Correctional Populations in the United States, 2017 …

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

Bulletin

August 2020, NCJ 252157

Correctional Populations in the United States, 2017-2018

Laura M. Maruschak and Todd D. Minton, BJS Statisticians

An estimated 6,410,000 persons were held in prisons or jails or were on probation or parole in 2018, marking a 19-year low in the number of persons under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the United States (figure 1).1 This correctional population peaked at 7,339,600 in 2007 and has declined every year since. Between 2017 and 2018, the correctional population declined 2.1%, and between 2008 and 2018, it declined 12.3%.

By the end of 2018, about 1 in 40 adult U.S. residents were under some form of correctional supervision, down from 1 in 32 a decade earlier. In 2018, 2,510 out of 100,000 adult U.S. residents were under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the U.S. (table 4). This marked a 26-year low in the adult correctionalsupervision rate.

This report summarizes data from several Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collections on populations that are supervised by adult correctional systems in the U.S. (See Methodology.)

1This includes a small number of persons age 17 or younger who were under adult correctional supervision.

Figure 1 Persons under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the U.S., 2008-2018

Number (in millions) 8

7

Totala

6

5

4

Probation

3

2

1

0

'08

'10

Prisonb Parole Local jail

'15

'18

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100. Estimates may have been revised based on updated reporting and may differ from numbers in past reports. See table 1 for counts. aDetails may not sum to totals because the total correctionalpopulation counts were adjusted to exclude probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. bOffenders who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2008-2018.

HIGHLIGHTS

The adult correctional-supervision rate (adults supervised per 100,000 adult U.S. residents) decreased 21% from 2008 to 2018, from 3,160 to 2,510 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents.

The percentage of adult U.S. residents under correctional supervision was lower in 2018 than at any time since 1992.

The adult incarceration rate (adults in prison or jail per 100,000 adult U.S. residents) has declined every year since 2008, and the rate in 2018 was the lowest since 1996.

The portion of adult U.S. residents in prison or jails fell 17% from 2008 to 2018.

The correctional population declined 2.1% from 2017 to 2018, due to decreases in both the community-supervision (down 2.4%) and incarcerated (down 1.4%) populations.

The community-supervision population fell from 4,508,900 in 2017 to 4,399,000 in 2018.

The incarcerated population decreased from 2,153,600 in 2017 to 2,123,100 in 2018.

Y EARS OF STATISTICS

These systems supervise persons living in the community while on probation or parole, persons incarcerated under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons, and persons in the custody of local jails. (See Terms and definitions.) For more information on the correctional population, see Prisoners in 2018 (NCJ 253516, BJS, April 2020), Probation and Parole in the United States, 2017-2018 (NCJ 252072, BJS, August 2020), and Jail Inmates in 2018 (NCJ 253044, BJS, March 2020).

The community-supervision and incarcerated populations continued a steady decline

The decline in the total correctional population, from 6,549,700 in 2017 to 6,410,000 in 2018, continued a downward trend that began in 2008 (table 1). Persons supervised in the community on either probation (3,540,000 persons) or parole (878,000) continued to make up the majority of the correctional population at year-end 2018. Nearly 7 in 10 persons in the correctional population were supervised in the community at year-end 2018 (4,399,000), while 3 in 10

were incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails (2,123,100).2

The 2.1% decrease in the correctional population from 2017 to 2018 was due to a 2.4% decline in the number of persons supervised in the community and a 1.4% decline in the incarcerated population. The decrease in the community-supervision population during 2018 accounted for 79% of the decline in the total correctional population. Between December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, the number of persons under supervision in the community decreased to 4,399,000 (down 109,900). The total community-supervision population decreased by 2.4% during 2018, as the probation population decreased 2.9% and the parole population increased 0.3%. At the end of 2018, the number of persons under

2The total correctional, community-supervision, and incarcerated populations exclude offenders with dual correctional statuses to avoid double-counting. Persons with dual correctional statuses include probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails. See table 5 and Methodology for more details.

Table 1

Number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the U.S., by correctional status, 2008-2018

Total correctional

Community supervision

Incarceratedb

Year

populationa

Totalc

Probation

Parole

Totald

Prison

2008

7,312,600

5,093,400 4,271,200

826,100

2,310,300

1,608,300

2009

7,239,100

5,019,900 4,199,800

824,600

2,297,700

1,615,500

2010

7,089,000

4,888,500 4,055,900

840,800

2,279,100

1,613,800

2011

6,994,500

4,818,300 3,973,800

855,500

2,252,500

1,599,000

2012

6,949,800

4,790,700 3,944,900

858,400

2,231,300

1,570,400

2013

6,899,700

4,749,800 3,912,900

849,500

2,222,500

1,577,000

2014

6,856,900

4,713,200 3,868,400

857,700

2,225,100

1,562,300

2015

6,740,300

4,650,900 3,789,800

870,500

2,172,800

1,526,600

2016

6,616,200

4,537,100 3,673,100

874,800

2,165,100

1,508,100

2017

6,549,700

4,508,900 3,647,200

875,000

2,153,600

1,489,200

2018*

6,410,000

4,399,000 3,540,000

878,000

2,123,100

1,465,200

Local jaile

785,500 767,400 748,700 735,600 744,500 731,200 744,600 727,400 740,700 745,200 738,400

Percent change

2008-2018

-12.3%

-13.6%

-17.1%

6.3%

-8.1%

-8.9%

-6.0%

2017-2018

-2.1

-2.4

-2.9

0.3

-1.4

-1.6

-0.9

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for non-responding jurisdictions. Estimates for 2016 and earlier may have been revised based on updated reporting and may differ from numbers in past reports. All probation, parole, and prison counts are for December 31, while jail counts are for the last weekday in June. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and because estimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses (probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. See the Key Statistics page on the BJS website for correctional-population statistics prior to 2008. Significance testing was conducted for local jail estimates because counts are based on a sample of jails in the Annual Survey of Jails. Other counts presented are based on a full census of the population.

*Comparison year for local jail inmates only.

Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level. aEstimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses (probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. bOffenders who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or were held in local jails. cEstimates were adjusted to exclude parolees who were also on probation. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. dEstimates were adjusted to exclude prisoners who were held in local jails. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. eThe Annual Survey of Jails is a nationally representative sample of local jails rather than a full census. See appendix table 5 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2008-2018.

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

2

community supervision was the lowest since 1998, when they numbered 4,122,400 (not shown in tables).

On December 31, 2018, an estimated 2,123,100 persons were either under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails, which was 30,500 fewer persons than in 2017. By year-end 2018, the number of persons incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails fell to the lowest level since 2003, when 2,086,500 persons were incarcerated (not shown in tables).

During 2018, the prison population decreased 1.6%, while the jail population remained relatively stable. The prison population at year-end 2018 (1,465,200) was at its lowest level since 2002 (1,440,100; not shown in tables). The total incarcerated population was 1.4% lower in 2018 than in 2017.

The probation, prison, and jail populations decreased, while the parole population increased

After peaking in 2007 at 7,339,600 (not shown in tables), the total correctional population declined annually through 2018. The composition of the population remained generally unchanged despite the decreasing probation population during that time. Probationers accounted for the majority of offenders under correctional supervision in 2008 (58%) and 2018 (55%) (table 2). Prisoners represented less than a quarter of the correctional population in 2008 (22%) and 2018 (23%). Parolees (11% in 2008 and 14% in 2018) and jail inmates (11% in 2008 and 12% in 2018) were the smallest groups of persons under correctional supervision between year-end 2008 and year-end 2018.

From 2008 to 2018, decreases in probation (down 731,300 persons), prison (down 143,100), and jail (down 47,100) populations accounted for the overall decline in the total correctional population (table 3). The decrease in the probation population caused 81% of the total decline in the correctional population, as probationers made up the largest portion of the total population under correctional supervision. The parole population was the only population to increase during this time (up 51,900).

Table 3

Change in the number of persons supervised by adult

correctional systems in the U.S., 2008-2018

2008-2018

Correctional population Total changea

Probationb

Change in population

-902,700 -731,300

Percent of total change

100% 81.0

Prisonb,c Paroleb Local jaild

-143,100

15.9

51,900

-5.7

-47,100

5.2

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for non-responding jurisdictions. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and because counts used to calculate change in each correctional population included persons with dual correctional statuses (probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. aReflects the change in probation, prison, parole, and local jail populations, minus the change in offenders with dual correctional statuses, to avoid double-counting. From 2008 to 2018, the number of offenders with dual correctional statuses increased by 33,000. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. bPopulation as of December 31. cOffenders who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons. dPopulation as of the last weekday in June. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2008 and 2018.

Table 2 Number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the U.S., by correctional status, 2008 and 2018

Correctional population Totala

Probationb Prisonb,c Paroleb Local jaild

Population

7,312,600 4,271,200 1,608,300

826,100 785,500

2008 Percent of total population 100% 58.4 22.0 11.3 10.7

Population

6,410,000 3,540,000 1,465,200

878,000 738,400

2018 Percent of total population 100% 55.2 22.9 13.7 11.5

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for non-responding jurisdictions. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and because estimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses (probationers and parolees held in prisons or local jails, parolees who were also on probation, and prisoners who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. aReflects probation, prison, parole, and local jail counts, minus offenders with dual correctional statuses, to avoid double-counting. There were 178,500 offenders in 2008 and 211,500 offenders in 2018 with dual correctional statuses. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. bPopulation as of December 31. cOffenders who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons. dPopulation as of the last weekday in June. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2008 and 2018.

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

3

The rate of persons under correctional supervision decreased for the eleventh consecutive year

Since peaking at 3,210 offenders per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older in 2007 (not shown in tables), the correctional-supervision rate has trended downward, falling to 2,510 per 100,000 at year-end 2018 (table 4). Changes in both the correctional population and the U.S. population affected the rate. More than half (58%) of the decrease in the correctional-supervision rate from 2008 to 2018 was attributed to the decrease in the number of offenders under correctional supervision. The remainder (42%) of the decline was attributed to the increase in the U.S. resident population age 18 or older (not shown in tables). The correctional-supervision rate at year-end 2018 was the lowest it had been since 1992 (2,490 per 100,000; not shown in tables).

At year-end 2018, an estimated 1,730 offenders per 100,000 adult U.S. residents were on probation or parole. This was similar to the rate in 1990, when the community-supervision population was smaller by about 1.2 million offenders and the adult U.S. resident population was smaller by almost 69 million persons (not shown in tables). Like the correctional-supervision rate, the community-supervision rate has declined for 11 consecutive years since peaking in 2007 (2,240 per 100,000; not shown in tables).

In 2018, about 830 persons per 100,000 adult U.S. residents were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails. This incarceration rate has declined since reaching a high of 1,000 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents from 2006 to 2008. The incarceration rate is currently at its lowest point since 1996 (830 per 100,000; not shown in tables).

Table 4

Rate of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the U.S., by correctional status, 2008-2018

Total correctional populationa

Community-supervision population

Incarcerated populationb

U.S. adult

Adults supervised residents under

Year padeur l1t0r0e,s0id00enUt.sSc.

correctional supervision

Adults supervised per 100,000 U.S. residents of all agesd

Adults on probation/ pUa.Sr.oaledupletrr1es0i0d,e0n0t0sc

Adults on probation/parole per 100,000 U.S. residents of all agesd

Adults in prison/ local jail per 1re0s0id,0e0n0tsUc.S. adult

Adults in prison/local jail per 100,000 U.S. residents of all agesd

2008

3,160

1 in 32

2,390

2,200

1,670

1,000

760

2009

3,100

1 in 32

2,350

2,150

1,630

980

750

2010

3,000

1 in 33

2,280

2,070

1,570

960

730

2011

2,930

1 in 34

2,240

2,020

1,540

940

720

2012

2,880

1 in 35

2,210

1,980

1,520

920

710

2013

2,830

1 in 35

2,170

1,950

1,490

910

700

2014

2,780

1 in 36

2,140

1,910

1,470

900

690

2015

2,710

1 in 37

2,090

1,870

1,440

870

680

2016

2,640

1 in 38

2,040

1,810

1,400

860

670

2017

2,590

1 in 39

2,010

1,780

1,380

850

660

2018

2,510

1 in 40

1,950

1,730

1,340

830

650

Note: Rates are estimated to the nearest 10. Rates include a small number of persons age 17 or younger who were under adult correctional supervision. Estimates may have been revised based on updated reporting and may differ from numbers in past reports. See the Key Statistics page on the BJS website for correctional-population statistics prior to 2008. aOffenders who were supervised in the community by probation or parole agencies, were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons, or were in the custody of local jails. bOffenders who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or were held in local jails. cRates were calculated using U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the U.S. resident population of persons age 18 or older for January 1 of the following year. dRates were calculated using U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the U.S. resident population of persons of all ages for January 1 of the following year.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics program, 2008-2018; and U.S. Census Bureau, post-censal estimated resident populations for January 1 of each year, 2009-2019.

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

4

Terms and definitions

Adult--a person subject to the jurisdiction of an adult criminal court or correctional agency. Adults are age 18 or older in most jurisdictions. Persons age 17 or younger who were prosecuted in criminal court as if they were adults, or who were confined in local jails but not sentenced, are counted as adults. Persons age 17 or younger who were under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court or agency are excluded. (See Methodology for more details on prisoners and local jail inmates age 17 or younger.)

Community-supervision population--estimated number of adults living in the community while supervised on probation or parole.

Community-supervision rate--estimated number of adults living in the community while supervised on probation or parole per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages (i.e., total community-supervision rate) or U.S. residents age 18 or older (i.e., adult community-supervision rate).

Correctional population--estimated number of adults living in the community while supervised on probation or parole and adults under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails.

Correctional-supervision rate--estimated number of adults supervised in the community on probation or parole and adults under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages (i.e., total correctionalsupervision rate) or U.S. residents age 18 or older (i.e., adult correctional-supervision rate).

Imprisonment rate--estimated number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction sentenced to more than one year per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages (i.e., total imprisonment rate) or U.S. residents age 18 or older (i.e., adult imprisonment rate). This statistic does not appear in this report. (See Prisoners in 2018, NCJ 253516, BJS, April 2020.)

Incarcerated population--estimated number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons and inmates in the custody of local jails.

Incarceration rate--estimated number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons and inmates in the custody of local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages (i.e., total incarceration rate) or U.S. residents age 18 or older (i.e., adult incarceration rate).

Indian-country jail population--estimated number of inmates held in correctional facilities operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Department of the Interior. These facilities include confinement facilities, detention centers, jails, and other facilities operated by tribal authorities or the BIA. (See Jails in Indian Country, 2016, NCJ 250981, BJS, December 2017.)

Local jail population--estimated number of inmates held in confinement facilities operated under the authority of a sheriff, police chief, or city or county administrator. Facilities are intended for adults but may hold juveniles before or after they are adjudicated. Facilities include jails, detention centers, city or county correctional centers, special jail facilities (such as medical or treatment centers and pre-release centers) 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 one year or less. (See Jail Inmates in 2018, NCJ 253044, BJS, March 2020.)

Military prison population--estimated number of service personnel incarcerated under the jurisdiction of U.S. military correctional authorities. (See appendix table 3.)

Parole population--estimated number of parolees who are on conditional release in the community following a prison term while under the control, supervision, or care of a state or federal correctional agency. Violations of the conditions of supervision during this period may result in a new sentence of confinement or a return to confinement for a technical violation. Parolees include adults released through discretionary or mandatory supervised release from prison.

Prison population--estimated number of prisoners incarcerated in a long-term confinement facility run by a state or the federal government and typically holding felons and other offenders with sentences of more than one year, although sentence length may vary by jurisdiction.

Prison jurisdiction population--estimated number of prisoners under the jurisdiction or legal authority of state or federal correctional officials, regardless of where the prisoner is held. This population represents BJS's official measure of the prison population and includes prisoners held in public or private 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

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

5

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.

Prison custody population--estimated number of prisoners held in the physical custody of state or federal prisons regardless of sentence length or the authority having jurisdiction. This population includes prisoners housed for other correctional facilities but excludes prisoners in the custody of local jails, held in other jurisdictions, out to court, or in transit from one jurisdiction of legal authority to the custody of a confinement facility outside that jurisdiction. Prisoners based in private facilities are excluded from custody counts unless otherwise specified. (See appendix table 4.)

Probation population--estimated number of probationers who are on a court-ordered period of supervision in the community while under the control, supervision, or care of a correctional agency. The probation conditions form a contract with the court by which the person must abide to remain in the community, generally in lieu of incarceration. In some cases, probation may be a combined sentence of incarceration followed by a period of community supervision. Often, probation entails monitoring or surveillance by a correctional agency. In some instances, probation may not involve any reporting requirements.

Territorial prison population--estimated number of prisoners in the custody of correctional facilities operated by departments of corrections in U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and U.S. commonwealths (the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico). (See appendix table 3.)

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

6

Methodology

Sources of data

The statistics presented in this report include data from various Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data collections. Each collection relies on the voluntary participation of federal, state, and local respondents. For more information about the following data collections, see the Data Collections page on the BJS website.

Annual Probation Survey and Annual Parole Survey. BJS's Annual Probation Survey and Annual Parole Survey, which began in 1980, collect data from probation and parole agencies in the U.S. that supervise adults. These data collections define adults as persons subject to the jurisdiction of an adult court or correctional agency. Juveniles sentenced as adults in a criminal court are considered adults. Juveniles under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court or correctional agency are excluded.

The two surveys collect data on the number of adults supervised in the community on January 1 and December 31 each year, the number of entries to and exits from supervision during the reporting year, and characteristics of the population at year-end. (See appendix tables 1 and 2.) Both surveys cover the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal system. BJS depends on the voluntary participation of state central reporters and separate state, county, and court agencies for these data.

Annual Survey of Jails. The Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) has collected data from a nationally representative sample of local jails each year since 1982, except 1983, 1988, 1993, 1999, and 2005, when complete censuses of local jails in the U.S. were conducted. Jails are confinement facilities usually administered by a local law enforcement agency that primarily are intended to hold adults but may also hold youth age 17 or younger before or after they are adjudicated. The 2017 and 2018 ASJ were stratified probability samples of 871 active jail jurisdictions nationwide. ASJ data used in this report include inmates age 17 or younger who were held either before or after they were adjudicated (about 3,600 persons at midyear 2017 and 3,400 at midyear 2018).

Because the ASJ is designed to produce only nationallevel estimates, tables and figures in this report that include jurisdiction-level counts of the incarcerated population and the total correctional population were based on jail data collected through the Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI) (formerly the Deaths

in Custody Reporting Program). The MCI provides the number of local jail inmates confined as of December 31.

Mortality in Correctional Institutions (formerly Deaths in Custody Reporting Program). The MCI is an annual collection that provides national-, state-, and incident-level data on persons who died while in the physical custody of the 50 state departments of corrections (DOCs) or the approximately 2,800 adult local-jail jurisdictions nationwide.

The MCI began in 2000 in response to the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-297) and is the only national statistical collection to obtain comprehensive information about deaths in adult correctional facilities. In addition to the death count, BJS requests that jails provide summary statistics about their population and facility admissions. All jails, including those with no deaths to report (about 80% of jails in any given year), are asked to complete the annual summary form.

In appendix tables 1 and 2, BJS uses the local jail counts from the 2017 and 2018 MCI to generate jurisdictionlevel estimates of the total incarcerated and correctional populations. Because of this, the total correctional and incarcerated populations in appendix tables 1 and 2 do not match the totals reported in other tables and figures in this report.

National Prisoner Statistics Program. The National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program began in 1926 under a mandate from Congress and is conducted annually. It collects data from the nation's 50 state DOCs and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The NPS distinguishes between prisoners in custody and prisoners under the jurisdiction of correctional authorities. To have custody of a prisoner, a state or the BOP must physically hold that prisoner 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.3

The NPS prisoner counts included in figure 1, tables 1 through 4, and appendix tables 1 and 2 are consistent with the jurisdiction counts and findings reported in Prisoners in 2018 (NCJ 253516, BJS, April 2020). The NPS jurisdiction counts represent BJS's official measure

3To determine which states did not distinguish between custody and jurisdiction counts, see the Jurisdiction notes for Prisoners in 2018 (NCJ 253516, BJS, April 2020) at . cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=6846.

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

7

of the prison population and include persons held in prisons, penitentiaries, correctional facilities, halfway houses, boot camps, farms, training or treatment centers, and hospitals. Also included in the jurisdiction counts are 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; or serving concurrent sentences for more than one correctional authority.

The NPS prisoner custody counts are reported only in appendix table 4 and include all prisoners held within state and federal facilities, including those housed for other correctional facilities, prisoners held in privately operated facilities, prisoners age 17 or younger who were serving time in a state or federal correctional facility after being sentenced in criminal court as if they were adults. Also included in the prisoner custody count are persons in the six states in which prisons and jails form an integrated system, including persons age 17 or younger who may have been held before or after adjudication.

Through the annual NPS collection, BJS has obtained year-end counts of prisoners in the custody of U.S. military authorities from the Department of Defense Corrections Council since 1994. In 1994, the council, comprising representatives from each branch of military service, adopted a standardized form (DD Form 2720) that obtains data on prisoners held in U.S. military confinement facilities inside and outside of the continental U.S. (See appendix table 3.)

Since 1995, through the annual NPS collection, BJS has collected year-end counts of prisoners from DOCs in the U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and U.S. commonwealths (the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico). These data represent all prisoners in the custody of prison facilities in the U.S. territories and commonwealths. (See appendix table 3.) See Prisoners in 2018 (NCJ 253516, BJS, April 2020) for more statistics and information, including non-response.

Survey of Jails in Indian Country. The Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country (SJIC) has been conducted annually since 1998, except in 2005 and 2006. The SJIC collects detailed information on all adult and juvenile confinement facilities, detention centers, jails, and other facilities operated by tribal authorities or the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs. (See appendix table 3.) See Jails in Indian Country, 2016 (NCJ 250981, BJS, December 2017) for more statistics and information.

Counts adjusted for offenders with dual correctional statuses

Offenders under correctional supervision may have dual correctional statuses for several reasons:

probation and parole agencies may not always be notified immediately of new arrests, jail admissions, or prison admissions

absconders included in a probation or parole agency's population in one jurisdiction may actually be incarcerated in another jurisdiction

persons may be admitted to jail or prison before formal revocation hearings and potential discharge by a probation or parole agency

persons may be serving separate probation and parole sentences concurrently

state and federal prisons may hold prisoners in county facilities or local jails to reduce crowding in their prisons.

In 1998, through the Annual Probation Survey and Annual Parole Survey, BJS began collecting data on the number of probationers and parolees with dual correctional statuses, and BJS has since expanded the information collected. In 1999, BJS began collecting data through the NPS on the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons who were held in county facilities or local jails (table 5). Table 5 includes adjustments that were made to the total correctional population, the total community-supervision population, and all estimates of the total incarcerated population presented in this report to exclude offenders with dual correctional statuses to avoid double-counting.

The estimates from the Annual Probation Survey and Annual Parole Survey are based on data reported by the probation and parole agencies that provided the information for the reporting year. Because some probation and parole agencies did not provide data on individuals with dual statuses, the total number of offenders who had dual correctional statuses may be underestimated.

Due to these adjustments, the sum of correctional statuses in figure 1, tables 1 through 4, and appendix tables 1 and 2 do not equal the total correctional population, without subtracting out the offenders with dual correctional statuses. In addition, the sum of the probation and parole populations do not yield the total community-supervision population, because the total was adjusted for parolees who were also on probation.

CORREC TIONAL POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2017-2018 | AUGUST 2020

8

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download