 1, 2015. BJS multiplied the result by 100,000 and rounded to the nearest whole number. Totals by sex include all prisoners and U.S. residents, regardless of race or Hispanic origin. Estimating offense distribution in the state and federal prison populations by age, sex, and race or Hispanic origin ********************************************** BJS employed a ratio adjustment method to weight the individual- level race and Hispanic origin or sex-specific offense data from the NCRP to the state prison control totals for sex and the estimated race or Hispanic origin from the NPS, which yielded a national offense distribution for state prisoners. Inmates missing offense data were excluded from the analysis prior to the weighting. Because data submission for the NCRP typically lags behind that of the NPS, state offense distribution estimates are published for the previous calendar year. Data presented in table 12 and appendix table 5 are drawn from FJSP and are limited to inmates sentenced to more than 1 year in federal custody. The data are further limited to inmates sentenced on U.S. district court commitments, District of Columbia superior court commitments, and those returned to federal custody following violations of probation (both federal and District of Columbia), parole, supervised release, or mandatory release. Due to these methodological differences, the estimates in table 12 and appendix table 5 will differ from previously published federal offense distributions presented in the FJSP web tool (http://www.bjs.gov/fjsrc/) or Federal Justice Statistics bulletins and statistical tables (http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=6). Since FJSP is a custody collection, the total count of prisoners in table 12 and appendix table 5 will differ from the jurisdiction count of prisoners reported to NPS. Prison capacities *********************** State and federal correctional authorities provide three measures of their facilities’ capacity: design capacity, operational capacity, and rated capacity. Estimates of the prison populations as a percentage of capacity are based on a state or federal custody population. In general, state capacity and custody counts exclude inmates held in private facilities, although five states include prisoners held in private facilities as part of the capacity of their prison systems: Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, and Mississippi. For these states, prison population as a percentage of capacity includes inmates held in the states’ private facilities. Noncitizen inmates ********************* BJS asks state DOCs and the BOP to report the number of persons in their custody who were not citizens of the United States on December 31. While the intention is for jurisdictions to report based on inmates’ current citizenship status, a number of jurisdictions cannot provide that information, and instead report country of birth to NPS. These states are noted in appendix table 6. As this is a custody count, noncitizens held in private prison facilities or local jails under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities are not included. ************************************************************* The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. William J. Sabol is director. This report was written by E. Ann Carson. Todd Minton, Danielle Kaeble, Zhen Zeng, and Jennifer Bronson verified the report. Lynne McConnell and Jill Thomas edited the report. Tina Dorsey produced the report. September 2015, NCJ 248955 ************************************************************* ************************************************* Office of Justice Programs Innovation * Partnerships * Safer Neighborhoods www.ojp.usdoj.gov ************************************************* *************************** 9/1/2015 12:00pm JER ***************************