U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics

June 2010, NCJ 230189

Data Brief

For a list of all publications in this series, go to http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid=38.

 

 

Number of prisoners Annual percent change

J

J

J

J

J

J

J

J

J

J

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

1,250,000

1,300,000

1,350,000

1,400,000

1,450,000

1,500,000

1,550,000

1,600,000

1,650,000

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Annual percent

change

As of December 31

Prisoners at Yearend 2009–Advance Counts

Heather C. West, Ph.D. 

BJS Statistician

At yearend 2009, state and federal correctional

authorities had jurisdiction over 1,613,656 prisoners, an increase of 0.2% (3,897 prisoners) from yearend 2008 (figure 1).* This was the smallest annual

increase in the current decade and continued the

trend of slower growth observed in the prison population since 2006.

The number of prisoners under state jurisdiction

declined by 2,941 prisoners (0.2%), the only

decrease in the state prison population between

2000 and 2009; the federal prison population

increased by 6,838 prisoners (3.4%) and accounted

for all of the increase in the U.S. prison population;

(appendix table 1).

*Jurisdiction refers to prisoners under the legal authority of state 

or federal correctional officials, regardless of where a prisoner is 

held.

Twenty-four states reported decreases in their

prison population during 2009, with a combined

total decrease of 15,223 state prisoners (table 1).

About three-fourths (71.7%) of this decrease

resulted from declines reported in six states reporting decreases of more than 1,000 prisoners: Michigan (down 3,260), California (down 2,395), New

York (down 1,660), Mississippi (down 1,272), Texas

(down 1,257), and Maryland (down 1,069). 

Offsetting the total decrease of 15,223 state prisoners was a total increase of 12,282 prisoners in the

remaining 26 states. Five of these states reported

increases of more than 1,000 prisoners and

accounted for more than half (60.7%) of the total

increase: Pennsylvania (up 2,214), Florida (up

1,527), Louisiana (up 1,399), Alabama (up 1,282),

and Arizona (up 1,038). 

The factors contributing to the yearend change will

be discussed in Prisoners in 2009.

Figure 1. 

Prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction at yearend 2000-2008, with advance 

counts for 2009
2 Prisoners at Yearend 2009–Advance Counts

The drop in semi-annual change continued 

during 2009

During recent years, most of the annual change in

the U.S. prison population has occurred over the

period from December to June, with a relatively

small amount of change occurring from June to

December. The seasonality has been particularly

marked since 2006, as the pattern of larger changes

from December to June followed by smaller changes

from June to December has been extremely consistent (figure 2). From 2006 to 2009, the population

change from December to June accounted for over

75%, on average, of the annual change. For example,

growth in the first half of 2006 accounted for 72.1%

of the total year’s growth (table 2). Growth in the

first half of 2007 accounted for 87.2% of the overall

growth. During 2008 and 2009, all of the population

growth occurred in the first half of the year. 

Since 2006, the level of change during each semiannual period (December 31 through June 30 and

June 30 through December 31) has dropped. During the first half of 2006, the prison population

increased by 30,306 prisoners. The prison population continued to increase during the same time

period in 2007, with a smaller increase of 24,666

prisoners. This trend continued during the first half

of 2008 and 2009, when the prison population

increased by 12,297 prisoners and 7,719 prisoners,

respectively. 

Similarly, the level of semi-annual change for the

second half of the year also dropped. From June 30,

2006 to December 31, 2006, the prison population

increased by 11,710. During the same period in

2007, there was an increase of 3,634 prisoners. In

2008, the direction of growth in the prison population reversed, decreasing by 783 prisoners. The

Table 1. 

Changes in the number of prisoners in selected jurisdictions, December 31, 2008

to December 31, 2009

Change in number Percent of total change

Total change 3,897 100.0%

Federal 6,838 175.5

State -2,941 -75.5

Total change in states with increasing prison populations 12,282 100.0%

States with increases of more than 1,000 prisoners 7,460 60.7

Pennsylvania 2,214 18.0

Florida 1,527 12.4

Louisiana 1,399 11.4

Alabama 1,282 10.4

Arizona 1,038 8.5

Other states with increases 4,822 39.3

Total change in states with decreasing prison populations -15,223 100.0%

States with decreases of more than 1,000 prisoners -10,913 71.7

Michigan -3,260 21.4

California -2,395 15.7

New York -1,660 10.9

Mississippi -1,272 8.4

Texas -1,257 8.2

Maryland -1,069 7.0

Other states with decreases -4,310 28.3
June 2010 3

-5,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

Number of prisoners

6-month change

Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec. Jun. Dec.

2000 20022001 2003 2004 2006 2005 2007 2009

Dec.

1999 2008

decrease of 3,822 prisoners from June 30, 2009 to

December 31, 2009 was the largest drop in the last 6

months of any year from 2000 through 2009.

Smaller increases have led to slower rates of growth

in the number of prisoners during these semiannual periods. In the first half of 2006, the prison

population grew at a rate of 2.0%. Over the next 3

years, growth in the prison population during the

first half of the year slowed from 1.6% in 2007 to

0.8% in 2008, and 0.5% at midyear 2009. From June

30, 2005 to December 31, 2005, the prison population increased by 0.9%. During the same period in

2006 and 2007, the growth slowed to 0.8% and

0.2%, respectively. A negligible decrease in growth

(783 prisoners) was observed during the last half of

2008. The growth rate continued to decrease by

0.2% during the last half of 2009, the largest

decrease observed in the last 10 years. 

Table 2. 

Change in the U.S. prison population, 2000-2009

Six-month change

First 6 months of 

the year (December 

through June)

Percent of annual 

change

Second 6 months of 

the year (June 

through December)

Annual change

Year

Percent of 

annual change

December through 

December

2000 27,243 98.8% 317 1.2% 27,560

2001 14,270 111.7 -1,499 -11.7 12,771

2002 15,905 44.0 20,207 56.0 36,112

2003 24,053 84.5 4,404 15.5 28,457

2004 23,233 81.5 5,266 18.5 28,499

2005 16,866 54.7 13,963 45.3 30,829

2006 30,306 72.1 11,710 27.9 42,016

2007 24,666 87.2 3,634 12.8 28,300

2008 12,297 105.0 -783 -6.8 11,514

2009 7,719 198.1 -3,822 -98.1 3,897

Figure 2. 

Six-month change in the number of prisoners under state and federal 

jurisdiction, December 1999-2009
4 Prisoners at Yearend 2009–Advance Counts

Methodology

National Prisoner Statistics

Begun in 1926 under a mandate from Congress, the

National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program collects

statistics on prisoners at midyear and yearend. The

Census Bureau serves as the data collection agent

for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). BJS

depends entirely on voluntary participation by state

departments of corrections and the Federal Bureau

of Prisons for NPS data.

The NPS distinguishes between inmates in custody

and prisoners under jurisdiction. To have custody

of an inmate, a state or the Federal Bureau of Prisons must hold that inmate in one of its facilities. To

have jurisdiction over a prisoner, a state or the Federal Bureau of Prisons must have legal authority

over the prisoner. Some states are unable to provide

counts that distinguish between custody and jurisdiction.

The NPS jurisdiction counts include prisoners serving a sentence within a jurisdiction's facilities

including prisons, penitentiaries, correctional facilities, halfway houses, boot camps, farms, training or

treatment centers, and hospitals. They include prisoners who are—

• temporarily absent (less than 30 days), out to 

court, or on work release

• housed in privately operated facilities, local jails, 

other state or federal facilities

• serving concurrent sentences for more than one 

correctional authority.

The NPS custody counts include all inmates held

within a respondent's facilities including inmates

housed for other correctional facilities. The custody

counts exclude inmates held in local jails and in

other jurisdictions. With a few exceptions, the NPS

custody counts exclude inmates held in private

facilities.

Additionally, NPS data include counts of inmates in

combined jail-prison systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

States and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have the

ability to update data submitted the previous year.

This report provides updates for midyear and yearend 2008 counts. 

The District of Columbia (D.C.) became a jail-only

jurisdiction by yearend 2001, when the Federal

Bureau of Prisons assumed responsibility for housing all sentenced felons from D.C. Selected previously published prisoner counts and percent population change statistics include D.C. jail inmates for

2001, the last year of collection. See notes in tables

for additional information. 

Additional information about the NPS data collection instrument is available on the BJS Website at

<http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov>.

Definitions

Average annual change—the arithmetic average

(mean) annual change across a specific time period.

Jurisdiction—the number of prisoners under the

legal authority of state or federal correctional officials, regardless of where the prisoners are held. For

example, state-sentenced prisoners held in local

jails are under the jurisdiction of state correctional

authorities. 

Prisons—compared to jail facilities, prisons are 

longer-term facilities run by a state or the federal

government and typically hold prisoners with sentences of more than 1 year. However, sentence

length may vary by state. Connecticut, Rhode

Island, Vermont, Delaware, Alaska, and Hawaii

operate integrated systems which combine prisons

and jails.

Prisoners—individuals under the legal authority

(jurisdiction) of state and federal correctional officials.

NPS jurisdiction notes

Alaska—Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison popula-
June 2010 5

NPS jurisdiction notes

Alaska—Prisons and jails form one integrated system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations housed in-state and out-of-state. Jurisdictional

counts exclude inmates held in local jails that are

operated by communities. 

Arizona—Population counts are based on custody

data and inmates in contracted beds. 

California—Jurisdiction counts include felons and

unsentenced inmates who are temporarily absent,

e.g., housed in local jails, hospitals, etc. This definition is comparable to the 1998 NPS 1b definition. 

Colorado—Counts include 222 male and 10 female

inmates in the Youthful Offender System, which

was established primarily for violent juvenile

offenders. 

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

populations.

Delaware—Prisons and jails form one integrated

system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. 

Georgia—Counts are based on custody data.

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

Iowa—Population counts are based on custody

data. The jurisdiction count for December 31, 2009

is not comparable to previous years due to a change

in measurement. As of 2009, the Iowa Department

of Corrections began including the Operating

While Intoxicated population, prisoners on work

release, and prisoners in violation of their sentence.

Oklahoma—Population counts for inmates with

sentences of less than 1 year consist mainly of

offenders ordered by the court to the Delayed Sentencing Program for Young Adults pursuant to 22

O.S. 996 through 996.3. 

Oregon—Counts include an undetermined number

of inmates with sentences of 1 year or less. County

authorities retain jurisdiction over the majority of

these types of inmates.

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

populations. 

Vermont—Prisons and jails form one integrated

system. All NPS data include jail and prison populations. 
6 Prisoners at Yearend 2009–Advance Counts

Appendix Table 1. 

Prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, 

December 31, 2000 and 2008, with advanced counts for 2009

Number of prisoners Average annual 

change, 2000-2008

Percent change, 

Region and jurisdiction 12/31/2000 12/31/2008 12/31/2009 2008-2009

U.S. totala 1,391,261 1,609,759 1,613,656 1.8% 0.2%

Federal 145,416 201,280 208,118 4.1 3.4

State 1,245,845 1,408,479 1,405,538 1.5 -0.2

Northeast 174,826 178,642 177,361 0.3% -0.7%

Connecticuta 18,355 20,661 19,716 1.5 -4.6

Maine 1,679 2,195 2,206 3.4 0.5

Massachusetts 10,722 11,408 11,316 0.8 -0.8

New Hampshire 2,257 2,702 2,731 2.3 1.1

New Jersey 29,784 25,953 25,382 -1.7 -2.2

New York 70,199 60,347 58,687 -1.9 -2.8

Pennsylvania 36,847 49,215 51,429 3.7 4.5

Rhode Islanda 3,286 4,045 3,674 2.6 -9.2

Vermonta 1,697 2,116 2,220 2.8 4.9

Midwest 237,378 264,314 261,603 1.4% -1.0%

Illinois 45,281 45,474 45,161 0.1 -0.7

Indiana 20,125 28,322 28,808 4.4 1.7

Iowab 7,955 8,766 8,813 1.2 :

Kansas 8,344 8,539 8,641 0.3 1.2

Michigan 47,718 48,738 45,478 0.3 -6.7

Minnesota 6,238 9,910 9,986 6.0 0.8

Missouri 27,543 30,186 30,563 1.2 1.2

Nebraska 3,895 4,520 4,474 1.9 -1.0

North Dakota 1,076 1,452 1,486 3.8 2.3

Ohio 45,833 51,686 51,606 1.5 -0.2

South Dakota 2,616 3,342 3,434 3.1 2.8

Wisconsin 20,754 23,379 23,153 1.5 -1.0

South 561,214 647,312 649,451 1.8% 0.3%

Alabama 26,332 30,508 31,790 1.9 4.2

Arkansas 11,915 14,716 15,208 2.7 3.3

Delawarea 6,921 7,075 6,794 0.3 -4.0

District of Columbia 7,456 ~ ~ : :

Florida 71,319 102,388 103,915 4.6 1.5

Georgiab 44,232 52,719 53,371 2.2 1.2

Kentucky 14,919 21,706 21,638 4.8 -0.3

Louisiana 35,207 38,381 39,780 1.1 3.6

Maryland 23,538 23,324 22,255 -0.1 -4.6

Mississippi 20,241 22,754 21,482 1.5 -5.6

North Carolina 31,266 39,482 39,860 3.0 1.0

Oklahoma 23,181 25,864 26,397 1.4 2.1

South Carolina 21,778 24,326 24,288 1.4 -0.2

Tennessee 22,166 27,228 26,965 2.6 -1.0

Texas 166,719 172,506 171,249 0.4 -0.7

Virginia 30,168 38,276 38,092 3.0 -0.5

West Virginia 3,856 6,059 6,367 5.8 5.1

West 272,427 318,211 317,123 2.0% -0.3%

Alaskaa 4,173 5,014 5,285 2.3 5.4

Arizonab 26,510 39,589 40,627 5.1 2.6

California 163,001 173,670 171,275 0.8 -1.4

Colorado 16,833 23,274 22,795 4.1 -2.1

Hawaiia 5,053 5,955 5,891 2.1 -1.1

Idaho 5,535 7,290 7,400 3.5 1.5

Montana 3,105 3,545 3,605 1.7 1.7

Nevada 10,063 12,743 12,482 3.0 -2.0

New Mexico 5,342 6,402 6,519 2.3 1.8

Oregon 10,580 14,167 14,403 3.7 1.7

Utah 5,637 6,552 6,533 1.9 -0.3

Washington 14,915 17,926 18,233 2.3 1.7

Wyoming 1,680 2,084 2,075 2.7 -0.4

~Not applicable. As of December 31, 2001, sentenced felons from the District of Columbia were the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

: Not calculated.

a

Prisons and jails form one integrated system. Data include total jail and prison populations.

bPrison population based on custody counts.

c

Data for 2008 and 2009 are not comparable. See Jurisdiction notes.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

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POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJS

Permit No. G-91

*NCJ~230189*

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency of

the U.S. Department of Justice. Michael D. Sinclair is

acting director.

This Crime Data Brief was written by Heather C. West,

Ph.D. Todd Minton, Sheri Simmons, and Tracy Snell

verified the report.

Joshua Giunta carried out the data collection and

processing under the supervision of Steve Simoncini,

Governments Division, Census Bureau, U.S.

Department of Commerce.

Catherine Bird and Jill Duncan edited the report, Tina

Dorsey produced the report, and Jayne Robinson

prepared the report for final printing under the

supervision of Doris J. James.

June 2010, NCJ 230189

This report in portable document format and in ASCII and

its related statistical data and tables are available at the BJS

World Wide Web Internet site: <http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/

index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2272>.

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