FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

Trends in U.S. Corrections
U.S. State and Federal Prison Population, 1925-2014
2014: 1,508,636

1,600,000
1,400,000

Number of People

1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000

2014

2010

2006

2002

1998

1994

1990

1986

1982

1978

1974

1970

1966

1962

1958

1954

1950

1946

1942

1938

1934

1930

1925

0

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series.

International Rates of Incarceration per 100,000
698

United States
492

Rwanda
446

Russia
301

Brazil
151

Australia

139

Spain

119

China

106

Canada
France

100

Austria

96
78

Germany
Denmark

61

Sweden

60

India

30

Source: Walmsley, R. (2015). World Prison Brief. London: Institute for Criminal Policy Research. Available online: http://www.
prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

MASS INCARCERATION

State Expenditures on Corrections in Billions, 19852013
51.9
51.4

The United States is the world's leader in incarceration
with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons
and jails — a 500% increase over the last forty years.
Changes in sentencing law and policy, not changes
in crime rates, explain most of this increase. These
trends have resulted in prison overcrowding and
fiscal burdens on states to accommodate a rapidly
expanding penal system, despite increasing evidence
that large-scale incarceration is not an effective means
of achieving public safety.

42.3
36.4
26.1
16.9
6.7
1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2013

Source: National Association of State Budget Officers (1985-2013). State
Expenditure Report Series. Washington, DC: National Association of State
Budget Officers.

State & Federal Prison Population by Offense, 2014
Federal

State

7.3%

53.2%

Violent

50.1%

Drug
6%
35.9%

8.9%

15.9%

Immigration

Weapons

15.7%
19.3%

Property
11.1%

11%

Public Order

Other

Other

0.7%

0.8%

Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Population Under Control of the U.S. Corrections System, 1980 and 2013
3,910,600

2013

1,574,700

1980

1,118,097
853,200

731,200
319,598

Prison

182,288

Jail

220,438

Parole

Probation

Sources: Glaze, L. E. and Herberman, E.J. (2014). Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics;
Corrections: Key Facts at a Glance. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

DRUG POLICY

Number of People in Prisons and Jails for Drug
Offenses, 1980 and 2014
1980: 40,900 individuals
2014: 488,400 individuals
2014
208,000
183,900

96,500

1980

19,000

17,200
4,700

State Prisons

Federal Prisons

Jails

Sources: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau
of Justice Statistics; Mauer, M. and King, R. (2007). A 25-Year Quagmire:
The War on Drugs and its Impact on American Society. Washington,
DC: The Sentencing Project; Glaze, L. E. and Herberman, E.J. (2014).
Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013. Washington, DC:
Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Sentencing policies of the War on Drugs era
resulted in dramatic growth in incarceration for
drug offenses. Since its official beginning in the
1980s, the number of Americans incarcerated for
drug offenses has skyrocketed from 41,000 in
1980 to nearly a half million in 2014. Furthermore,
harsh sentencing laws such as mandatory
minimums keep many people convicted of drug
offenses in prison for longer periods of time: in
1986, people released after serving time for a
federal drug offense had spent an average of 22
months in prison. By 2004, people convicted on
federal drug offenses were expected to serve
almost three times that length: 62 months in
prison.
At the federal level, people incarcerated on a drug
conviction make up half the prison population. At
the state level, the number of people in prison for
drug offenses has increased ten-fold since 1980.
Most of these people are not high-level actors in
the drug trade, and most have no prior criminal
record for a violent offense.

Number of People in Federal Prisons for Drug Offenses, 1980-2014
186,545

192,663

160,524
131,739

83,669

All offenses
Drug offenses

56,909

87,800

97,800

96,500

74,276

46,667

35,555
24,297

22,037
9,491

4,749

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2014

Sources: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online; Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

WOMEN

Number of Women in State and Federal Prisons, 1980-2014

The number of women in prison
has been increasing at a rate 50
percent higher than men since
1980. Women in prison often have
significant histories of physical and
sexual abuse, high rates of HIV,
and substance abuse problems.
Women’s imprisonment in femaleled households leads to children
who suffer from their mother’s
absence and breaks in family ties.

98,688

104,629 106,232

State prisons

85,044
68,544

43,845
23,099
13,258

Federal prisons
1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2014

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison and
Jail Inmates at Midyear Series; Hester, T. (1987). Correctional Populations in the United States,
1985. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Highest and Lowest State Incarceration Rates (per 100,000), 2014
Overall (National = 471)
State

Women (National = 65)
State

Rate

HIGHEST
Oklahoma

142

Idaho

125

Kentucky

108

Arizona

104

Missouri

100

LOWEST
Rhode Islanda

12

Massachusetts

15

Maine

21

New Jersey
New York

Rate

HIGHEST
Louisiana

816

Oklahoma

700

Alabama

633

Arkansas

599

Mississippi

597

LOWEST
Maine

153

Rhode Islanda

178

Massachusetts

188

Minnesota

194

North Dakota

214

Men (National = 890)
State

Rate

HIGHEST
Louisiana

1,577

Oklahoma

1,269

Alabama

1,203

Mississippi

1,146

Arkansas

1,125

LOWEST
Maine

290

Rhode Islanda

354

Minnesota

364

22

North Dakota

369

23

Massachusetts

373

a. Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Data include total jail and prison populations.
Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

RACIAL DISPARITIES

People in State and Federal Prisons, by Race and
Ethnicity, 2013/2014

More than 60% of the people in prison today are
people of color. Black men are nearly six times
as likely to be incarcerated as white men and
Hispanic men are 2.3 times as likely. For black
men in their thirties, 1 in every 10 is in prison or
jail on any given day.

White

33.6%

Black

35.8%

Hispanic
Other

506,600

21.6%
9.0%

539,500

326,500

136,100

Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice
Statistics.

Rate of Imprisonment per 100,000, by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 2014
White women
Black women
Latina women
White men

53
109
64
465

Black men

2,724

Latino men

1,091

Source: Carson, E.A. (2015). Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Lifetime Likelihood of Imprisonment of U.S. Residents Born in 2001
All Men

White Men

Black Men

Latino Men

1 in 9

1 in 17

1 in 3

1 in 6

White Women

Black Women

Latina Women

1 in 111

1 in 18

1 in 45

All Women

1 in 56

Source: Bonczar, T. (2003). Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Number of Youth Committed to Juvenile Facilities, 19972013

YOUTH
Over the past 15 years, commitment to secure
juvenile facilities for youth who have been
adjudicated delinquent has been steadily
declining from a high point of 77,800 in 1999
to 35,200 in 2013. Still, troubling problems
remain. Youth of color enter the system much
more frequently than white youth and are more
likely to be sentenced to harsher terms of
punishment. In addition, thousands of young
people are transferred to the adult system each
year, and many are sent to adult prisons and
jails to serve their sentences.

75,406

77,835 76,190
68,982

64,532

60,412
48,423
41,934
35,246

1997

1999

2001

2003

2006

2007

2010

2011

2013

Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., & Puzzanchera, C. (2015). Easy
Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement. Available: http://www.
ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp.

Rate of Youth in Residential Placement per 100,000, by Race and
Ethnicity, 2013
100

White

464

Black
173

Hispanic
American Indian
Asian

334
28

Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., & Puzzanchera, C. (2015). Easy Access to the Census of
Juveniles in Residential Placement. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp.

Number of Youth Held in Jails and State Prisons, 1985-2014
15,000

12,000

9,000

2014: 5,235
6,000
Youth in
adult jails

3,000

2013
2014

2011
2012

2010

2009

2007
2008

2005
2006

2004

2003

2001
2002

2000

1999

1997
1998

1996

1994
1995

1993

1991

1992

1989
1990

1988

1987

1986

1985

Youth in adult
prisons

Sources: Austin, J., Johnson, K. D., & Gregoriou, M. (2000). Juveniles in Adult Prisons and Jails: A National Assessment. Washington, DC: Bureau of
Justice Assistance; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear Series; Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoner Series; Strom, K. J.
(2000). Profile of State Prisoners under Age 18, 1985-1997. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS
Felony Disenfranchisement Restrictions by State, 2015

FELONY
DISENFRANCHISEMENT
In 48 states, a felony conviction can result
in the loss of an individual’s voting rights.
The period of disenfranchisement varies by
state, with some states restoring the vote
upon completion of a prison term, and others
effectively disenfranchising for life. As a result
of the dramatic expansion of the criminal
justice system in the last 40 years, felony
disenfranchisement has affected the political
voice of many communities. Today, 5.85
million Americans are unable to vote due to
state felony disenfranchisement policies.

No restriction

Prison

Prison & parole

Prison, parole
& probation

Prison, parole, probation
& post-sentence

Source: Chung, J. (2014). Felony Disenfranchisement: A Primer. Washington,
DC: The Sentencing Project.

Rate of Disenfranchisement, by Race, 2010
White

2.5%
7.66%

Black

Source: Uggen, C., Shannon, S., & Manza, J. (2012). State-Level Estimates of Felon
Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

Disenfranchised Population by Incarceration Status, 2010
In prison or jail
On probation or parole
Completed sentence

25%
30%
45%

Source: Uggen, C., Shannon, S., & Manza, J. (2012). State-Level Estimates of Felon
Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

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FACT SHEET: TRENDS IN U.S. CORRECTIONS

LIFE SENTENCES

Number of People Serving Life Sentences, 1984-2012

The number of people serving life sentences
continues to grow even while serious, violent
crime has been declining for the past 20 years and
little public safety benefit has been demonstrated
to correlate with increasingly lengthy sentences.
The lifer population has more than quadrupled
since 1984. One in nine people in prison is now
serving a life sentence and nearly a third of lifers
have been sentenced to life without parole.

159,520
142,727
127,677

Number of People Serving Life Without
Parole Sentences, 1992-2012

132,000

69,845

49,081
33,633

40,174

34,000

12,453

1992

2003

2008

2012

1984

Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic
Rise in Life Sentences in America. Washington, DC:
The Sentencing Project.

1992

2003

2005

2008

2012

Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in
America. Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

People Serving Life Sentences, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012
White

34.7%

Black
Latino

47.2%
16%

Source: Nellis, A. (2013). Life Goes On: The Historic Rise in Life Sentences in America.
Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project.

This fact sheet was updated December 2015.

1705 DeSales Street NW, 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036

The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. justice
system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing
unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for
alternatives to incarceration.

sentencingproject.org
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