FIGURE 1 Bulletin

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

Bulletin

Prisoners in 2017

April 2019, NCJ 252156

Jennifer Bronson, Ph.D., and E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians

The United States prison population declined from 1,508,129 at the end of 2016 to 1,489,363 at the end of 2017, a decrease of 1.2%. During the same period, the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of federal correctional authorities decreased by 6,100 (down 3%), and the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities fell by 12,600 (down 1%). Te imprisonment rate for sentenced prisoners was the lowest since 1997, at 440 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents of all ages and 568 per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older (fgure 1). (Counts of sentenced prisoners include those who have received a sentence of more than one year.)

Findings in this report are based on the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Te program collects annual data from state departments of corrections (DOCs) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) on prison

FIGURE 1 Imprisonment rates of sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, per 100,000 U.S. residents, 1978?2017

Rate per 100,000 U.S. residents 700

600

500

Age 18 or older

400

All ages

300

200

100

0 '78 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '05 '10 '15 '17

Note: Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority of state or federal correctional ofcials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. Counts are based on prisoners with a sentence of more than one year. See appendix table 1 for imprisonment rates.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics, 1978?2017; and U.S. Census Bureau, post-censal resident population estimates for January 1 of the following calendar year.

HIGHLIGHTS

The imprisonment rate for sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction decreased 2.1% from 2016 to 2017 (from 450 to 440 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents) and 13% from 2007 to 2017 (from 506 to 440 per 100,000).

The number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction decreased by 18,700 (down 1.2%), from 1,508,100 at year-end 2016 to 1,489,400 at year-end 2017.

The federal prison population decreased by 6,100 prisoners from year-end 2016 to year-end 2017 (down 3%), accounting for one-third of the overall change in the U.S. prison population.

More than half (55%) of state prisoners were serving sentences for violent ofenses at year-end 2016, the most recent year for which data are available.

The number of state or federal prisoners held in private facilities decreased 5% from 2016 to 2017.

Non-citizens made up roughly the same portion of the U.S. prison population (7.6%) as of the total U.S. population (7.0%, per the U.S. Census Bureau).

The imprisonment rate of sentenced black adults declined by 4% from 2016 to 2017 and by 31% from 2007 to 2017.

Nearly half of federal prisoners were serving a sentence for a drug-trafcking ofense at fscal year-end 2017.

At year-end 2017, the imprisonment rate for sentenced black males (2,336 per 100,000 black male U.S. residents) was almost six times that of sentenced white males (397 per 100,000 white male U.S. residents).

At year-end 2016, an estimated 60% of Hispanics and blacks sentenced to serve more than one year in state prison had been convicted of and sentenced for a violent ofense, compared to 48% of white prisoners.

Terms and defnitions

Adult imprisonment rate--The number of prisoners sentenced to more than one year under state or federal jurisdiction per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older.

Capacity, design--The number of inmates a facility can hold set by the architect or planner.

Capacity, highest--The maximum number of beds across the three capacity measures: design, operational, and rated capacity.

Capacity, lowest--The minimum number of beds across the three capacity measures: design, operational, and rated capacity.

Capacity, operational--The number of inmates a facility can hold based on stafng and services.

Capacity, rated--The number of inmates or beds a facility can hold set by a rating ofcial.

Conditional releases--Includes discretionary parole, mandatory parole, post-custody probation, and other unspecifed conditional releases.

Conditional-release violators--Persons who returned to prison after having been released to discretionary parole, mandatory parole, or post-custody probation, or after having been granted unspecifed conditional release.

Custody--Prisoners held in the physical custody of state or federal prisons, regardless of sentence length or the authority with jurisdiction over the prisoner.

Federal prison system--Includes persons held under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in secure federal and private prison facilities; persons held in non-secure, privately operated community corrections facilities; and juveniles in contract facilities.

Imprisonment rate--The number of prisoners sentenced to more than one year under state or federal jurisdiction per 100,000 U.S. residents.

Jail--A confnement facility that is usually administered by a local law enforcement agency and is intended for adults but sometimes holds juveniles for confnement before or after adjudication. Such facilities include jails and city or county correctional centers; special jail facilities, such as medical treatment or release centers; halfway houses; work farms; and temporary holding or lockup facilities that are part of the jail's combined function. Prisoners sentenced to jail facilities usually

have a sentence of one year or less. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont operate integrated systems that combine prisons and jails.

Jurisdiction--The legal authority of state or federal correctional ofcials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. Prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional ofcials can be held in publicly or privately operated secure or non-secure facilities, including boot camps, halfway houses, treatment facilities, hospitals, local jails, or another state's facilities.

New court commitments--Admissions into prison of ofenders convicted and sentenced by a court, usually to a term of more than one year, including probation violators and persons with a split sentence of incarceration followed by court-ordered probation or parole.

Parole violators--Persons released from prison on discretionary or mandatory parole who were subsequently imprisoned either for violating conditions of release or for new crimes.

Prison--A long-term confnement facility that is run by a state or the federal government and typically holds felons and ofenders with sentences of more than one year. Sentence length may vary by state. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont operate integrated systems that combine prisons and jails.

Prisoner--An individual confned in a state or federal correctional facility, or in a private facility under state or federal jurisdiction.

Probation violators--Persons on probation, sometimes following release from prison, who were subsequently imprisoned either for violating conditions of their probation or for new crimes.

Sentenced prisoner--A prisoner sentenced to more than one year.

Supervised mandatory releases--Conditional releases with post-custody supervision (generally occurring in jurisdictions using determinate sentencing statutes).

Unconditional releases--Expirations of sentences, commutations, and other unspecifed releases that are not followed by probation, parole, or other supervision.

Year-end--As of December 31 of the calendar year.

PRISONERS IN 2017 | APRIL 2019

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capacity and prisoner counts, characteristics, admissions, and releases. Tis report is the ninety-second in a series that began in 1926. Forty-eight states and the BOP reported NPS data for 2017, while data for New Mexico and North Dakota were obtained from other sources or were imputed (see Methodology).

Total prison population

Te number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction at year-end 2017 (1,489,400) decreased 8% (down 126,100 prisoners) from 2009, when the U.S. prison population peaked at 1,615,500 (table 1). Federal prisoners made up 12% of the total U.S. prison population at year-end 2017 and accounted for 33% of the decline in the total prison population. Te number of federal prisoners decreased from 189,200 at year-end 2016 to 183,100 at year-end 2017. Tis was the ffh consecutive year of population decline among federal prisoners.

States held 1,306,300 prisoners at year-end 2017, which was down 1% (12,600) from year-end 2016. A total of 29 states showed decreases in year-end prison populations from 2016 to 2017 (table 2). Te states with the largest declines in prisoners were Illinois (down 2,200), Louisiana (down 1,900), and Oklahoma (down 1,800). Of the 20 states that showed increases in prison populations from 2016, the states with the largest increases were California (up 960), Tennessee (up 780), and North Carolina (up 697). Maine had the same number of prisoners (2,404) at year-end 2016 as at year-end 2017.

Females made up 7% of the total prison population at year-end 2017. Te female population decreased by almost 470 prisoners from year-end 2016 (down 0.4%), while the male population decreased by almost 18,300 (down 1.3%). Twenty-fve states and the BOP showed decreases in their female prison populations at year-end 2017, with the largest decreases occurring in Texas (down almost 380 female prisoners) and Illinois (down 330). Te number of female prisoners increased from 2016 to 2017 in 25 states, with the largest increases occurring in Tennessee (up 290) and Indiana (up 210).

TABLE 1

Prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction and sex, 2007?2017

Year

Total

Federala

State

Male

Female

2007

1,596,835

199,618

1,397,217

1,482,524

114,311

2008

1,608,282

201,280

1,407,002

1,493,670

114,612

2009

1,615,487

208,118

1,407,369

1,502,002

113,485

2010

1,613,803

209,771

1,404,032

1,500,936

112,867

2011

1,598,968

216,362

1,382,606

1,487,561

111,407

2012

1,570,397

217,815

1,352,582

1,461,625

108,772

2013

1,576,950

215,866

1,361,084

1,465,592

111,358

2014

1,562,319

210,567

1,351,752

1,449,291

113,028

2015 2016b 2017c

1,526,603 1,508,129 1,489,363

196,455 189,192 183,058

1,330,148 1,318,937 1,306,305

1,415,112 1,396,296 1,378,003

111,491 111,833 111,360

Percent change

2007?2017

-6.7%

-8.3%

-6.5%

-7.1%

-2.6%

2016?2017

-1.2

-3.2

-1.0

-1.3

-0.4

Note: Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority of state or federal correctional ofcials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. Counts are for December 31 of each year. aIncludes prisoners held in non-secure, privately operated community corrections facilities and juveniles held in contract facilities. bCounts from 2016 have been revised based on updated numbers and may difer from numbers in past reports. Total and state estimates include imputed counts for North Dakota, which did not submit 2016 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) data. See Methodology. cTotal and state estimates for 2017 include imputed counts for New Mexico and North Dakota, which did not submit 2017 NPS data. See Methodology.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics, 2007?2017.

PRISONERS IN 2017 | APRIL 2019

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TABLE 2 Prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction and sex, 2016 and 2017

Jurisdiction

2016

2017

Total

Male Female

Total

Male

Female

Percent change, 2016?2017

Total

Male

Female

U.S. total Federala Stateb

Alabamac Alaskad

Arizona

Arkansas Californiae

Colorado Connecticutd Delawared

Florida

Georgia Hawaiid

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey New Mexicof

New York

North Carolina North Dakotaf,g

Ohio Oklahomae,h Oregone

Pennsylvania Rhode Islandd

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas Utahe Vermontd

Virginia

1,508,129

189,192

1,318,937

28,883

4,434 42,320 17,537

130,084 19,981

14,957

6,585 99,974 53,627

5,602 8,252 43,657 25,546 9,031 9,920 23,022 35,682 2,404 19,994 9,403 41,122 10,592 19,192 32,461 3,814 5,302 13,757 2,818 19,786

7,055 50,716 35,697

1,791 52,175

29,916

15,166 49,244

3,103 20,858 3,831 28,203 163,703

6,175

1,735 37,813

1,396,296

176,495

1,219,801

26,506

4,024 38,323 16,161

124,198 18,078

13,892

6,047 93,111 49,839

4,934 7,239 41,044 23,341 8,210 9,051 20,080 33,701 2,169 19,172 8,820 38,880 9,818 17,823 29,124 3,405 4,878 12,490 2,591 18,952

6,344 48,442 32,985

1,578 47,581

26,452

13,862 46,381

2,927 19,384 3,333 25,481 149,368

5,769

1,600 34,704

111,833 12,697 99,136 2,377

410 3,997 1,376 5,886 1,903 1,065

538 6,863 3,788

668 1,013 2,613 2,205

821 869 2,942 1,981 235 822 583 2,242 774 1,369 3,337 409 424 1,267 227 834

711 2,274 2,712

213 4,594 3,464 1,304 2,863

176 1,474

498 2,722 14,335

406

135 3,109

1,489,363

183,058

1,306,305

27,608

4,399 42,030 18,070

131,039 19,946

14,040

6,443 98,504 53,667

5,630 8,579 41,471 26,024 9,024 9,971 23,543 33,739 2,404 19,367 9,133 39,666 10,708 19,103 32,601 3,698 5,313 13,671 2,750 19,585

7,276 49,461 36,394

1,723 51,478

28,143

15,218 48,333

2,861 19,906 3,970 28,980 162,523

6,443

1,546 37,158

1,378,003

170,525

1,207,478

25,135

4,011 37,971 16,651

125,180 18,044

13,069

5,931 91,779 49,839

5,006 7,534 39,190 23,608 8,218 9,069 20,522 31,782 2,177 18,519 8,602 37,515 9,974 17,688 29,205 3,282 4,884 12,405 2,524 18,811

6,492 47,184 33,553

1,524 47,052

24,952

13,891 45,482

2,690 18,514 3,430 25,969 148,565

5,951

1,406 34,004

111,360 12,533 98,827 2,473

388 4,059 1,419 5,859 1,902

971

512 6,725 3,828

624 1,045 2,281 2,416

806 902 3,021 1,957 227 848 531 2,151 734 1,415 3,396 416 429 1,266 226 774

784 2,277 2,841

199 4,426 3,191 1,327 2,851

171 1,392

540 3,011 13,958

492

140 3,154

-1.2% -3.2% -1.0%

: -0.8 -0.7 3.0 0.7 -0.2 -6.1 -2.2 -1.5 0.1 0.5 4.0 -5.0 1.9 -0.1 0.5 2.3 -5.4 0.0 -3.1 -2.9 -3.5 1.1 -0.5 0.4 -3.0 0.2 -0.6 -2.4 -1.0

: -2.5 2.0

: -1.3 -5.9 0.3 -1.8 -7.8 -4.6 3.6 2.8 -0.7 4.3 -10.9 -1.7

-1.3% -3.4% -1.0%

: -0.3 -0.9 3.0 0.8 -0.2 -5.9 -1.9 -1.4 0.0 1.5 4.1 -4.5 1.1 0.1 0.2 2.2 -5.7 0.4 -3.4 -2.5 -3.5 1.6 -0.8 0.3 -3.6 0.1 -0.7 -2.6 -0.7

: -2.6 1.7

: -1.1 -5.7 0.2 -1.9 -8.1 -4.5 2.9 1.9 -0.5 3.2 -12.1 -2.0

-0.4% -1.3% -0.3%

: -5.4 1.6 3.1 -0.5 -0.1 -8.8 -4.8 -2.0 1.1 -6.6 3.2 -12.7 9.6 -1.8 3.8 2.7 -1.2 -3.4 3.2 -8.9 -4.1 -5.2 3.4 1.8 1.7 1.2 -0.1 -0.4 -7.2

: 0.1 4.8

: -3.7 -7.9 1.8 -0.4 -2.8 -5.6 8.4 10.6 -2.6 21.2 3.7 1.4

Continued on next page

PRISONERS IN 2017 | APRIL 2019

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TABLE 2 (continued) Prisoners under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction and sex, 2016 and 2017

Jurisdiction

2016 Total Male Female

2017

Total

Male

Female

Percent change, 2016?2017

Total

Male

Female

Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

19,104 17,446 1,658

19,656 17,914 1,742

2.9

2.7

5.1

7,162 6,286

876

7,092 6,274

818

-1.0

-0.2

-6.6

23,377 21,889 1,488

23,945 22,325 1,620

2.4

2.0

8.9

2,374 2,088

286

2,473 2,181

292

4.2

4.5

2.1

Note: Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority of state or federal correctional ofcials over a prisoner, regardless of where the prisoner is held. Counts are for December 31 of each year. :Not calculated. aIncludes prisoners held in non-secure, privately operated community corrections facilities and juveniles held in contract facilities. bTotal and state estimates include imputed counts for New Mexico and North Dakota, which did not submit 2017 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) data. See Methodology. cData from 2017 include ofenders with Class D felonies and parole revocations and should not be compared to 2016 data. dPrisons and jails form one integrated system. Data include total jail and prison populations. eState submitted updated 2016 population counts. fState did not submit 2017 NPS data. Counts were imputed for 2017 and should not be compared to 2016 counts. See Methodology. gState did not submit 2016 NPS data. Counts were imputed for 2016 and should not be compared to 2017 counts. See Methodology. hIncludes persons who were waiting in county jails to be moved to state prison. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics, 2016 and 2017.

Counting prisoners

In this report, counts of prisoners may vary depending on the type of population.

Most totals and trends are based on jurisdiction counts, which include all prisoners under the authority of state or federal correctional ofcials, regardless of where the prisoner is held.

Imprisonment rates are based on sentenced prisoners, which include persons who have received a court-ordered term of imprisonment of more than one year. (In all, 97% of prisoners are sentenced prisoners.)

Admissions and releases are based on prisoners sentenced to more than one year, except where noted.

Prisoners age 17 or younger are based on physical custody populations and exclude those held in private prisons, local jails, or facilities of other jurisdictions.

Non-U.S. citizens data are provided by jurisdictions and include the number of non-U.S. citizens in both state-operated and privately operated facilities. Unless otherwise noted, counts exclude non-U.S. citizens held in the custody of local jails or facilities of other jurisdictions. Prior to the collection of 2017 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) data, the counts of non-U.S. citizens excluded state prisoners held in private prisons, local jails, and facilities of other jurisdictions. As such, NPS data from 2017 should not be compared to previously published statistics on non-U.S. citizens.

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