U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Inmates/offenders

Comparing Federal and State Prison Inmates, 1991

Comparing Federal and State Prisoners

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                           
BJS  SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1994                            
202-307-0784

            COMPARING FEDERAL AND STATE PRISONERS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most federal prisoners are drug
offenders, but almost half of state prisoners are serving
time for violent crimes.  Offenders in federal prisons are
almost three times as likely as state prisoners to be
incarcerated for a drug offense, according...

Felony Sentences in State courts, 1992

State Courts Convicted Almost 900,000 Felons During 1992

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                            BJS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1995                           202-307-0784

STATE COURTS CONVICTED ALMOST 900,000 FELONS DURING 1992

    WASHINGTON, D.C. -- State courts throughout the U.S. convicted
almost 900,000 felons during 1992, the Department of Justice announced
today.  One-third of the convictions were for drug offenses.

    The volume of felony...

Child Victimizers: Violent Offenders and Their Victims

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                      BJS
SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 1996                                202/307-0784



       TWO-THIRDS OF SEX OFFENDERS IN STATE PRISONS
                          HAD VICTIMIZED A CHILD

             FAMILY MEMBERS OR ACQUAINTANCES 
                   COMMIT MOST CHILD MURDERS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Children younger than 18 were the
victims in almost 20 percent of the violent crimes committed by
state prisoners, according to a new Justice Department report
released today.  More than...

Weapons offenses and offenders: Firearms, crime, and criminal justice

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST           BJS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1995          202/307-0784

 23 PERCENT OF THOSE ARRESTED FOR WEAPONS OFFENSES
           ARE YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS OLD

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Almost a quarter of those
arrested for weapons offenses are minors, the
Department of Justice said today.  In a study of
people arrested for weapons offenses during 1993,
23 percent were...

Noncitizens in the Federal Criminal Justice System, 1984-94

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT                             BJS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1994                               202/307-0784

       MORE PROSECUTIONS AND TOUGHER SENTENCING GUIDELINES
         PROMPT INCREASED INCARCERATIONS OF NON-CITIZENS

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An increase in the number of
prosecutions and convictions for federal drug and immigration
offenses, as well as changes in mandatory time-served provisions,
prompted a four-fold increase in the number of non-citizens
incarcerated in federal prisons between 1984...

Sex Offenses and Offenders

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST          BJS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1997             202/633-3047

     SIXTY PERCENT OF CONVICTED SEX OFFENDERS
            ARE ON PAROLE OR PROBATION

        Rapes and Sexual Assaults Decline

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- According to a report
released today by the Justice Department's Bureau
of Justice Statistics (BJS), on any given day in
1994 almost 60 percent of the 234,000 convicted
sex...

Felony Sentences in State Courts, 1994

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST         BJS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 1997            202/633-3047

ALMOST A THIRD OF ALL CONVICTED STATE FELONS
    WERE SENTENCED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING 
               OR POSSESSION

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Drug offenders made up
almost a third of the 872,200 felons convicted in
state courts during 1994, the Justice Department
announced today.  Property crimes accounted for
another third and violent...

Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear, 1997

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST         BJS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 1998            202/307-0784
         
NATION'S PRISONS AND JAILS HOLD MORE THAN 1.7
MILLION     Up Almost 100,000 in a Year

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As of last June 30 the
nation's prisons and jails held 1,725,842 men
and women, an increase of more than 96,100
inmates over the prior year, the Justice
Department's Bureau...

Drug Use, Testing, and Treatment in Jails

                                   
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT                     BJS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2000                         202/307-0784 
                
         

MOST JAILS THAT TEST FOR DRUGS FIND AT LEAST ONE INMATE WHO TESTS POSITIVE


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An estimated 10 percent of the
inmates tested for drugs in local jails during June 1998
tested positive for one or more illegal drugs, the Justice
Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics announced today. 
More than...

Federal Firearm Offenders, 1992-98: With Preliminary Data for 1999 & Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 1999

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, June 4, 2000 202/307-0784

More Than 200,000 Firearms Applications Rejected in 1999
Defendants Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses Increased from 1998 to 1999

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Approximately 536,000 of the more than 22.2 million individual applications to purchase or pawn firearms have been rejected based on federal, state or local laws since the inception of the Brady Act...

Federal Drug Offenders, 1999 with Trends 1984-99

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2001 202/307-0784

FEDERAL DRUG LAW CHANGES LED TO LONGER PRISON SENTENCES

WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than 38,200 people were referred to federal prosecutors for alleged drug offenses during 1999, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. About 84 percent of these suspects were subsequently charged in a U.S. district court.

Of...

Money Laundering Offenders, 1994-2001

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2003 Contact: Stu Smith
  202/307-0784

OVER 18,000 CHARGED WITH FEDERAL MONEY LAUNDERING FROM 1994 THROUGH 2001

WASHINGTON, D.C. - About 18,500 defendants faced federal money laundering charges in U.S. courts during the years 1994 through 2001, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported today. Approximately 10,600 of these...

Violent Felons in Large Urban Counties

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2006 bjs.gov
  Contact: Stu Smith 202/307-0784
  After hours: 301-983-9354

STUDY FINDS MORE THAN HALF OF ALL CONVICTED VIOLENT FELONS HAD A PRIOR RECORD

Thirty Percent of Those Who Murdered Were Younger Than 21

WASHINGTON - Fifty-six percent of the violent felons convicted in the nation's 75 most populous counties...

Prisoners in 2006 and Probation and Parole in the United States, 2006

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:00 P.M. EST Bureau of Justice Statistics
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007 Contact: Stu Smith 202-307-0784
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/ After hours: 301-983-9354

ONE IN EVERY 31 U.S. ADULTS WAS IN A PRISON OR JAIL OR ON PROBATION OR PAROLE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR

WASHINGTON - The U.S. adult correctional population, incarcerated or in the community, reached 7.2 million men and women, an...

Prison Inmates at Midyear 2008 - Statistical Tables and Jail Inmates at Midyear - Statistical Tables

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:00 P.M. EDT Bureau of Justice Statistics
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009 Contact: Kara McCarthy 202-307-1241
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs After hours: 781-308-3696

GROWTH IN PRISON AND JAIL POPULATIONS SLOWING:

16 States Report Declines in the Number of Prisoners

WASHINGTON - As of June 30, 2008, state and federal correctional authorities had jurisdiction or legal authority over 1,610,584 prisoners. Additionally, 785,556 inmates were held in...