This report is the 21st in a series that began in 1998 and presents statistics on persons held in Indian country jails. Findings in this report are based on BJS’s Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country. It provides statistics on the demographic characteristics, most serious offense, and conviction status of persons held in Indian country jails. It also describes facility characteristics, including capacity and staffing. This report supports the mandate established by the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 that requires BJS to establish and implement a tribal data collection system, to support tribal participation in national records and information systems, and to annually report to Congress the data collected and analyzed in accordance with the act.
Highlights:
- After peaking in 2019 (at 2,890 persons) and declining in 2020 (to 2,020 persons) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the midyear Indian country jail population increased for the third consecutive year in 2023 (to 2,400 persons).
- Indian country jails admitted 5,980 persons during June 2023, a 7% increase from the 5,570 admissions during June 2022.
- The ratio of jail admissions to average daily population was 2.7 to 1 in June 2023 (5,980 admissions to 2,250 inmates), down from 5.1 to 1 in June 2013 (10,980 admissions to 2,140 inmates).
- About 63% of all inmates at midyear 2023 were held for a nonviolent offense or other holds, up from 58% at midyear 2022.