U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

December 2011, NCJ 236218

By Tracey Kyckelhahn, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

I

n 2007, federal, state, and local governments spent
$228 billion and employed 2.5 million persons
for police protection, corrections, and judicial
and legal services (figures 1 and 2). Local police
protection represented the largest share of both total
justice expenditures (32%) and employment (36%),
followed by state corrections (19% of expenditures
and employment).
The findings in this report are based on the Bureau
of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Justice Expenditure
and Employment Extracts (JEE) series, based on
data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Government
Finance Survey and Annual Survey of Public
Employment. The data include yearly information
on federal, state, and local government expenditures

and employment for three justice functions:
corrections, police protection, and judicial and
legal services (for definition of terms, see page 9).
Expenditure data are presented in real terms (see
Methodology for more details). Extract tables from
this series are accessible on the BJS website.
This report presents trend data in 5-year increments
from 1982 to 2007 on direct justice expenditures.
Intergovernmental expenditures, the sum of
payments made from one government entity to
another, appear as direct expenditures when the
receiving government purchases goods or services
with the funds (see Methodology for further
explanation).

Figure 1
Justice expenditures, by function, FY 2007

Figure 2
Justice employees, by function, FY 1982–2007

Judicial and legal services
Federal
State
Local

Number
2,500,000
Total employment

2,000,000

Corrections
Federal

1,500,000

State

Police protection

Local

1,000,000

Police protection
Federal
State
Local
0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000
Expenditures (in millions of dollars)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables

Justice Expenditures and
Employment, FY 1982-2007 Statistical Tables

Corrections

500,000
0

Judicial and legal
1982

1987

1992

1997

2002

2007

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

BJS

Direct expenditures, by justice function and level of government
ƒƒDuring 2007, the cost of the nation’s police protection,
corrections, and judicial and legal services was $228
billion, an increase of 171% since 1982, after adjusting for
inflation. Between 2002 and 2007, public expenditures for
criminal and civil justice remained flat (table 1).

the largest components of justice spending between 1982
and 2007. Local police protection expenditures fell from
40% of total spending in 1982 to 32% in 2007, while state
corrections increased from 16% in 1982 to 21% in 1997
and then decreased to 19% in 2007 (not shown in table).

ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2002, federal expenditures increased
276%; state, 208%; and local, 132%, after adjusting for
inflation. Between 2002 and 2007, federal expenditures
increased 7% and local expenditures increased 1%, while
state expenditures declined 5%.

ƒƒIn 1982, local governments supplied about half (49%) of
total judicial and legal services funding; by 2007, local
(40%) and state (38%) governments contributed about the
same percentage of total judicial and legal services funding
(table 3).

ƒƒFederal expenditures increased from 11% of total
expenditures to 16% between 1982 and 2007, while
state expenditures increased from 30% to 33%, and
local expenditures declined from 59% to 51% of total
expenditures during this same period.

ƒƒThe federal government contributed about a fifth of total
expenditures on judicial and legal services both in 2007
(22%) and 1982 (16%).

ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2002, after adjusting for inflation,
judicial and legal services expenditures increased 182%;
police protection, 126%; and corrections, 255%. Between
2002 and 2007, judicial and legal services expenditures
declined 3% and corrections declined 2%, while police
protection expenditures increased 3% (table 2).
ƒƒJudicial and legal services spending remained at 22% of
total expenditures in 1982 and 2007, varying slightly over
this time. During this same period, police protection
declined from 53% to 46%, and corrections increased
from 25% to 33%.
ƒƒAcross all levels of government and justice functions, local
police protection and state corrections expenditures were

ƒƒMost police protection expenditures were at the local level,
75% in 1982 and 70% in 2007, while federal government
spending on police protection increased from 11% to
19% during this same period. State spending on police
protection was stable from 1982 to 2007, comprising
between 11% and 13% of total spending (table 4).
ƒƒCorrections expenditures were concentrated primarily
at the state level, varying slightly between 59% and 63%
from 1982 to 2007 (table 5).
ƒƒFrom 1982 to 2007, local corrections expenditures varied
between 30% and 34% of total corrections spending while
federal spending varied between 5% and 9% during this
same period.

Per capita expenditures
ƒƒPer capita justice expenditures totaled $755 per U.S.
resident in 2007, a decline of 5% from the inflation
adjusted 2002 peak of $791 per resident (table 6).

ƒƒBetween 2002 and 2007, per capita expenditures fell the
most for judicial and legal services (-7%) and corrections
(-7%), followed by police protection (-2%).

ƒƒIn 2007, per capita expenditures were highest for police
protection ($344), followed by corrections ($246) and
judicial and legal services ($165).

2	

Justice Expenditures and Employment, 1982-2007 - Statistical Tables

Employment, by justice function and level of government
ƒƒIn 2007, a total of 2.5 million persons were employed in
the nation’s justice system, an increase of 93% from 1982,
when 1.3 million persons were employed (table 7).
ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2002, federal justice system
employment increased 115%; state, 118%; and local,
63%. Between 2002 and 2007, federal justice system
employment increased 30%; state, 3%; and local, 5%.
ƒƒFederal employment increased from 7% of total justice
employment in 1982 to 11% in 2007, while state
employment increased from 27% to 31%, and local
employment declined from 66% to 58% during this same
period.
ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2002, employment for judicial and
legal services increased 97%; police protection, 47%;
and corrections, 151%. Between 2002 and 2007, judicial
and legal services employment increased 4%; police
protection, 9%; and corrections, 4% (table 8).
ƒƒAs a percentage of total justice employment, judicial and
legal services held steady, comprising 20% of total justice
employment in 1982 and 21% in 2007. During this same
period, police protection employment declined from
57% to 48% of total justice employment, and corrections
employment increased from 24% to 32%.

ƒƒAcross all levels of government and justice functions,
local police protection employment and state
corrections employment had the greatest percentage
of justice employees between 1982 and 2007. Local
police protection employment fell from 47% of total
justice employment in 1982 to 36% in 2007, while state
corrections employment increased from 15% to 22%
between 1982 and 1997, and declined to 19% in 2007
(not shown in table).
ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2007, over half (53% to 57%) of judicial
and legal services employees worked at the local level,
about a third (30% to 35%) worked at the state level, and
11% to 14% worked at the federal level (table 9).
ƒƒBetween 1982 and 2007, about two-thirds (61% to 65%)
of corrections employees worked at the state level, about
a third (31% to 35%) worked at the local level, and 3% to
5% worked at the federal level (table 10).
ƒƒOver three-quarters (76% to 82%) of police protection
employees worked at the local level between 1982 and
2007. During this same period, 9% to 11% worked at
the state level, and 8% to 14% worked at the federal level
(table 11).

Employment rate
ƒƒThe justice employment rate increased from 5.5
employees per 1,000 U.S. residents in 1982 to 8.1 in 2001.
This rate held steady between 2002 and 2007 (table 12).

December 2011	

ƒƒAcross justice functions in 2007, the employment rate
for police protection was the highest (3.9 per 1,000 U.S.
residents), followed by corrections (2.6 per 1,000) and
judicial and legal services (1.7 per 1,000).

3

List of Tables
Table 1. Total justice expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 2. Total justice expenditures, by justice function, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 3. Distribution of judicial and legal services expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 4. Distribution of police protection expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 5. Distribution of corrections expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 6. Per capita justice expenditures, by function, FY 1982-2007 (real dollars)
Table 7. Total justice employment, by level of government, FY 1982-2007
Table 8. Total justice employment, by justice function, FY 1982-2007
Table 9. Employment distribution for judicial and legal services, by level of government, FY 1982-2007
Table 10. Employment distribution for corrections, by level of government, FY 1982-2007
Table 11. Employment distribution for police protection, by level of government, FY 1982-2007
Table 12. Rate of justice employment, by function, FY 1982-2007

4	

Justice Expenditures and Employment, 1982-2007 - Statistical Tables

Table 1
Total justice expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Expenditures (in millions)
Federal
State
$9,146
$25,295
13,553
36,090
21,543
50,309
28,053
62,563
34,359
77,964
36,899
74,326

Total
$84,129
114,484
154,912
189,463
227,672
227,563
170.6%
0.0

275.7%
7.4

Local
$49,688
64,841
83,060
98,847
115,349
116,338

208.2%
-4.7

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
10.9%
30.1%
11.8
31.5
13.9
32.5
14.8
33.0
15.1
34.2
16.2
32.7

Local
59.1%
56.6
53.6
52.2
50.7
51.1

132.1%
0.9

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as
appropriate for state and local government spending and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

Table 2
Total justice expenditures, by justice function, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Expenditures (in millions)
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
$18,132
$44,625
24,356
55,903
34,576
68,216
41,383
84,198
51,052
100,685
49,721
103,643

Total
$84,129
114,484
154,912
189,463
227,672
227,563
170.6%
0.0

181.6%
-2.6

Corrections
$21,371
34,226
52,120
63,884
75,933
74,198

125.6%
2.9

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
21.6%
53.0%
21.3
48.8
22.3
44.0
21.8
44.4
22.4
44.2
21.8
45.5

Corrections
25.4%
29.9
33.6
33.7
33.4
32.6

255.3%
-2.3

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as
appropriate for state and local government spending and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

Table 3
Distribution of judicial and legal services expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
$18,132
24,356
34,576
41,383
51,052
49,721
181.6%
-2.6

Expenditures (in millions)
Federal
State
$2,978
$6,189
4,256
7,984
7,030
10,891
9,408
12,655
10,997
18,526
10,954
18,921
269.3%
-0.4

199.3%
2.1

Local
$8,965
12,116
16,655
19,320
21,529
19,846

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
16.4%
34.1%
17.5
32.8
20.3
31.5
22.7
30.6
21.5
36.3
22.0
38.1

Local
49.4%
49.7
48.2
46.7
42.2
39.9

140.1%
-7.8

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as
appropriate for state and local government spending and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

December 2011	

5

Table 4
Distribution of police protection expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
$44,625
55,903
68,216
84,198
100,685
103,643
125.6%
2.9

Expenditures (in millions)
Federal
State
$5,069
$5,904
7,564
7,128
10,674
8,255
13,819
9,853
17,648
12,533
19,617
11,383
248.2%
11.2

Local
$33,652
41,211
49,287
60,526
70,504
72,643

112.3%
-9.2

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
11.4%
13.2%
13.5
12.8
15.6
12.1
16.4
11.7
17.5
12.4
18.9
11.0

Local
75.4%
73.7
72.3
71.9
70.0
70.1

109.5%
3.0

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as
appropriate for state and local government spending and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

Table 5
Distribution of corrections expenditures, by level of government, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
$21,371
34,226
52,120
63,884
75,933
74,198
255.3%
-2.3

Expenditures (in millions)
Federal
State
$1,099
$13,204
1,732
20,978
3,839
31,163
4,826
40,057
5,715
46,904
6,328
44,021
420.0%
10.7

Local
$7,068
11,516
17,118
19,001
23,314
23,849

255.2%
-6.1

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
5.1%
61.8%
5.1
61.3
7.4
59.8
7.6
62.7
7.5
61.8
8.5
59.3

Local
33.1%
33.6
32.8
29.7
30.7
32.1

229.9%
2.3

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as
appropriate for state and local government spending and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey.

Table 6
Per capita justice expenditures, by function, FY 1982–2007 (real dollars)
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007

U.S. population
231,664,000
242,289,000
255,030,000
267,784,000
287,804,000
301,580,000

Total expenditures
(in millions)
$84,129
114,484
154,912
189,463
227,672
227,563

Total
$363
473
607
708
791
755

Expenditures (per capita)
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
$78
$193
101
231
136
267
155
314
177
350
165
344

Corrections
$92
141
204
239
264
246

Note: Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were inflation-adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as appropriate for state and local government spending
and nondefense federal spending. (See Methodology.)
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey, Annual Population Estimates 2000–2009, and Historical National Population Estimates: July 1, 1900 to July 1, 1999.

6	

Justice Expenditures and Employment, 1982-2007 - Statistical Tables

Table 7
Total justice employment, by level of government, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Number of employees
Federal
State
94,555
341,010
121,321
451,633
162,202
548,139
176,739
690,807
203,099
742,373
263,840
761,201

Total
1,270,342
1,524,976
1,797,704
2,078,192
2,304,201
2,450,195
81.4%
6.3

114.8%
29.9

Local
834,777
952,022
1,087,363
1,210,646
1,358,729
1,425,154

117.7%
2.5

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
7.4%
26.8%
8.0
29.6
9.0
30.5
8.5
33.2
8.8
32.2
10.8
31.1

Local
65.7%
62.4
60.5
58.3
59.0
58.2

62.8%
4.9

Note: Employment includes both full-time and part-time employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

Table 8
Total justice employment, by justice function, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Number of employees
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
247,697
723,923
312,331
792,831
373,611
857,593
419,072
950,877
488,841
1,065,078
508,985
1,163,412

Total
1,270,342
1,524,976
1,797,704
2,078,192
2,304,201
2,450,195
81.4%
6.3

97.4%
4.1

Corrections
298,722
419,814
566,500
708,243
750,282
777,798

47.1%
9.2

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
19.5%
57.0%
20.5
52.0
20.8
47.7
20.2
45.8
21.2
46.2
20.8
47.5

Corrections
23.5%
27.5
31.5
34.1
32.6
31.7

151.2%
3.7

Note: Employment includes both full-time and part-time employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

Table 9
Employment distribution for judicial and legal services, by level of government, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
247,697
312,331
373,611
419,072
488,841
508,985
97.4%
4.1

Number of employees
Federal
State
28,588
79,825
35,668
100,108
50,768
113,548
52,636
138,674
59,576
164,624
60,742
177,530
108.4%
2.0

106.2%
7.8

Local
139,284
176,555
209,295
227,762
264,641
270,713

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
11.5%
32.2%
11.4
32.1
13.6
30.4
12.6
33.1
12.2
33.7
11.9
34.9

Local
56.2%
56.5
56.0
54.3
54.1
53.2

90.0%
2.3

Note: Employment includes both full-time and part-time employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

December 2011	

7

Table 10
Employment distribution for corrections, by level of government, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
298,722
419,814
566,500
708,243
750,282
777,798
151.2%
3.7

Number of employees
Federal
State
10,045
183,647
12,860
263,954
23,818
347,985
29,809
458,188
34,245
466,824
36,654
475,024
240.9%
7.0

Local
105,030
143,000
194,697
220,246
249,213
266,120

154.2%
1.8

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
3.4%
61.5%
3.1
62.9
4.2
61.4
4.2
64.7
4.6
62.2
4.7
61.1

Local
35.2%
34.1
34.4
31.1
33.2
34.2

Percent of total distribution
Federal
State
7.7%
10.7%
9.2
11
10.2
10.1
9.9
9.9
10.3
10.4
14.3
9.3

Local
81.6%
79.8
79.7
80.2
79.3
76.4

137.3%
6.8

Note: Employment includes both full-time and part-time employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

Table 11
Employment distribution for police protection, by level of government, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Percent change
1982–2002
2002–2007

Total
723,923
792,831
857,593
950,877
1,065,078
1,163,412
47.1%
9.2

Number of employees
Federal
State
55,922
77,538
72,793
87,571
87,616
86,606
94,294
93,945
109,278
110,925
166,444
108,647
95.4%
52.3

Local
590,463
632,467
683,371
762,638
844,875
888,321

43.1%
-2.1

Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

43.1%
5.1

Note: Employment includes both full-time and part-time employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Public Employment.

Table 12
Rate of justice employment, by function, FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007

U.S. population
231,664,000
242,289,000
255,030,000
267,784,000
287,804,000
301,580,000

Total justice
employment
1,270,342
1,524,976
1,797,704
2,078,192
2,304,201
2,450,195

Total
5.5
6.3
7.0
7.8
8.0
8.1

Employment (per 1,000 U.S. residents)
Judicial and
Police
legal services
protection
1.1
3.1
1.3
3.3
1.5
3.4
1.6
3.6
1.7
3.7
1.7
3.9

Corrections
1.3
1.7
2.2
2.6
2.6
2.6

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finance Survey, Annual Population Estimates 2000–2009, and Historical National Population Estimates: July 1, 1900 to July 1, 1999.

8	

Justice Expenditures and Employment, 1982-2007 - Statistical Tables

Definition of Terms
Expenditures include only external cash payments made
from any source of funds, including any payments financed
from borrowing, fund balances, intergovernmental
revenue, and other current revenue. It excludes any
intragovernmental transfers and noncash transactions,
such as the provision of meals or housing of employees. It
also excludes retirement of debt, investment in securities,
extensions of loans, or agency transactions.

Police protection is the justice function of enforcing
the law, preserving order, and apprehending those who
violate the law, whether these activities are performed
by a city police department, sheriffs’ office, state police,
or federal law enforcement agency such as the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA). Private security police are outside
the scope of the survey.

Direct expenditures are all expenditures except those
classified as intergovernmental. It includes direct current
expenditures (e.g., salaries, wages, fees, and commissions
and purchases of supplies, materials, and contractual
services) and capital outlays (e.g., construction and purchase
of equipment, land, and existing structures). Note that
capital outlays are included for the year in which the direct
expenditure is made, regardless of how the funds are raised
(e.g., bond issue) or when they are paid back.

Judicial and legal services include all civil and criminal
courts and activities associated with courts such as law
libraries, grand juries, petit juries, court reporters, judicial
councils, bailiffs, and probate functions. It also includes the
civil and criminal justice activities of the attorneys general,
district attorneys, state’s attorneys, and their variously
named equivalents and corporate counsels, solicitors, and
legal departments with various names. It excludes legal
units of noncriminal justice agencies, whose functions
may be performed by legal services departments in other
jurisdictions (e.g., a county counsel).

Intergovernmental transfers are the sum of payments made
from one government entity to another, including grants-inaid, shared revenues, payments in lieu of taxes, and amounts
for services performed by one government for another
on a reimbursable or cost-sharing basis (e.g., payments
by one government to another for boarding prisoners). It
excludes amounts paid to other governments for purchase of
commodities, property, or utility services.
Employees are all persons on government payrolls during
the pay period including March 15, 2007. They include all
paid officials and persons on paid leave, but exclude unpaid
officials, persons on unpaid leave, pensioners, and contractors.

Corrections involves the community supervision,
confinement, and rehabilitation of adults and juveniles
convicted of offenses and the confinement of persons
awaiting trial or adjudication. It includes the costs of
operation and employment for jails, prisons, probation
and parole offices, pardon proceedings, and correctional
administrations. Data for institutions with authority to hold
prisoners beyond arraignment (usually 48 hours or more)
are included in this definition.

Methodology
The Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts (JEE)
series is an annual data collection published by the Bureau
of Justice Statistics (BJS). Data presented are extracted from
the U.S. Census Bureau’s Government Finance Survey and
Annual Survey of Public Employment. This report includes
federal, state, and local (e.g., city, county, municipal, and
township) government direct expenditures and employment
for three justice functions: police protection, corrections,
and judicial and legal services.
Intergovernmental transfers are excluded to avoid the
inflation of expenditures that would result from the adding
of intergovernmental transfers plus the direct expenditure
of the funds by the recipient government. In addition,
intergovernmental transfers themselves may be duplicated.
The federal government may transfer money to a state,
which then divides that money among localities, causing
duplication in the counting of intergovernmental transfers.
This also makes it difficult to determine the original source
of the intergovernmental transfer. Funds received through

December 2011	

intergovernmental transfers are ultimately captured in the
receiving government’s direct expenditures.
Data collection
This report includes data in 5-year increments from 1982 to
2007. Data were obtained for the federal government, every
state government, and all local governments. Beginning
in 1997, expenditure data for the federal government were
obtained from the Budget of the United States Government
using the definitions contained in the federal budget. Prior
to 1997, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled expenditures from
the federal budget according to Census definitions. Federal
government employment data were obtained from the U.S.
Office of Personnel Management records.
Expenditures for state as well as local large county and
city governments were compiled by U.S. Census Bureau
representatives from government audits, budgets, and other
financial reports with the advice of state and local officers

9

and employees. The information from these reports was then
placed into expenditure categories using the U.S. Census
Bureau’s classification system. The data were verified with
government officials before being released. Data from other
localities were collected from state central collections and
through mail surveys to local governments. State and local
employment data were collected through a mail survey of all
state and local departments, agencies, and institutions. The
Government Finance Survey is available on the U.S. Census
Bureau’s website at http://www.census.gov/govs/.
Response rates, imputation, and standard errors
The response rates for localities are presented in the
methodology sections of each year’s collection, available
on the BJS website. Prior to 1994, the U.S. Census Bureau
imputed data of nonresponding jurisdictions from previous
years’ data to estimate national, state, and local totals. From
1994 to 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau imputed data from
similar nonresponding jurisdictions to estimate national,
state, and local totals.
Other BJS employment and expenditure collections
The data here differ from other BJS series, which also collect
agency-based employment and expenditure data, due to
different units of analysis and data collection purposes.
All other collections provide more detailed employment
data with a more narrow scope than the JEE. Some other
collections also include expenditure data with varying levels
of detail. These include—
ƒƒThe Law Enforcement Management and Administrative
Statistics (LEMAS), which collects operating expenditure
data and the number of sworn and civilian personnel
for law enforcement agencies. Unlike the JEE, LEMAS
classifies expenditures and employment by type of agency
as opposed to function. For example, transit police for
a transportation agency are coded as transportation
personnel in LEMAS but as police protection personnel
in the JEE. Further discussion of LEMAS is accessible
on the BJS website at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.
cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=248.
ƒƒThe National Census of State Court Prosecutors (NCSP),
which collects employment and expenditure data on
prosecutors’ offices in state court systems. It provides
detail on the number and type of staff in prosecutors’
offices, including number and types of prosecutors and
number of other staff such as investigators and victim
advocates. It also includes data on the annual budget of
the office and the annual salary of the chief prosecutor.
The data it provides are a subset of the judicial and legal
services function in the JEE collection. Further discussion
of the NCSP is accessible on the BJS website at http://bjs.
gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=265.

10	

ƒƒThe Census of Jail Facilities (CJF), which provides
the number of full- and part-time employees on the
government payroll in responding jail jurisdictions. It
includes the number and demographic characteristics
of correctional officers and the number of other types
of personnel such as administrators, professional and
technical staff, clerical and maintenance staff, and
educational staff. Operating costs collected by the CJF
include total salaries, wages, benefits, and other operating
expenditures. Capital expenditures for jail jurisdictions
include construction costs; equipment, such as vehicles,
furnishings, and computers; and other capital costs, such
as the purchase of land. Further discussion of the CJF
is accessible on the BJS website at http://bjs.gov/index.
cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=254.
ƒƒThe Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional
Facilities, which contains the same detail on the number
and types of personnel as the CJF but it lacks expenditure
data. Further discussion is accessible on the BJS website at
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=255.
Adjusting for Inflation
Government expenditures for fiscal years preceding 2007 were
inflation adjusted to 2007 constant dollars, as appropriate
for state and local government spending and nondefense
federal spending. Annual chain-type price indices for gross
domestic product were employed as divisors and unadjusted
expenditures were employed as dividends to produce inflation
adjusted expenditures in 2007 constant dollars.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic
Analysis, developed the price indices used in all inflation
adjustments, as published in the Economic Report of the
President. For more information on price indices, see the
Economic Report of the President (2009), Table B-7. Chaintype price indexes for gross domestic product, 1959-2008,
U.S. Government Printing Office, retrieved from http://www.
gpoaccess.gov/eop/tables09.html.
Below is a comparison of total justice expenditures in
nominal dollars (before adjusting for inflation) and real
dollars (after adjusting for inflation).
APPENDIX TABLE 1
Total justice expenditures, by nominal and real dollars,
FY 1982–2007
Year
1982
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007

Nominal dollars
(in millions)
$35,842
58,871
93,777
129,793
179,580
227,563

Real dollars
(in millions)
$84,129
114,484
154,912
189,463
227,672
227,563

Justice Expenditures and Employment, 1982-2007 - Statistical Tables

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Washington, DC 20531

NCJ236218

PRESORTED STANDARD
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
DOJ/BJS
Permit No. G-91

Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300

Office of Justice Programs • Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods • www.ojp.gov
The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department
of Justice. James P. Lynch is director.
These Statistical Tables were prepared by Tracey Kyckelhahn and verified by
Thomas Cohen.
Morgan Young edited the report, Barbara Quinn and Morgan Young
produced the report, and Jayne Robinson prepared the report for final
printing under the supervision of Doris J. James.
December 2011, NCJ 236218
The full text of each report is available in PDF and ASCII formats on the BJS
website at www.bjs.gov.  Tables are also available in PDF and CSV formats.
Related datasets are made available on the National Archive of Criminal Justice
Data website at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/index.jsp.