Correctional Populations in the United States, 2013

• NCJ Number: 248479
• Author(s): Lauren G. Beatty, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Danielle Kaeble, BJS Statistician
• Date Published: December 2014
• Publication Series: Correctional Populations in the United States
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

Presents statistics on offenders supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States at yearend 2013, including offenders supervised in the community on probation or parole and those incarcerated in prison or local jail.

Abstract

Presents statistics on offenders supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States at yearend 2013, including offenders supervised in the community on probation or parole and those incarcerated in prison or local jail. The report provides the size and change in the total correctional population during 2013. It details the slowing rate of decline in the population since 2010 and the downward trend in the correctional supervision rate since 2007. It also examines the impact of changes in the community supervision and incarcerated populations on the total correctional population in recent years. Findings cover the size of the male and female correctional populations and compare the rates of change in the populations by correctional status since 2000. Appendix tables provide information on other correctional populations, including prisoners under military jurisdiction, inmates held by correctional authorities in the U.S. territories and commonwealths, and jail inmates held in Indian country facilities, and estimates of the total correctional population by jurisdiction and correctional status. Findings are based on data from several BJS correctional data collections.

Highlights

• An estimated 6,899,000 persons were under the supervision of adult correctional systems at yearend 2013, a decline of about 41,500 from yearend 2012.
• The decline in the correctional population during 2013 (0.6%) was less than 1% for the second consecutive year, down from 2.1% in 2010 when the fastest annual decline in the population was observed.
• For the second consecutive year, the community supervision (down 0.6%) and incarcerated (down 0.5%) populations declined by less than 1%.
• All of the decline in the correctional population during 2013 resulted from decreases in the probation (down 32,100) and local jail (down 13,300) populations.
• About 1 in 35 adults (2.8%) in the United States was under some form of correctional supervision at yearend 2013, unchanged from 2012.
• About 1 in 51 adults was on probation or parole at yearend 2013, compared to 1 in 110 adults incarcerated in prison or local jail.