Correctional Populations in the United States, 2017-2018

• NCJ Number: 252157
• Author(s): Laura M. Maruschak, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Todd D. Minton, Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Date Published: August 2020
• Publication Series: Correctional Populations in the United States
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

This report is the 23rd in a series that began in 1985. It provides statistics on populations supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, including persons held in prisons or jails and those supervised in the community on probation or parole.

Abstract

This report is the 23rd in a series that began in 1985. It provides statistics on populations supervised by adult correctional systems in the United States, including persons held in prisons or jails and those supervised in the community on probation or parole. It provides statistics on the size of the correctional populations at year-end 2017 and year-end 2018, and changes in populations over time.

Highlights

• The adult correctional-supervision rate (adults supervised per 100,000 adult U.S. residents) decreased 21% from 2008 to 2018, from 3,160 to 2,510 per 100,000 adult U.S. residents.
• The percentage of adult U.S. residents under correctional supervision was lower in 2018 than at any time since 1992.
• The adult incarceration rate (adults in prison or jail per 100,000 adult U.S. residents) has declined every year since 2008, and the rate in 2018 was the lowest since 1996.
• The portion of adult U.S. residents in prison or jails fell 17% from 2008 to 2018.
• The correctional population declined 2.1% from 2017 to 2018, due to decreases in both the community-supervision (down 2.4%) and incarcerated (down 1.4%) populations.