Paige M. Harrison, Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics

July 30, 2002    NCJ 195189

Reports the number of persons in State and Federal prisons at yearend, compares the increase in the prison population during 2001 with that of the previous year, and gives the prison growth rates since 1995. The report also provides the number of male and female prisoners on December 31, 2001. It includes incarceration rates for the States; and the 10 highest and 10 lowest jurisdictions for selected characteristics, including growth rate, number of prisoners held, and incarceration rates. Tables present data on prison capacities and the use of local jails, privately operated prisons, Federal, and other State facilities to house inmates. Estimates are provided on the number of sentenced prisoners by offense, gender, race, and Hispanic origin.

Highlights:

• Between July 1, 2001, and December 31, 2001, the number of inmates under State jurisdiction declined by 3,705 inmates (down 0.3%), repeating the same pattern of decline first observed in the last 6 months of 2000.
• On December 31, 2001 State prisons were operating between 1% and 16% above capacity, while Federal prisons were operating at 31% above capacity.
• At yearend 2000, 49% of State prisoners were serving time for violent offenses, up from 46% in 1990.

Part of the Prisoners Series

Press Release
Full report (PDF 168K)
ASCII file (40K)
Spreadsheet (Zip format 63K)

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