Announces that the Nation's jail and prison incarceration rate has nearly doubled in the last 10 years.
Announces that the Nation's jail and prison incarceration rate has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. In 1985 jails and prisons held an estimated 313 inmates per 100,000 residents. At midyear 1996 this rate had increased to 615 inmates per 100,000 residents. More than 1.6 million men and women were held in the Nation's jails and prisons at the end of June 1996. At midyear there were 93,167 Federal prisoners, 1,019,281 State prisoners, and 518,492 jail inmates. An additional 72,997 persons were supervised by jail authorities outside of jail facilities in programs such as electronic monitoring, house detention, community service, or work release. Between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, the total number of persons incarcerated grew by 4.4%: 4.3% for Federal prisons, 5.6% for State prisons, and 2.3% for local jails. These growth rates were significantly lower than the average annual rates recorded since 1985.