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1999 Prisoners in 1 (1999)

handle is hein.death/prsin1999 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs

August 2000, NCJ 183476
Prisoners in 1999

By Allen J. Beck, Ph.D.
BJS Statistician
The total number of prisoners under
the jurisdiction of Federal or State
adult correctional authorities was
1,366,721 at yearend 1999. During
the year the States and the District
of Columbia added 31,591 prisoners,
and the Federal prison system added
12,205 prisoners. Overall, the Nation's
prison population grew 3.4%, which
was less than the average annual
growth of 6.5% since 1990. During
1999 the prison population rose at the
lowest rate since 1979 and had the
smallest absolute increase since 1988.
The rate of incarceration in prison at
yearend 1999 was 476 sentenced
inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents-
up from 292 in 1990. About 1 in every
110 men and 1 in every 1,695 women
were sentenced prisoners under the
jurisdiction of State or Federal
authorities.
Overall, the United States incarcerated
2,026,596 persons at yearend 1999.
This total represents persons held in -
- Federal and State prisons
(1,284,894, which excludes
State prisoners in local jails)
- territorial prisons (18,394)
- local jails (605,943)
- facilities operated by or exclusively
for the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service (7,675)
- military facilities (2,279)
-jails in Indian country (1,621)
- juvenile facilities (105,790, as of
October 29, 1997).
About 1 in every 137 residents in the
United States and its Territories were
incarcerated.

Sentenced prisoners per  Population housed as a
Decem-  Number of inmates  100,000 resident population  percent of highest capacity
ber 31  Federal  State   Federal   State        Federal   State
1990   65,526  708,393    20      272           --115%
1995  100,250  1,025,624  32      379           126%      114
1998  123,041  1,177,532  38      423           127       113
1999  135,246  1,231,475*  42     434           132       101
--Not available.
*In 1999, 6 States expanded their reporting criteria. For comparisons
with previous years, the count 1,209,123 should be used.
- During 1999 the number of female  - Factors underlying the growth
prisoners rose by 4.4%, greater than  in the State prison population
the increase in male prisoners (3.3%). between 1990 and 1998 included -
At yearend 1999, 90,668 women were - a 54% rise in the number of parole
in State or Federal prisons - 6.6%  violators returned to prison and a 7%
of all prison inmates,          increase in new court commitments.
- On December 31, 1999, State    - a drop in annual release rates from
prisons were operating between 1%  37% in 1990 to 31% in 1998.
and 17% above capacity, while    - an increase in the average time
Federal prisons were operating at  served in prison by released inmates
32% above capacity.              (from 22 months in 1990 to 28
months in 1998) and in the time
- Texas (163,190), California    expected to be served by those enter-
(163,067), and the Federal system  ing prison (from 38 months to 43
(135,246) together held 1 in every 3  months).
prisoners in the Nation. Thirteen  - an increase in violent offenders
States, each holding fewer than 5,000  (representing 51% of State growth)
inmates, together held less than 3%  and drug offenders (19% of State
of the Nation's prisoners,       growth).
- Two States - Idaho (up 12.9%) and  • Analyses of imprisonment rates
Wisconsin (10.9%) - had increases  from 1990 to 1999 reveal -
of at least 10% in 1999. Nine jurisdic- - a 60% increase among males and
tions experienced decreases, led by  an 84% increase among females in
Rhode Island (down 12.8%) and the  the number of sentenced prisoners
District of Columbia (-12.0%).   per 100,000 residents.
- At yearend 1999, privately operated  - large disparities by race and
facilities housed 71,208 inmates  Hispanic origin. In 1999 the rate
(5.2% of State and Federal inmates); among black males in their late
local jails housed 63,635 State  twenties reached 9,392 prisoners
inmates (5.2% of State prisoners),  per 100,000 residents compared to
3,126 among Hispanic males and
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