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

Prisoners in 2000


August 2001, NCJ 188207


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By Allen J. Beck, Ph.D.
and Paige M. Harrison
BJS Statisticians


--------------------------------------------------
Highlights 

                              Sentenced prisoner    Population housed as
                              Per 100,000           a percent of highest
Decem-     Number of inmates  resident population   capacity
ber 31      Federal  State     Federal  State        Federal  State
 
1990       65,526    708,379     20      272           --      115%
1995      100,250  1,025,624     32      379           126%    114
1999      135,246  1,228,455     42      434           132     101
2000      145,416  1,236,476     45      432           131     100

--Not available.

*  In the last 6 months of 2000, the State
prison population declined about 6,200
inmates (down 0.5%) -- the first measured
decline in the State prison population
since 1972.

*  Between January 1 and December 31,
2000, 13 States experienced decreases,
led by Massachusetts (down 5.6%),
followed by New Jersey (down 5.4%),
New York (down 3.7%) and Texas 
(down 3.2%). 

*  Five States -- Idaho (up 14.1%), 
North Dakota (14.1%), Mississippi 
(10.9%), Vermont (10.5%), and Iowa 
(10.0%)   had increases of at least 
10% in  2000.

*  California (163,001 inmates), 
Texas (157,997), and the Federal 
system (145,416) together held 1 
in every 3 prisoners in the Nation.  
The 10 States with the smallest 
prison systems, each holding fewer 
than 4,000 inmates, together held 
less than 2% of the Nation's
prisoners.

*  At yearend 2000, privately operated
facilities housed 87,369 inmates 
(5.8% of State and 10.7% of Federal 
inmates); local jails housed 63,140 
State and Federal inmates (4.6% of 
all prisoners).

*  On December 31, 2000, State prisons
were operating between full capacity and
15% above capacity, while Federal
prisons were operating at 31% above
capacity.

*  Between June 30, 1990, and June 30,
2000, when complete censuses of prison
facilities were conducted, the number 
of State adult correctional facilities 
increased 351.  At midyear 2000, there 
were 1,320 State adult facilities, 84 
Federal facilities, and 264 privately 
operated facilities. During the decade, 
States added more than 528,000 beds 
(up 81%). 

*  At yearend 2000, 91,612 women were
in State or Federal prisons -- 6.6% of 
all prison inmates.  Since 1990 the number 
of male prisoners has grown 77% (reaching
1,290,280 in 2000), while the number of
female prisoners has increased 108%. 

*  Among the more than 1.3 million
sentenced inmates at yearend, an
estimated 428,300 were black males
between the ages of 20 and 39.  At
yearend 2000, 9.7% of black males 
age 25 to 29 were in prison, compared 
to 2.9% of Hispanic males and 1.1% 
of white males in the same age group.
----------------------------------------------

The total number of prisoners under the
jurisdiction of Federal or State  adult
correctional authorities was 1,381,892 at
yearend 2000.  During the year the States
and the District of Columbia added 8,021
prisoners, and the Federal prison system
added 10,170 prisoners.  Overall, the
Nation's prison population grew 1.3%,
which was less than the average annual
growth of 6.0% since 1990.  During 2000
the prison population rose at the lowest
rate since 1972 and had the smallest
absolute increase since 1980. 

The rate of incarceration in prison at
yearend 2000 was 478 sentenced inmates
per 100,000 U.S. residents -- up from 292
in 1990.  About 1 in every 109 men and 1
in every 1,695 women were sentenced
prisoners under the jurisdiction of State 
or Federal authorities.

Overall, the United States incarcerated
2,071,686 persons at yearend 2000. This
total represents persons held in -- 
-- Federal and State prisons
  (1,312,354, which excludes State and
   Federal prisoners in local jails)
-- territorial prisons (16,130)
-- local jails (621,149)
-- facilities operated by or exclusively
   for the U.S. Immigration and
   Naturalization Service (8,894)
-- military facilities (2,420) 
-- jails in Indian country (1,775)
-- juvenile facilities (108,965 as of
   October 1999). 

More than 1.9 million in prisons 
and local jails 

On December 31, 2000, 1,312,354 inmates 
were in the custody of State and Federal 
prison authorities, and 621,149 were in 
the custody of local jail authorities. 
Since yearend 1999 the total incarcerated
population has increased by 40,388. 
Including inmates in public and privately
operated facilities, the number of inmates
in State prisons increased 1.5% during
2000; the number in Federal prisons,
6.6%; and in local jails, 2.5%.  During
2000 the total  incarcerated population
grew 2.1% -- less than half the annual
average (5.3%) since 1990. 

The rate of incarceration in prison and 
jail was 699 inmates per 100,000 residents 
in 2000 up from 458 in 1990.  At yearend
2000, 1 in every 143 U.S. residents were
incarcerated in State or Federal prison or
a local  jail. 

U.S. prison population rose 1.3%
during 2000 -- the smallest annual
growth rate since 1972

The 2000 growth in the number of inmates
under State or Federal jurisdiction 
(1.3%) was significantly lower than the
percentage increase recorded during
1999 (3.4%) and the lowest annual rate
recorded since 1972.  The population
under the jurisdiction of State and 
Federal authorities increased by 18,191 
inmates during 2000, significantly lower 
than in 1999 (up 43,796).  Since yearend 
1990 the prison population has grown an
average of 60,799 per year, for an
increase of 607,987 in 10 years.

Since 1995 the overall growth of the
Nation's prison population has steadily
slowed.  Annual growth rates peaked in
1994 (at 8.7%) and then began to decrease.  
In absolute numbers, however, the annual 
growth in the population under State and 
Federal jurisdiction has exceeded 50,000 
new inmates in every year during the 
1990's except in 1999 and 2000.

In the last 6 months of 2000, 
the State prison population 
declined  about 6,200 inmates 

Between July 1, 2000, and December 31,
2000, the number of inmates under State
jurisdiction dropped 0.5% (from 
1,242,719 at midyear to 1,236,476 at 
yearend).  This was the first measured 
decline in the State prison population 
since 1972.  At the same time the Federal 
population continued to grow (up 2.0% 
from midyear 2000).  In the last 6 months 
of 2000, the Federal population rose 2,886, 
compared to an increase of 7,284 inmates 
in the first 6 months. 

Prisoners under the jurisdiction of
State or Federal correctional authorities,
1998-2000

Date            State*       Federal
12/31/98      1,177,532      123,041
06/30/99      1,224,404      130,378
12/31/99      1,228,455      135,246
06/30/00      1,242,719      142,530
12/31/00      1,236,476      145,416
 
*See Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear
2000 (NCJ 185989) for State counts for
June 30, 1999 and 2000.

Sentenced Federal inmate 
population rose 9.4% during 
the last 12 months 

Prisoners with sentences of more than 1
year ("sentenced prisoners") represented
97% of the total State prison population
and 86% of the Federal prison population
at yearend 2000.  During the 12-month
period, the sentenced prison population
grew 1.3%.  The remaining prisoners had
sentences of a year or less or were
currently unsentenced.

While the 12-month growth of the State
sentenced prison population was 0.5%,
the sentenced Federal prison population
grew 9.4%.  The rate in 2000 was down
only slightly from the 10.2% increase
during 1999.  During 2000, the Federal
prison system added 10,769 sentenced
prisoners -- the equivalent of more than
200 new inmates per week.

----------------------------------- 
Prison incarceration rates have 
risen sharply since 1990

On December 31, 2000, the number of
sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S.
residents was 478.  Of the 13 States 
with rates greater than that for the 
Nation, 9 were in the South, 2 were in 
the West, and 2 were in the Midwest.  
Three States -- Minnesota (128), Maine 
(129), and North Dakota (158) -- had 
rates that were less than a third the 
national rate.  The District of Columbia, 
a wholly urban jurisdiction, held 971 
sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents.  
The number of sentenced inmates in the 
District of Columbia dropped 26% during 
2000, as a result of an ongoing transfer 
of responsibility for sentenced felons
to the Federal system.

Since 1990 the number of sentenced
prisoners per 100,000 residents has 
risen from 292 to 478.  During this 
period, incarceration rates rose most 
in the South (from 316 to 539) and West 
(from 277 to 423).  The rate in the 
Midwest rose from 239 to 371, and the 
rate in the Northeast grew from 232 to 
320.  The number of sentenced Federal 
prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents 
increased from 20 to 45.

Five States reported increases of at
least 10% during 2000; 13 States
reported decreases

Between January 1 and December 31,
Idaho and North Dakota experienced the 
largest increase (up 14.1%), followed by 
Mississippi (10.9%), Vermont (10.5%), 
and Iowa (10.0%).  Thirteen States and 
the District of Columbia experienced a 
decline in prison populations.  The 
District of Columbia had the largest 
decline (down 13.8%), followed by 
Massachusetts (down 5.6%), New Jersey 
(down 5.4%), New York (down 3.7%), 
and Texas (down 3.2%).

In absolute numbers of inmates, only 2
jurisdictions grew by at least 2,000.  The
Federal system (up 10,170), experienced
the largest growth, followed by Georgia
(up 2,141).  These two jurisdictions
accounted for more than two-thirds of the
total growth during 2000.

Since 1990 the sentenced inmate
population in State prisons has grown
72%.  During this period 10 States more
than doubled their sentenced inmate
populations, led by Idaho (up 182%),
Texas (up 164%),  and West Virginia (up
142%).  Between 1990 and 2000 the
Federal system reported an increase of
148% -- 74,641 additional inmates with
sentences of more than 1 year. 
------------------------------------

Among States, Louisiana had 
the highest incarceration rate;       
Minnesota, the lowest

At yearend 2000 the 10 jurisdictions with
the largest prison populations had under
their jurisdiction 827,842 inmates, or 60%
of the Nation's total prison population. 
California (163,001), Texas (157,997),
and the Federal system (145,416)
accounted for a third of the population. 
The 10 States with the smallest prison
populations each held fewer than 4,000
inmates.  Collectively, these States held
1.8% of the Nation=s total prison
population.

Louisiana had the highest prison
incarceration rate (801 sentenced inmates
per 100,000 residents), followed by Texas
(730), Mississippi (688), and Oklahoma
(685).  Five States had prison
incarceration rates below 200, led by
Minnesota (128), Maine (129), and North
Dakota (158).

Since 1990 two States had average
annual prison population increases of at
least 10%:  Idaho (10.9%) and Texas
(10.2%).  Ten States had average annual
growth rates of less than 4%, led by
Maine (1.0%),  Alaska (1.4%) and
Massachusetts (1.8%). 

Female prisoner population more 
than doubled since 1990

During 2000 the number of women under
the jurisdiction of State or Federal 
prison authorities increased 1.2%, 
slightly below the increase in the number 
of men (up 1.3%).  At yearend 91,612 women 
and 1,290,280 men were in State or Federal 
prisons.

Since 1990 the annual rate of growth of
the female inmate population has
averaged 7.6%, higher than the 5.9%
average increase in the number of male
inmates.  While the total number 
of male prisoners has grown 77% since
1990, the number of female prisoners 
has increased 108%.  By yearend 2000
women accounted for 6.6% of all
prisoners nationwide, up from 5.7% in
1990. 

Relative to their number in the U.S.
resident population, men were about 15
times more likely than women to be
incarcerated in a State or Federal prison. 
At yearend 2000 there were 59 sentenced
female inmates per 100,000 women in the
United States, compared to 915
sentenced male inmates per 100,000
men.

-----------------------------------------
Over a third of all female prisoners were
held in the 3 largest jurisdictions:  Texas
(12,245), California (11,161), and the
Federal system (10,245).  Oklahoma (with
138 sentenced female inmates per 100,000 
female State residents), Mississippi (105), 
and Texas and Lousiana (both with 100) 
had the highest female incarceration rates. 
Massachusetts (with 7 sentenced female 
prisoners per 100,000 female residents), 
Maine (10), and Rhode Island (12) had 
the lowest incarceration rates.

Since 1990 the female prisoner population
has grown at an annual average rate of at
least 10% in 17 States.  Texas reported
the highest average annual increase in
female prisoners (18.7%), followed by
Idaho (15.2%), Montana (14.9%) and
West Virginia (14.8%).  The District of
Columbia, which is transferring 
responsibility for its sentenced felons 
to the Federal system, was the only 
jurisdiction to report fewer female prisoners 
since 1990. However, in 2000 the District 
of Columbia recorded a 29% increase in 
the number of female inmates, primarily 
unsentenced or with sentences of 1 year 
or less.

Privately operated prisons held over
87,000 State and Federal inmates in
2000

At yearend 2000, 31 States, the District 
of Columbia, and the Federal system
reported a total of 87,369 prisoners held 
in privately operated facilities.  These 
private facilities held 5.8% of all State 
prisoners and 10.7% of Federal prisoners.
  
Among States, Texas (with 13,985 State
inmates housed in private facilities) and
Oklahoma (with 6,931) reported the largest 
number in 2000.  Five States   New Mexico 
(40%), Alaska (33%), Montana (32%), Oklahoma 
(30%), Hawaii (24%), and Wisconsin (21%) 
-- had at least 20% of their prison population 
housed in private facilities.  

Except  for Wisconsin (with 21% of its
State inmates in private facilities), 
North Dakota (with 9%), and New Jersey 
(with 8%), the use of private facilities 
was concentrated among Southern and Western 
States.  Overall, 8.3% of State inmates 
in the South and 5.9% in the West were 
in privately operated facilities at the 
end of 2000.
------------------------------------------

Local jails held more than 63,000 
State prisoners 

At the end of 2000, 34 States, the District
of Columbia, and the Federal system
reported a total of 63,140 State and
Federal prisoners held in local jails or
other facilities operated by county or local
authorities.  These inmates held in local
jails represented 4.6% of all prisoners in
2000.  Approximately 10% of inmates in
local jails were being held for State or
Federal prison authorities.

Louisiana had the largest percentage of
its State inmate population housed in local
jails, 44%.  Three other States -- Kentucky
(26%), Tennessee (24%), and West Virginia 
(21%) -- had at least  20% of their
population housed in local jail facilities.

In addition to housing inmates in privately
operated facilities and local jails (within
their own State and elsewhere), 35 States
and the District of Columbia reported
placing inmates in Federal facilities and 
in other State-operated facilities.  On
December 31, 2000, 7,243 prisoners
nationwide were held under such
arrangements -- representing less than
1% of all State prisoners.  California
placed the most inmates (624), followed
by Connecticut (470) and Wisconsin
(426).  Vermont (23%) and the District of
Columbia (17%) had more than 10% of
their prison population housed in facilities
of other States or the Federal system.

Prison capacity measures vary

Prison capacity and the extent of crowding
are difficult to determine because of the
absence of uniform measures for defining
capacity.  Jurisdictions apply a variety 
of capacity measures to reflect both the
available space to house inmates and the
ability to staff and operate an institution. 
To estimate the capacity of their prisons,
jurisdictions were asked to supply three
measures for yearend 2000:  rated,
operational, and design capacities.

These measures were defined as follows:

Rated capacity is the number of beds or
inmates assigned by a rating official to
institutions within the jurisdiction.

Operational capacity is the number of
inmates that can be accommodated,
based on a facility's staff, existing
programs, and services.

Design capacity is the number of inmates
that planners or architects intended for the
facility. 

Of the 51 reporting jurisdictions, 29
supplied a rated capacity; 43, an
operational capacity; and 33, a design
capacity.  Twenty-two jurisdictions
provided only 1 measure or the same
figure for each measure they reported. 
For the 29 jurisdictions with more than 
1 reported type of capacity, estimates 
of population as a percent of capacity 
are based on the highest and lowest 
figures provided.

--------------------------------------
Twenty-two States and Federal system
operating at or above capacity

Prisons generally require reserve capacity
to operate efficiently.  Dormitories and
cells need to be maintained and repaired
periodically, special housing is needed 
for protective custody and disciplinary 
cases, and space may be needed to cope 
with emergencies.

At yearend 2000, 27 States and the
District of Columbia reported that they
were operating at or below 99% of their
highest capacity.  Twenty-one States and
the Federal prison system reported
operating at 100% or more of their highest
capacity.  Florida, which was operating at
81% of its highest capacity, reported the
lowest percent of capacity occupied.
California, operating at 94% over its
lowest reported capacity, had the highest
percent of capacity occupied.

By yearend 2000 the Federal prison
system was operating at 31% over capacity, 
decreasing since yearend 1999 (32%).  
Overall, State prisons in 2000 were 
operating at their highest capacity and 
15% above their lowest capacity.

States added 351 adult correctional
facilities and more than 528,000
prison beds during the decade

On June 30, 2000, based on the Census
of State and Federal Adult Correctional
Facilities, there were 1,558 public and
private adult correctional facilities
housing State prisoners.  In addition,
there were 84 Federal facilities and 26
private facilities that housed primarily
inmates for Federal authorities. Since 
the 1990 census, the number of State 
correctional facilities increased by 351, 
up from 1,207 in 1990. (See Methodology 
for census definitions and coverage.) 

Through new construction of public and
private facilities and expansion of
existing facilities, States added 528,274
beds.  Overall, based on the number of
beds assigned by rating officials to each
facility, the rated capacity of State public
and private prisons rose 81% during the
decade.

Prison construction was the greatest in
Texas (with the addition of 109,975
beds) and California (with 73,005 more
beds), Florida (28,550) and Georgia
(25,812).  Together, these four States
accounted for nearly 45% of the added
capacity of State prisons nationwide.

Two States, Colorado and Texas, more
than tripled their rated capacities. 
Colorado, with the addition of 33 public
and private facilities, and Texas, with
construction of the State jail system and
84 new facilities, led the Nation in the
expansion of capacity.  Thirteen other
States experienced at least a doubling of
their public and private prison
capacities.  Two States -- Maine (up
18%) and New York (up 22%) -- had
increases in rated capacity of less than
25%.
-----------------------------------------

At yearend  2000 U.S. military 
authorities held 2,420 prisoners 
in 62 facilities

About 79% of prisoners held by the Army,
Air Force,  Navy, and Marine Corps were
convicted inmates;  21% were
unconvicted persons whose cases had
not been tried.  Fifty-six percent of the
prisoners (1,346) had sentences of 1 year
or more.

At yearend 2000 the Army's Disciplinary
Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and
five other local or regional Army facilities
held the largest share (41%) of all inmates
under military jurisdiction.  The 11 Navy
facilities held nearly 32% of all inmates;
the 6 Marine Corps facilities held 23% of
all inmates; and the 39 Air Force facilities
held 4% of all inmates.

The operational capacity of the 62 military
confinement facilities totaled 4,488.  At
yearend 2000 these facilities were operating 
at 54% of their operational capacity.

U.S. Territories held 16,130 
inmates in 2000

The U.S. Territories and Commonwealths
-- American Samoa, Guam, Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and Virgin
Islands -- reported 16,130 inmates under
the jurisdiction of their prison systems at
yearend 2000 -- a decrease of 12.3%
since 1999.  

Prisoners with a sentence of more than 1
year totaled 11,916 (or nearly three-
quarters of the total territorial prison 
population).  Since 1995, the number 
of sentenced prisoners held in U.S.
Territories has grown 27%, compared to
the 19% increase in the number of
sentenced State prisoners. 

Relative to the resident populations in the
Territories, the rate of incarceration was
275 prisoners per 100,000 residents --
nearly two-thirds of the combined rate of
the 50 States and the District of Columbia. 
Of the 5 Territories, the Northern Mariana
Islands had the lowest prison incarceration 
rate (71 inmates per 100,000 residents), 
while the U.S. Virgin Islands (with 292) 
had the highest rate.

Puerto Rico, the largest of the Territories,
had the most sentenced prisoners (11,075
at yearend 2000), down from 11,933 in
1999.  In 2000, 22 States and the District
of Columbia had fewer sentenced inmates
than Puerto Rico; 13 States had equal or
lower incarceration rates.

More black males than white males
among State and Federal inmates at
yearend 2000

         Percent of prisoners under
         State or Federal jurisdiction*
                1990       2000
 
Total          100.0%     100.0%
White           35.6       35.7
Black           44.5       46.2
Hispanic        17.4       16.4
Other            2.5        1.7
 
*Based on inmates with sentences of more than
1 year.  Yearend 2000 counts were  based on
custody counts  from NPS-1A  and updated from
sentenced jurisdiction counts by gender.

At yearend 2000 black inmates
represented an estimated 46% of all in-
mates with sentences of more than 1
year, while white inmates accounted for
36% and Hispanic inmates, 16%.  

Although the total number of sentenced
inmates rose sharply (up 77% between
1990 and 2000), there were only small
changes in the racial and Hispanic
composition of the inmate population.  
At yearend 2000, black males (572,900)
outnumbered white males (436,500) and
Hispanic males (206,900) among inmates
with sentences of more than 1 year. More
than 46% of all sentenced inmates were
black males. 

Nearly 10% of black males, 
age 25-29, in prison in 2000

When incarceration rates are estimated
separately by age group, black males in
their twenties and thirties are found to
have high rates relative to other groups. 
Expressed in terms of percentages, 9.7%
of black non-Hispanic males age 25 to 29
were in prison in 2000, compared to 2.9%
of Hispanic males and about 1.1% of
white males in the same age group. 
Although incarceration rates drop with
age, the percentage of black males age
45 to 54 in prison in 2000 was still nearly
2.7% -- only slightly lower than the highest
rate (2.9%) among Hispanic males (age
25 to 29) and more than twice the highest
rate (1.2%) among white males (age 30 to
34).

Female incarceration rates, though
substantially lower than male
incarceration rates at every age, reveal
similar racial and ethnic disparities.

Black non-Hispanic females (with an
incarceration rate of 205 per 100,000)
were more than 3 times as likely as
Hispanic females (60 per 100,000) and 6
times more likely than white non- Hispanic
females (34 per 100,000) to be in prison in
2000.  These differences among white,
black, and Hispanic females were
consistent across all age groups. 

Growth linked to increasing number of
inmates in State prison for violent and
drug offenses

Between 1990 and 1999 the distribution of
the four major offense categories --
violent, property, drug, and public-order
offenses -- changed slightly among State
prisoners. The percent held for property
and drug offenses dropped while the
percent held for public-order offenses
rose. 

              Percent of sentenced
              State inmates
                1990   1999
 
   Total        100%   100%
Violent          46     48
Property         25     21
Drug             22     21
Public-order      7     10
     
In absolute numbers, an estimated
570,000 inmates in State prison at
yearend 1999 were held for violent
offenses, 161,800 for robbery, 141,500
for murder, 115,100 for assault, and
109,000 for rape and other sexual
assaults.  In addition, 245,000 inmates
were held for property offenses, 251,200
for drug offenses, and 120,600 for
public-order offenses.

Overall, the largest growth in State
inmates between 1990 and 1999 was
among violent offenders.  During the
9-year period, the number of violent
offenders grew 254,100, while the
number of drug offenders grew 101,500. 
As a percentage of the total growth,
violent offenders accounted for 51% of
the growth; drug offenders 20%;
property offenders 14%; and
public-order offenders 15%. 

Sources of growth differ among men
and women and among white, black,
and Hispanic inmates

The increasing number of violent
offenders accounted for the 53% of 
the total growth among male inmates and
28% among female inmates.  Drug
offenders accounted for the largest 
source of the total growth among female 
inmates (35%), compared to 19% among 
male inmates.  The increasing number of
property offenses accounted for a slightly
higher percent of the growth among
female inmates (21%) than male inmates 
(13%). Although the number of public-order 
offenders rose sharply, they accounted 
for only 15% of the total growth among 
male inmates and 16% of the growth among 
female inmates.

The sources of population growth also
differed among white, black, and Hispanic
prisoners. Overall, the increasing number
of drug offenses accounted for 27% of the
total growth among black inmates, 15% of
the total growth among Hispanic inmates,
and 14% of the growth among white inmates.  
Violent offenders accounted for the largest 
source of growth for all groups -- among 
white State inmates (47%), black inmates 
(50%), and Hispanic inmates (58%). 

Changing Federal prison population
related to drugs, weapons, and
immigration violations

Prisoners sentenced for drug offenses
constitute the largest group of Federal
inmates (61%) in 1999, up from 53% in
1990. On September 30, 1999, the date 
of the latest available data in the 
Federal Justice Statistics Program, 
Federal prisons held 68,360 sentenced drug 
offenders, compared to 30,470 at yearend 
1990. Between 1990 and 1999, the number 
of Federal inmates held for immigration 
offenses increased 488%, and the number 
held for weapons offenses increased 209%.  
The number of immigration offenders rose 
from 1,728 in 1990 to 10,156 in 1999; 
weapons offenders rose from 3,073 to 
9,494.  By September 30, 1999, weapons 
offenders represented 10.3% of Federal 
inmates and immigration violators 13.6%.

Although the number of robbers showed
an increase of 81% between 1990 and 1999, 
the increase was offset by a decline
of 21% among other violent offenders
(such as inmates held for assault and 
sex offenses).  Overall, the percentage 
of violent Federal inmates declined from
17% to 11%.

While the number of offenders in each
major offense category increased, the
number incarcerated for a drug offense
accounted for the largest percentage of 
the total growth (61%).  Public-order 
offenders accounted for 29% of the 
increase; violent offenders, 6%, and 
property offenders, 1%.  

Methodology
 
National Prisoner Statistics

The Bureau of Justice Statistics 
(BJS), with the U.S. Census Bureau 
as its collection agent, obtains yearend 
and midyear counts of prisoners from
departments of correction in each of the
50 States, the District of Columbia, and
the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  In an
effort to collect comparable data from all
jurisdictions, National Prisoner Statistics
(NPS) distinguishes prisoners in custody
from those under jurisdiction.  To have
custody of a prisoner, a State must hold
that person in one of its facilities.  To 
have jurisdiction means that a State has 
legal authority over the prisoner.  
Prisoners under a State=s jurisdiction 
may be in the custody of a local jail, 
another State's prison, or other 
correctional facility.  Some States are 
unable to provide both custody and 
jurisdiction counts.  (See NPS 
jurisdiction notes.)

Excluded from NPS counts are persons
confined in locally administered
confinement facilities who are under 
the jurisdiction of local authorities.  
NPS counts include all inmates in
State-operated facilities in Alaska,
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode
Island, and Vermont, which have
combined jail-prison systems.

2000 Census of State and Federal 
Adult Correctional Facilities

The 2000 census was the sixth enumeration 
of State institutions and the second of 
Federal institutions conducted by the 
Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Earlier
censuses were completed in 1974, 1979,
1984, 1990 and 1995.  

Facilities were included in the census if
they had separate staffs; housed primarily
State or Federal prisoners; were physically, 
functionally, and administratively separate; 
and operational on June 30, 2000.  Data 
were collected from all facilities, resulting 
in a final response rate of 100%.

The census included the following types of
adult correctional facilities: prisons and
penitentiaries; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification
centers; road camps, forestry and conservation 
camps; youthful offender facilities (except 
in California; vocational training facilities; 
prison hospital; drug and alcohol treatment 
facilities; and State-operated local detention 
facilities (in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, 
Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont).

Facilities were classified as community
based if 50% or more of their inmates are
regularly permitted to leave unaccompanied 
or if their primary function was community 
corrections.  Such facilities included 
halfway houses and restitution, prerelease, 
work release, and study release centers.  
Correctional facilities were classified 
as confinement facilities if fewer than 
50% of the inmates are regularly permitted 
to leave unaccompanied.  

Military Corrections Statistics

BJS obtains yearend counts of prisoners
in the custody of U.S. military authorities
from the Department of Defense
Corrections Council.  In 1994 the council,
comprised of representatives from each
branch of military service, adopted a
standardized report (DD Form 2720) with
a common set of items and definitions. 
This report provides information on
persons held in U.S. military confinement
facilities inside and outside the continental
United States, by branch of service, sex,
race, Hispanic origin, conviction status,
sentence length, and offense.  It also
includes data on the number of facilities,
and their design and rated capacities. 

Estimating age-specific incarceration 
rates

The number of sentenced prisoners within
each age group was estimated for men,
women, whites, blacks, and Hispanics. 
Estimates for 1999 were produced by
combining data from NPS and from the
1997 Surveys of Inmates in State and
Federal Correctional Facilities.  The
following procedures were used:

1.  To obtain estimates of the number of
sentenced State and Federal inmates by
sex, race, and Hispanic origin in each
year, NPS midyear 2000 custody counts
for men and women were used.  These
counts of State and Federal inmates were
multiplied by the proportion white, black,
Hispanic, or other race as estimated from
the State and Federal inmate surveys in
1997.  The estimates were then adjusted
to equal the number of sentenced inmates
by sex in State and Federal prisons as
reported in NPS for yearend 2000. 

2.  To obtain estimates by age in each
year, age distributions for each
demographic group were drawn from the
State and Federal prison inmate surveys. 
These percentages were then multiplied
by the number of sentenced inmates for
each group defined by sex, race, and
Hispanic origin.

3.  Estimates of the U.S. resident
population for July 1, 2000, were obtained
from the U.S. Census Bureau.  (See U.S.
Population Estimates, by Age, Sex, Race,
and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 1995,
PPL-41, and updates for 2000.)  These
data were then adjusted for the 1990
decennial census, using the 1990 Post
Enumeration Survey.  

4.  Age-specific rates of incarceration 
for each demographic group were calculated
by dividing the estimated number of sentenced 
prisoners in each age group by the number 
of U.S. residents in each age group and 
then multiplying by 100,000.

NPS jurisdiction notes

Alabama -- Population counts are for
September 30, 1999, and December 31,
2000.

Capacity figures exclude  community
programs.

Alaska -- Prisons and jails form one
integrated system.  All NPS data include
jail and prison populations.

Arizona -- Population counts are based
on custody data.  Counts exclude 219 
sentenced males and 18 sentenced females 
housed in local jails who were awaiting 
transfer to the DOC.

Operational capacity excludes temporary
beds and double bunks used in situations
of crowding.

Arkansas -- Only one type of capacity,
set by the Board of Corrections and
Community Punishment, is reported.  

California -- Population counts include
felons and civil addicts who are
temporarily absent, such as in court, 
jail or hospital.

Colorado -- Population counts include
2,099 male inmates in Colorado private
contract facilities.

Capacity figures exclude Bent County
Correctional Center, Huerfano
Correctional Center, Crowley County
Correctional Center, and Kit Carson
Correctional Center.   

Connecticut -- Prisons and jails form one
integrated system.  All NPS data include
jail and prison populations.

Legislation in 1995 abolished the capacity
law so that  prisons no longer have a
rated or operational capacity.  Design
capacity is recorded separately in each
facility.

Delaware -- Prisons and jails form one
integrated system.  All NPS data include
jail and prison populations.

Capacity counts include Department of
Correction halfway houses. 

District of Columbia -- Prisons and jails
form one integrated system.  All NPS data
include jail and prison populations.

Design capacity is no longer meaningful
because of the prison closure program.

Federal -- Custody counts exclude
offenders housed in community
corrections centers (6,143 on December
14, 2000) and offenders under home
confinement (1,591).

Rated capacity excludes contract beds.

Florida -- Population counts are based 
on custody data.

Rated capacity is the maximum safe
capacity.

Georgia -- Population counts are based
on custody data.

Facilities in Georgia are not given rated 
or design capacities. 

Hawaii -- Prisons and jails form one
integrated system.  All NPS data include
jail and prison populations.

Idaho -- Rated capacity is defined as
100% of the maximum capacity; 
operational capacity as 95% of the
maximum (except in one facility which 
is 100%).

Capacity excludes 235 "non-bed"
offenders awaiting a parole hearing on
December 31, 2000, and 246 "non-bed"
offenders on December 31, 1999.

Illinois -- Population counts are based 
on custody data.

Population counts of inmates with a
sentence of more than 1 year include an
undetermined number  with a sentence of
1 year.

Capacity figures include 822 inmates on
electronic detention.

Iowa -- Population counts are based on
custody data.

Population counts of inmates with a
sentence of more than 1 year include an
undetermined number  with a sentence of
1 year or less.

Kansas -- Population counts of inmates
with a sentence of more than 1 year
include an undetermined number with a
sentence of 1 year or less.

Louisiana -- Operational capacity is
based on day-to-day operations.  Rated
and operational capacities include
contractual work release facilities.

Population counts include 14,347 males
and 1,252 females housed in local jails as
a results of a partnership with the
Louisiana Sheriff's Association and local
authorities.

Maryland -- Design capacity is no longer
reported because of renovations and
other changes. Operational capacity  was
estimated by applying a percentage to the
population count on December 31, 2000.

Massachusetts -- By law, offenders may
be sentenced to terms of up to 2 1/2 years
in locally operated jails.  Such offenders
are included in counts and rates for local
jails.  About 6,200 inmates with sentences
of more than 1 year were held in local jails
in 2000.

Michigan -- Population counts are based
on jurisdiction data, excluding 286
inmates held in local jails.  

Operational capacity includes institution
and camp net capacities and populations
in community programs.

Mississippi --  Operation and design
capacities include private prison
capacities.

Missouri --  Design capacities are not
available for older prisons.  Operational
capacity is defined as the number of
available beds including those temporarily
off-line.
 
Nebraska -- Operational capacity is
defined as stress capacity (or 125% of
design capacity), which is ordered by 
the governor and set by the Department 
of Corrections.

Nevada -- Population counts are for
January 9, 2001.

Rated capacity is defined as emergency
capacity. Design capacity is defined as
one bed per cell. Capacity figures include
500 beds in a private facility.

New Jersey -- Rated and operational
capacity figures are not maintained.

Population counts of inmates with a
sentence of more than 1 year include an
undetermined number  with a sentence of
1 year.

New Mexico -- Capacity figures include
the maximum number of contracted beds
in private facilities.

North Carolina -- Operational capacity
has been eliminated due to a legislative
cap.

North Dakota -- Capacity figures include
a new facility opened in 1998 and double
bunking in the State Penitentiary.

Ohio -- Population counts of inmates with
a sentence of more than 1 year include an
undetermined number with a sentence of
1 year or less.

Oklahoma -- Population counts of
inmates with a sentence of more than 1
year include an undetermined number
with a sentence of 1 year or less.

Capacity figures include private prisons
and contract jails.

Oregon -- Under a new law, inmates with
under  a 1 year maximum sentence remain 
under the control of local counties.

Rated and design capacities are not
recognized.

Pennsylvania -- Reported capacities are
single-cell capacities. Operational
capacity is based on multiple occupancy.

Rhode Island -- Prisons and jails form
one integrated system.  All NPS data
include jail and prison populations.

South Carolina -- Population counts
include unsentenced inmates on Youthful
Offender Act observation status, of which
there were none on December 31, 2000.

South Dakota -- Operational capacity is
planned capacity.  Rated and design
capacities are not recognized.  

Tennessee -- Population counts of
inmates with a sentence of more than 1
year include an undetermined number
with a sentence of 1 year.

Texas -- Population counts of inmates
with a sentence of more than 1 year
include an undetermined number with a
sentence of 1 year or less.

Capacity figures include public, privately
operated and county contracted facilities
that are state funded.

Vermont -- Prisons and jails form one
integrated system.  All NPS data include
jail and prison populations.

Population counts are jurisdiction counts
that include inmates housed in other
States but exclude inmates on furlough or
intermediate sanctions.

Virginia -- Rated, operational, and design
capacity are calculated using an operational 
capacity method in which all inmates housed 
in a cell are counted. 

Washington -- A recently revised law
allows increasing numbers of inmates with
sentences of less than 1 year to be
housed in prison.

Wisconsin -- Counts exclude temporary
probation or parole placements and
persons on escape status.  Counts
include Alternatives to Revocation (ATRs),
adult inmates held in contract  juvenile
facilities, and inmates held in local 
jails or in out-of-State, private, and 
Federal prisons due to crowding.

Operational capacity excludes contracted
local jails, Federal, other State, and
private facilities. 

--------------------------------------------
The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the
statistical agency of the U.S. Department
of Justice.  Lawrence A. Greenfeld is 
the acting director.

BJS Bulletins present the first release of
findings from permanent data collection
programs such as the National Prisoner
Statistics.

Allen J. Beck and Paige M. Harrison wrote
this report.  Erika Westry provided
statistical assistance and verification.

Tom Hester produced and edited the
report. 

Jayne Robinson administered final
production. 

Data collection and processing for the
NPS program were carried out by Nicole
D. Simpson under the supervision of
Gertrude B. Odom and Marilyn M.
Monahan, Demographic Surveys Division,
U.S. Census Bureau.  

Christopher J. Mumola collected and
processed data on prisoners in the U.S.
Territories, in  U.S. military facilities, 
and in facilities operated by or for the 
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization 
Service.

August 2001, NCJ 188207
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End of file 
ih 09/07/01