U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004 April 2005, NCJ 208801 --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim04.htm This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#pjmidyear ---------------------------------------------------------------- By Paige M. Harrison and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D. BJS Statisticians ---------------------------------------- Highlights In the year ending June 30, 2004 -- * The number of inmates in custody in local jails rose by 22,689; in State prison by 15,375; and in Federal prison by 10,095. * The smaller State prison systems had the greatest percentage increase: Minnesota (up 13.2%) and Montana (up 10.5%). At midyear 2004 -- * A total of 2,477 State prisoners were under age 18. Local jails held a total of 7,083 persons under age 18. * State and Federal correctional authorities held 91,789 noncitizens, up from 90,566 (1.4%) at midyear 2003. * In both jails and prisons, there were 123 female inmates per 100,000 women in the United States, compared to 1,348 male inmates per 100,000 men. * An estimated 12.6% of black males, 3.6% of Hispanic males, and 1.7% of white males in their late twenties were in prison or jail. * Local jails were operating 6% below their rated capacity. In contrast, at yearend 2003 State prisons were estimated to be at capacity to 16% above capacity, and Federal prisons were 39% above their rated capacity. * Privately operated prison facilities held 98,791 inmates (up 3.4% since yearend 2003). The Federal system reported the largest increase among inmates in private prisons (up 2,641). -------------------------------------------- At midyear 2004 the Nation's prisons and jails incarcerated 2,131,180 persons. Prisoners in the custody of the 50 States and the Federal system accounted for two-thirds of the incarcerated population (1,410,404 inmates). The other third were held in local jails (713,990), not including persons in community based programs. On June 30, 2004, 1,494,216 prisoners were under Federal and State jurisdiction, which includes inmates in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system but held outside its facilities. During the 12-month period ending June 30, 2004, the number under State jurisdiction rose 1.6%, while the number under Federal jurisdiction rose 5.1%. Minnesota (up 13.2%), Montana (up 10.5%), Arkansas (up 8.9%), and Kentucky (up 8.5%) had the largest percentage increases. Twelve States had decreases, including Alabama(-6.7%), Connecticut (-2.5%), Ohio(-2.3%), and New York (-2.0%). At midyear 2004 local jail authorities held or supervised 784,538 offenders. Nine percent of these offenders (70,548) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as community service, work release, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring, and other alternative programs. Incarceration rate for Nation reaches 726 per 100,000 residents On June 30, 2004, 1,410,404 inmates were in the custody of State and Federal prison authorities, and 713,990 inmates were in the custody of local jail authorities. In the first 6 months of 2004, the Nation's prison population increased 24,079 (1.7%). These data were collected in the 2004 National Prisoner Statistics program and the 2003 Annual Survey of Jails. (See Methodology, page 11, for a description of data collections.) Since midyear 2003 the total incarcerated population has increased 2.3% (table 1). Including inmates in public and privately operated facilities, the number of inmates in State prisons increased 1.3%; in Federal prisons, 6.3%; and in local jails, 3.3%. At midyear 2004, Federal prisons (including all secure and non-secure public and private facilities) held 8.3% of all inmates, up from 5.6% in 1995. Between yearend 1995 and midyear 2004, the incarcerated population grew an average of 3.5% annually. During this period the Federal and State prison populations and the local jail population grew at the average annual rates of 7.8%, 2.7%, and 4.1%, respectively. In the 12 months before midyear 2004, the number of inmates in prison and jail rose an estimated 48,452 inmates, or 932 inmates per week. The rate of incarceration in prison and jail in 2003 was 726 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents -- up from 716 at midyear 2003. At midyear 2004, 1 in every 138 U.S. residents were in prison or jail. Federal system growth continues to outpace that of States The rate of growth of the State prison population slowed between 1995 and 2001 and then began to rise. During this time, the percentage change in the first 6 months of each year steadily decreased, reaching a low of 0.6% in 2001, and then rose to 1.5% in 2004. The percentage change in the second 6 months of each year showed a similar trend, resulting in an actual decrease in State prison populations for the second half of 2000 and 2001. Since 1995 the Federal system has grown at a much higher rate than the States, peaking at 6% growth in the first 6 months of 1999. In the first 6 months of 2004, the number of Federal inmates increased 3.6% (more than twice the rate of State growth). Some of the Federal growth since 1999 has been the result of the transfer of responsibility for housing sentenced felons from the District of Columbia. The transfer to Federal facilities was completed by yearend 2001. Since then, the Federal system has continued to receive sentenced felons from DC Superior Court. In absolute numbers, the total increase of 30,019 State and Federal prison inmates between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, was significantly lower than the growth during the previous 12-month period (44,260 inmates). The percentage change from midyear 2003 to midyear 2004 (2.1%) was also smaller the 2002-03 increase (3.1%). The average annual growth from 1995 to 2004 was 3.4%. Federal system accounts for over 25% of inmate population increase Over a quarter of the growth (28%) in the Nation's prison population during the 12 months ending June 30, 2004, was accounted for by the 8,749 additional inmates under jurisdiction of the Federal system. During this 12-month period, several States also experienced substantial growth, including Minnesota (13.2%), Montana (10.5%), and Arkansas (8.9%). Twelve States experienced a decline in their prison population. Alabama had the largest percentage decrease (-6.7%), followed by Connecticut(-2.5%), Ohio (-2.3%), and New York (-2.0%). ---------------------------------------------- Prison incarceration rates continue to rise The incarceration rate of State and Federal prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year was 486 per 100,000 U.S. residents on June 30, 2004, up from 482 per 100,000 on December 31, 2003. At midyear 2004, 12 States led by Louisiana (814 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 State residents), Texas (704), and Oklahoma (684), exceeded the national rate. Nine States, including Maine (149), Minnesota (169), and North Dakota (189) -- had rates that were less than half of the national rate. Overall, the State incarceration rate rose about 14% between yearend 1995 and midyear 2004, from 379 to 433 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. At the same time, the Federal incarceration rate rose almost 66%, from 32 to 53 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents. Since yearend 1995 the total number of sentenced inmates per 100,000 residents has risen from 411 to 486. During this period prison incarceration rates rose the most in the Midwest (from 310 to 378), followed by the West (from 358 to 421) and the South (from 483 to 543). The rate in the Northeast decreased slightly from 301 to 299. A quarter of inmates in private facilities held for Federal system In the first 6 months of 2004, the number of prisoners held in privately operated facilities increased from 95,522 to 98,791, an increase of 3.4% (table 3). Overall, private facilities held 6.6% of all State and Federal inmates, up from 6.5% at midyear 2003. The Federal system (24,506), Texas (16,906), Oklahoma (5,675), and Tennessee (5,121) reported the largest number of inmates in private facilities at midyear 2004. Five States, all in the West, had at least a quarter of their prisoners in private facilities. ------------------------------------------------- Female inmate population continues to rise at a faster rate than male inmate population From June 30, 2003, to June 30, 2004, the number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities grew from 100,384 to 103,310, an increase of 2.9%. The number of men rose 2.0%, from 1,363,813 to 1,390,906. At midyear 2004, California, Texas, Florida, and the Federal system housed 4 of every 10 female inmates. Since 1995 the annual rate of growth in the number of female inmates has averaged 5.0%, higher than the 3.3% average increase of male inmates. Women accounted for 6.9% of all inmates at midyear 2004, up from 6.1% at yearend 1995. Relative to their number in the U.S. resident population, men were almost 15 times more likely than women to be incarcerated in a State or Federal prison. On June 30, 2004, the rate for inmates serving a sentence of more than 1 year was 63 female inmates per 100,000 women in the United States, compared to 923 sentenced male inmates per 100,000 men. Number of State inmates under age 18 continues to decline A total of 2,477 State prisoners were under age 18 on June 30, 2004, down nearly 10% from 2,740 at midyear 2003. The number of minors held in State prisons peaked in 1995 at 5,309, and has since decreased every year. Overall, 0.2% of all State prisoners were under age 18. Eight States reported more than 100 prisoners under age 18 at midyear 2004, led by Connecticut (321), New York (225), Florida (214), and Texas (210). Three of these States reported an increase in their under age 18 populations held in prison during the 12 months ending June 30, 2004, while the rest experienced declines. Six states reported no inmates under age 18, and another twelve states had fewer than 10 inmates under age 18. At midyear 2004, 62% of noncitizen prisoners held in State facilities; 38% in Federal facilities On June 30, 2004, 91,789 noncitizens were in the custody of State or Federal correctional authorities, up from 90,566 at midyear 2003. Overall, 6.5% of State and Federal inmates at midyear 2004 were not U.S. citizens. The noncitizen prisoner population increased between 1998 and 1999, and since then has remained nearly stable, increasing about 3.4% between midyear 1999 and midyear 2004. At midyear 2004, 34,422 Federal inmates were noncitizens, representing over 20% of all prisoners in Federal custody. California (17,890), Texas (9,048), New York (8,027), Florida (4,834), and Arizona (3,924) held over 75% of all noncitizens confined in State prison. Noncitizen prisoners accounted for over 10% of the prison populations of Arizona, New York, Nevada, and California. Growth continues as rising admissions outpace releases From 2000 to 2003 admissions to State prison rose 9.1% (from 581,487 in 2000 to 634,149 in 2003). During 2003, 612,185 sentenced prisoners were released from State prisons, up from 569,599 in 2000 -- an increase of 7.5%. Admissions to the Federal prison system increased 19.6% between 2000 and 2003 (from 43,732 to 52,288); releases increased 25.2% (35,259 to 44,135). The number of admissions to Federal prison in 2003 exceeded releases by more than 8,000 inmates. New court commitments on the rise Prior to 1998 growth in prison admissions reflected increasing numbers of offenders returning for parole violations. Between 1990 and 1998, the number of returned parole violators increased 54% (from 133,870 to 206,152), while the number of new court commitments increased 7% (from 323,069 to 347,270). However, since 1998 parole violators returned to prison increased by less than 2%, while new court commitments rose 15.1%. At midyear the Nation's jails supervised 784,538 persons As defined in this report, jails are locally operated correctional facilities that confine persons before or after adjudication. Inmates sentenced to jail usually have a sentence of 1 year or less, but jails also incarcerate persons in a wide variety of other categories. (See box below.) Based on the 2004 Annual Survey of Jails, the Nation's local jails held or supervised 784,538 offenders on June 30, 2004. Jail authorities supervised 9% of these offenders (70,548) in alternative programs outside the jail facilities. A total of 713,990 persons were housed in local jails. --------------------------------------------- Jails -- * receive individuals pending arraignment and hold them awaiting trial, conviction, or sentencing * readmit probation, parole, and bail-bond violators and absconders * temporarily detain juveniles pending transfer to juvenile authorities * hold mentally ill persons pending their movement to appropriate health facilities * hold individuals for the military, for protective custody, for contempt, and for the courts as witnesses * release convicted inmates to the community upon completion of sentence * transfer inmates to Federal, State, or other authorities * house inmates for Federal, State, or other authorities because of crowding of their facilities * sometimes operate community- based programs as alternatives to incarceration * hold inmates sentenced to short terms (generally under 1 year). --------------------------------------------- Among persons under community supervision by jail staff in 2003, 19% were required to perform community service (13,171) and 16% participated in a weekend reporting program (11,589). Seventeen percent of offenders in the community were under electronic monitoring; 20% were under other pretrial supervision; 3% were in a drug, alcohol, mental health, or other type of medical treatment program; and 14% were participating in a work release or other alternative work program. Number of jail inmates rose 22,700 in 12 months ending June 30, 2004 Between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, the number of persons held in local jail facilities grew 3.3% -- from 691,301 to 713,990. The 12-month increase was similar to the average annual growth (3.9%) from midyear 1995 to midyear 2004. The 3.3% growth in 2003 was less than last year's increase of 3.9%. In absolute numbers, the total increase of 22,689 inmates in 2004 was 3,100 less than the increase in 2003 (25,826). Jail incarceration rates rose in last 12-month period Since 1995 the Nation's jail population on a per capita basis has increased 26%. During this period the number of jail inmates per 100,000 residents rose from 193 to 243. When individuals under community supervision by jail authorities are included with those in custody, the rate was 267 persons per 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear 2004. An estimated total of 7,083 persons under age 18 were housed in adult jails on June 30, 2004. Nearly 9 in 10 of these young inmates had been convicted or were being held for trial as adults in criminal court. The average daily population for the year ending June 30, 2004, was 706,242, an increase of 3.7% from 2003 and 38.5% from 1995. Characteristics of jail inmate population changing gradually Male inmates made up 87.7% of the local jail inmate population at midyear 2004 -- 2.1 percentage points lower than at midyear 1995. During the 12-month period ending June 30, 2004, the number of adult female inmates rose 6.6%, while the number of adult male inmates increased 2.8%. On average the adult female jail population has grown 7.0% annually in the past 10 years, while the adult male inmate population has grown 4.2%. At midyear 2004 nearly 6 in 10 persons in local jails were racial or ethnic minorities. Whites made up 44.4% of the jail population; blacks, 38.6%; Hispanics, 15.2%; and other races (Asians, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders), 1.8%. On a per capita basis, men were over 7 times more likely than women to have been held in a local jail on June 30, 2004. Blacks were nearly 5 times more likely than whites, nearly 3 times more likely than Hispanics, and over 8 times more likely than persons of other races to have been in jail. On June 30, 2004, 60% of the Nation's jail inmates were awaiting court action on their current charge. An estimated 283,500 inmates held in local jails were serving a sentence in jail, awaiting sentencing, or serving time for a probation or parole violation. As a percent of all jail inmates, the percent convicted has dropped from 44.0% at midyear 2000 to 39.7% at midyear 2004. At midyear 2004, 94% of jail capacity occupied In the 12 months ending June 30, 2004, fewer beds than inmates were added to the Nation's jails. At midyear 2004 the rated capacity of local jails was estimated at 755,603 beds, an increase of 19,132 in 12 months. In the same 12 month period, an additional 22,689 inmates were added to the local jail population. Rated capacity is the maximum number of beds or inmates allocated by State or local rating officials to each jail facility. The growth in jail capacity during the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2004, (22,572) was less than the average growth of 25,128 beds every 12 months since midyear 1995, but was more than the growth in the number of beds during 2001 (21,522) and 2002 (14,590). As of June 30, 2004, 94% of the local jail capacity was occupied.**Footnote On December 31, 2003, State prisons were estimated to be at capacity to 16% above capacity, while Federal prisons were operating at 39% above capacity. See Prisoners in 2003, November 2004, NCJ 205335.** As a ratio of all inmates housed in jail facilities to total capacity, the percentage occupied decreased by 10 percentage points from 1990 to 2004. At midyear 1990 local jails operated at 4% above their rated capacity. Jail jurisdictions with an average daily population greater than 250 reported the highest occupancy rates (97%). At the same time, jail jurisdictions with an average daily population of fewer than 50 inmates were operating at 64% of rated capacity, compared to 66% in at midyear 2003. The 50 largest jail jurisdictions housed about a third of jail inmates On June 30, 2004, the Nation's 50 largest jail jurisdictions held 30.9% (220,556) of all jail inmates. Twenty States had at least one jurisdiction which ranked in the top 50 for average daily population. States with more than one jurisdiction among the 50 largest jail jurisdictions are California (10), Florida (8), Texas (7), Georgia (4), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (2), and Tennessee (2). The 2 jurisdictions with the most inmates, Los Angeles County and New York City, together held approximately 32,400 inmates, or nearly 5% of the national total. Seventeen jurisdictions among the 50 largest experienced a decrease in the number of inmates held between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004. Jurisdictions with double-digit decreases were De Kalb, Georgia (down 16.8%), Essex County, New Jersey (down 12.6%), and Orange County, Florida (down 10.2%). Excluding the District of Columbia, 8 jail jurisdictions among the 50 largest experienced double-digit growth. The jurisdiction with the largest increase in jail population was Clark County, Nevada (up 20.5%). Other jail jurisdictions with substantial population increases were Fulton County, Georgia (up 20.2%), Orange County, California (up 20.1%), Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (up 16.5%), and Baltimore City, Maryland (up 15.4%). Twenty of the 50 largest jail jurisdictions operated over their rated capacities. On June 30, 2004, Maricopa County, Arizona, operated at 176% of their capacity; Polk County, Florida, operated at 138%; and Fulton County, Georgia, operated at 131% of capacity. An estimated 12% of black males in their late twenties in prison or jail in 2004 When total incarceration rates are estimated separately by age group, black males in their twenties and thirties are found to have high rates relative to other groups. Among the more than 2.1 million offenders incarcerated on June 30, 2004, an estimated 576,600 were black males between ages 20 and 39. Among males age 25 to 29, 12.6% of blacks were in prison or jail, compared to 3.6% of Hispanics and about 1.7% of whites. Although incarceration rates drop with age, the percentage of black males age 45 to 54 in prison or jail in 2004 was an estimated 4.5% -- more than twice the highest rate (1.7%)among white males (age 30 to 34). Female incarceration rates, though significantly lower than male rates at every age, reveal similar racial and ethnic differences. Black females (with a prison and jail rate of 359 per 100,000) were 2½ times more likely than Hispanic females (143 per 100,000) and nearly 4½ times more likely than white females (81 per 100,000) to be incarcerated in 2004. These differences among white, black, and Hispanic females were consistent across all age groups. Among black females, the rate was highest (993 per 100,000) among those age 35 to 39. This rate was more than 4 times higher than the rate among white females in this age group (238 per 100,000). Methodology National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) The Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the U.S. Census Bureau as its collection agent, obtains yearend and midyear counts of prisoners from departments of correction in each of the 50 States and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. NPS distinguishes between prisoners in custody from those under jurisdiction. To have custody of a prisoner, a State must hold that person in one of its facilities. To have jurisdiction, a State has legal authority over the prisoner. Prisoners under a State's jurisdiction may be in the custody of a local jail, another State's prison, or other correctional facility such as a privately operated institution. Some States are unable to provide both custody and jurisdiction counts. Excluded from NPS counts are persons confined in locally administered confinement facilities who are under the jurisdiction of local authorities. NPS counts include all inmates in State-operated facilities in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which have combined jail-prison systems. (See National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes, on the BJS Web site.) Annual Survey of Jails, 2004 In each of the years between the full censuses, a sample survey of jails is conducted to estimate baseline characteristics of the Nation's jails and the inmates housed in these jails. Based on information from the 1999 Census of Jails, a sample of jail jurisdictions was selected for the 2004 survey. A jurisdiction is a county (parish in Louisiana)or municipal government that administers one or more local jails. The sample included all jail facilities (940) in 878 jurisdictions. In drawing the sample, all multi-jurisdictional(55) jails were included in the sample with certainty. These jails are operated jointly by two or more jurisdictions. Other jurisdictions (356) were included automatically in the sample if their jails held juvenile inmates on census day and had an average daily population of 250 or more inmates, or if their jails held only adults and had an average daily population of 500 or more. The remaining jurisdictions were stratified into two groups: jurisdictions with jails holding at least one juvenile on June 30, 1999, and jurisdictions with jails holding adults only. Using stratified probability sampling, 467 jurisdictions were then selected from 10 strata based on the average daily population in the 1999 census. Data were obtained by mailed and web-based survey questionnaires. After follow-up phone calls to respondents, the response rate for the survey was 100% for critical items such as rated capacity, average daily population, and number of inmates confined. (For standard errors, see Appendix tables, Annual Survey of Jails 2004, on the BJS Web site.) -------------------------------------------------------- The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lawrence A. Greenfeld is director. BJS Bulletins present the first release of findings from permanent data collection programs such as the National Prisoner Statistics program and the Annual Survey of Jails. Paige M. Harrison and Allen J. Beck wrote this report. Tom Hester edited the report. Data collection and processing were carried out by Pamela Butler (National Prisoner Statistics) and Lisa McNelis (Annual Survey of Jails), under the supervision of Charlene Sebold, Governments Division, Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. April 2005, NCJ 208801 Office of Justice Programs Partnerships for Safer Communities http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov ------------------------------------------------ National Prisoner Statistics jurisdiction notes Alaska -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Jurisdiction counts exclude inmates held in local jails that are operated by communities. Arizona -- Counts are based on custody data. California -- Jurisdiction counts include unsentenced inmates temporarily housed in local jails or in hospitals. Colorado -- Counts include 71 inmates housed in local jails, 3,074 inmates in Colorado contract, and 235 inmates in the Youthful Offender System, which was established primarily for violent juvenile offenders. Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year or less. Reports foreign-born inmates rather than noncitizens. Connecticut -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Delaware -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Federal -- Custody counts include inmates housed in privately operated secure facilities under contract with BOP or with a State or local government that has an intergovernmental agreement. Also includes inmates held in privately operated community correctional centers. Racial categories include 42,028 inmates of Hispanic origin. Georgia -- Counts are based on custody data. Hawaii -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Illinois -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year. Kansas -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year or less. Racial categories include 722 inmates of Hispanic origin. Louisiana -- Data system does not include Hispanic origin. Maryland -- Counts by sentence length are estimates extracted from actual sentence length breakdowns from automated data and applied to totals based on manual data. Data system does not include Hispanic origin. Reports foreign-born inmates rather than noncitizens. Massachusetts -- Jurisdiction counts exclude approximately 6,200 male inmates in the county system (local jails and houses of correction) serving a sentence of over 1 year. These male inmates are included in Massachusetts' incarceration rate. By law offenders may be sentenced to terms up to 2½ years in locally operated jails and correctional institutions. Michigan -- Jurisdictions counts exclude inmates who are out to court and inmates housed in local jails awaiting return to prison. Minnesota -- Racial categories include 585 inmates of Hispanic origin. New Hampshire -- Racial categories include 117 inmates of Hispanic origin. New Jersey -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year. New York -- Reports foreign-born inmates rather than noncitizens. North Carolina -- Data system does not include Hispanic origin. Ohio -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year or less. Oklahoma -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year or less. Oregon -- Counts of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year include an undetermined number with a sentence of 1 year or less. Rhode Island -- Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Tennessee -- Reports foreign-born inmates rather than noncitizens. Texas -- Reports the use of intermediate sanctions in lieu of parole violation for 11,048 inmates. The intermediate sanction includes incarceration for a period of 1 to 3 months; thus, these inmates were included in the national total for parole violators. Vermont -- Prisons and jails form an integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. Inmates of Hispanic origin were reported in racial categories only. Wisconsin -- Custody counts exclude inmates held in non-Wisconsin DOC facilities under contract. Racial categories include 1,630 inmates of Hispanic origin. End of file 04/18/05 ih