Correctional Populations in the United States, 2020 – Statistical Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics ? Statistical Tables

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

March 2022, NCJ 303184

Correctional Populations in the United States, 2020 ? Statistical Tables

Rich Kluckow, DSW, and Zhen Zeng, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians

At yearend 2020, an estimated 5,500,600 persons were under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the United States, 11% fewer than at the same time the previous year (figure 1).1 This was the first time since 1996 that the total correctional population dropped to less than 5.6 million. About 1 in 47 adult U.S. residents (2.1%) were under some form of correctional supervision at the end of 2020, a decrease from 1 in 40 (2.5%) at the end of 2019.

This report summarizes data on populations supervised by probation or parole agencies and those incarcerated in state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails. (See Terms and definitions.)

1The total correctional, community supervision, and incarcerated populations exclude persons with dual correctional statuses to avoid double counting. See table 5 and Methodology.

FIGURE 1 Number of persons under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the United States, 2010?2020

Number (in millions) 8

Total correctional population 7

6 5 Community supervision population

4

3 Incarcerated population 2

1

0

2010 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20

Note: Estimates may differ from previously published statistics. See Methodology for more details. See Terms and definitions for more information and table 1 for counts. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, National Prisoner Statistics program, 2010?2020; Annual Survey of Jails, 2010?2018 and 2020; and Census of Jails, 2019.

Highlights

About 7 in 10 persons under correctional supervision were supervised in the community (3,890,400) at yearend 2020, while about 3 in 10 (1,691,600) were incarcerated in a state or federal prison or local jail.

The decline in the correctional population during 2020 was due to decreases in both the community supervision population (down 276,700 or 6.6%) and the incarcerated population (down 294,400 or 18.9%).

From 2010 to 2020, the correctional population decreased 22.4% (down 1,588,400 persons).

From 2010 to 2020, the decrease in the probation population accounted for 63.1% of the total decline in the correctional population.

Among persons under community supervision at yearend 2020, the majority were on probation (3,053,700), while a smaller portion were on parole (862,100).

During the past decade, the parole population was the only segment of the correctional population to increase, growing from 11.9% of those under correctional supervision in 2010 to 15.7% in 2020.

At yearend 2020, about 2,140 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents were under correctional supervision.

The incarceration rate dropped each year during the last decade, from 960 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents at yearend 2010 to 660 per 100,000 at yearend 2020.

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 are counted as adults, but persons age 17 or younger who were under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court or agency are excluded. Local jails, however, may hold persons age 17 or younger before or after they are adjudicated. (See Methodology for more details on prisoners and local jail inmates age 17 or younger.)

Average annual percent change--The compound annual growth rate, calculated by taking the natural log of the ratio of current year population to base year population, divided by elapsed time in years, and multiplied by 100.

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 correctional supervision rate) or U.S. residents age 18 or older (i.e., adult correctional supervision rate).

Dual correctional statuses--Estimated number of persons on probation or parole who were held in prisons or local jails, persons on parole who were also on probation, or persons in prison who were held in local jails.

Imprisonment rate--Estimated number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction sentenced to more than 1 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 2020 ? Statistical Tables, NCJ 302776, BJS, December 2021.)

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 appendix table 1.)

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 prerelease 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 1 year or less.

Military prison population--Estimated number of service personnel incarcerated under the jurisdiction of U.S. military correctional authorities. (See appendix table 1.)

Parole population--Estimated number of persons on parole 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. Persons on parole 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 persons with sentences of more than 1 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 the Bureau of Justice Statistics' 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

Continued on next page

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Terms and definitions (continued)

include 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; 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 held in private facilities are excluded from custody counts unless otherwise specified. (See appendix table 2.)

Probation population--Estimated number of persons on probation 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 1.)

List of tables

Table 1. Number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, by correctional status, 2010?2020

Table 2. Change in the number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, 2010?20

Table 3. Composition of the adult correctional system in the United States, by correctional status, 2010 and 2020

Table 4. Rate of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, by correctional status, 2010?2020

Table 5. Number of persons with dual correctional statuses at yearend, 2010?2020

List of figures

Figure 1. Number of persons under the supervision of adult correctional systems in the United States, 2010?2020

List of appendix tables

Appendix table 1. Number of persons incarcerated by other adult correctional systems, 2010, 2019, and 2020

Appendix table 2. Custody counts of adults in state or federal prisons or local jails, 2010, 2019, and 2020

Appendix table 3. Standard errors for local jail inmates at midyear, 2010?2020

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TablE 1

Number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, by correctional status, 2010?2020

Total correctional

Community supervision

Incarcerateda

Year

populationb

Totalc

Probation

Parole

Totald

Prison

Local jaile

2010

7,089,000

4,888,500

4,055,900

840,800

2,279,100

1,613,800

748,700

2011

6,994,500

4,818,300

3,973,800

855,500

2,252,500

1,599,000

735,600

2012

6,949,800

4,790,700

3,944,900

858,400

2,231,300

1,570,400

744,500

2013

6,899,700

4,749,800

3,912,900

849,500

2,222,500

1,577,000

731,200

2014

6,856,900

4,713,200

3,868,400

857,700

2,225,100

1,562,300

744,600

2015

6,740,300

4,650,900

3,789,800

870,500

2,172,800

1,526,600

727,400

2016

6,616,200

4,537,100

3,673,100

874,800

2,165,100

1,508,100

740,700

2017

6,549,700

4,508,900

3,647,200

875,000

2,153,600

1,489,200

745,200

2018

6,409,200

4,399,000

3,540,000

878,000

2,122,300

1,464,400

738,400

2019 2020f*

6,343,300

4,357,700

3,492,900

878,900

2,086,000

1,430,200

734,500

January 1 December 31

6,152,800 5,500,600

4,167,100 3,890,400

3,330,200 3,053,700

851,000 862,100

~ 1,691,600

~ 1,215,800

~ 549,100e

Average annual

percent change,

2010?2020

-2.5%

-2.3%

-2.8%

0.3%

-3.0%

-2.8%

-3.1%

Percent change

2010?2020 2019?2020g

-22.4% -10.6

-20.4%

-24.7%

2.5%

-6.6

-8.3

1.3

-25.8% -18.9

-24.7% -15.0

-26.7% -25.2

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for nonresponding jurisdictions. Estimates for 2019 and earlier may have been revised based on updated reporting and may differ from previously published statistics. Probation, parole, and prison counts for 2019 and earlier are for December 31. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and because estimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses (persons on probation or parole who were held in prisons or local jails, persons on parole who were also on probation, or persons in prison who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. Significance testing was conducted for local jail estimates because counts are based on a sample of jails in the Annual Survey of Jails from 2010 through 2018 and 2020. The 2019 local jails count is 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.

~Not applicable. aPersons who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or were held in local jails. bEstimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. cEstimates were adjusted to exclude persons on parole 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. eAll jail counts are for the last weekday in June. See appendix table 3 for standard errors. fThe total correctional population for January 1, 2020 is the sum of the total community supervision population for January 1, 2020, the total prison population for December 31, 2019, and the total jail population on the last weekday in June 2019, adjusted for the number of persons with dual correctional statuses as of December 31, 2019. The counts reported by community supervision agencies showed a decrease of 162,700 persons on probation and 27,900 persons on parole between December 31, 2019 and January 1, 2020. gThe 2019?2020 change for the community supervision population was calculated as the difference between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The change for the prison population was calculated as the difference between December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020. The change for the jail population was calculated as the difference between the last weekday in June 2019 and the last weekday in June 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, National Prisoner Statistics program, 2010?2020; Annual Survey of Jails, 2010?2018 and 2020; and Census of Jails, 2019.

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TablE 2

Change in the number of persons supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, 2010?20

Correctional population Total changeb

Probationc Prisonc,d Parolec Local jaile

2010?20

Change in population Percent of total changea

-1,588,400

--

-1,002,200

63.1%

-398,000

25.1

21,300

-1.3

-199,600

12.6

2019?20

Change in population Percent of total changea

-652,200

--

-276,500

42.4%

-214,300

32.9

11,100

-1.7

-185,400

28.4

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for nonresponding 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 (persons on probation or parole who were held in prisons or local jails, persons on parole who were also on probation, or persons in prison who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details.

--Not calculated. aDetails do not sum to 100% because the number of persons with dual correctional statuses was excluded from the total change to avoid double

counting. See Methodology for more details. bReflects the change in probation, prison, parole, and local jail populations minus the change in persons with dual correctional statuses to avoid double counting. From 2010 to 2020, the number of persons with dual correctional statuses increased by 9,800. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. cPopulation as of December 31, except for 2019?20, when the probation and parole changes were calculated as the difference between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. dIncludes persons who were under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons. ePopulation as of the last weekday in June.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, National Prisoner Statistics program, 2010 and 2019?20; Annual Survey of Jails 2010 and 2020; and Census of Jails, 2019.

TablE 3

Composition of the adult correctional system in the United States, by correctional status, 2010 and 2020

2010

2020

Correctional population Totala

Probationb Prisonb,c Paroleb Local jaild

Population

7,089,000 4,055,900 1,613,800

840,800 748,700

Percent of total population

100% 57.2 22.8 11.9 10.6

Population

5,500,600 3,053,700 1,215,800

862,100 549,100

Percent of total population

100% 55.5 22.1 15.7 10.0

Note: Counts are rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for nonresponding jurisdictions. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding and because estimates were adjusted to exclude persons with dual correctional statuses (persons on probation or parole who were held in prisons or local jails, persons on parole who were also on probation, or persons in prison who were held in local jails). See table 5 and Methodology for more details. aReflects probation, prison, parole, and local jail counts minus persons with dual correctional statuses to avoid double counting. There were 170,300 persons in 2010 and 180,100 persons in 2020 with dual correctional statuses. See table 5 and Methodology for more details. bPopulation as of December 31. cPersons 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, 2010 and 2020.

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