NCJ Number
237847
Date Published
April 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
As of January 1, 2010, the State prison population declined for the first time in 38 years, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Center on the States in partnership with the Association of State Correctional Administrators in the Public Safety Performance Project.
Abstract
As of January 1, 2010, there were 1,404,053 persons under the jurisdiction of State prison authorities; this was 4,777 (0.3 percent) fewer prisoners than on December 31, 2008; however, during this period, the Nation's total prison population increased by 2,061 people because of an increase in the number of inmates under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Federal prison population count increased by 6,838 inmates (3.4 percent) in 2009, bringing it to an all-time high of 208,118. Although the overall State prison population has declined, the Pew Survey found significant variation among the States. In 26 States, the prison population declined; however, the number of prisoners continued to increase in the other 24 States, with several having significant increases. There are reasons to believe that the decline in 2009 could be the beginning of a prolonged trend. The following factors are reasons for this belief: advances in supervision technology, advances in the science of behavioral change, the development of more accurate risk assessment, polls that show public support for alternatives to prison, an increasing focus on cost-benefit analysis, and budget pressures. This report provides a State-by-State prison count for December 31, 2008, and January 1, 2010; and the number and percentage of change are noted. The Federal totals for these dates are also shown. 3 figures, 2 tables, and 39 notes