Imagine a system where an inmate’s bed is used nineteen times a year and billions are spent annually to detain half a million people before they’ve even been convicted—this is the staggering reality of U.S. jails.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, the average daily population in U.S. local jails was 663,107 inmates, marking a 7% decrease from 2019 levels due to COVID-19 impacts
- U.S. jails admitted nearly 8.9 million individuals in 2021, with an average length of stay of 25 days for sentenced inmates
- By year-end 2021, 69% of jail inmates were held pretrial, totaling about 457,000 individuals awaiting trial
- Black individuals made up 38% of jail inmates in 2021 despite being 13% of U.S. population
- White inmates comprised 47% of U.S. jail population in 2021
- Hispanic inmates were 16% of jail population in 2021
- U.S. jails cost $80 billion annually in 2017, averaging $182 per inmate per day nationwide
- Annual jail operating costs reached $25 billion for counties in 2017, excluding capital expenses
- Pretrial detention costs $14 billion yearly, with 469,000 people held pretrial averaging 23 days each
- 62% of U.S. jail inmates reported inadequate medical care in 2018 surveys
- Suicide rates in jails were 40 per 100,000 in 2019, 3 times general population
- 21% of jail deaths were suicides in 2018, highest cause at 299 deaths
- 64% of jail inmates rearrested within 1 year of release in 2005 cohort study
- 83% of jail releasees rearrested within 9 years, per 2005 BJS study of 404,638
- State prisoners returning to jail: 68% within 3 years, higher than direct recidivism
U.S. jail populations significantly fell due to the pandemic but racial disparities remain stark.
Conditions and Health
- 62% of U.S. jail inmates reported inadequate medical care in 2018 surveys
- Suicide rates in jails were 40 per 100,000 in 2019, 3 times general population
- 21% of jail deaths were suicides in 2018, highest cause at 299 deaths
- COVID-19 caused 3,100 jail deaths by 2022, with mortality rate 3 times outside
- 74% of jail inmates with serious mental illness received no treatment in 2018
- Over 50% of jail suicides occurred within first week of confinement in 2019
- Hepatitis C infected 17% of jail inmates tested in 2018
- 26% of jails reported physical assaults on staff weekly in 2021 surveys
- Solitary confinement affected 4-12% of jail inmates daily, averaging 23 hours isolation
- 35% of jail inmates reported physical victimization by other inmates in past year
- Sexual victimization rate in jails was 1.5% for inmates in 2018 PREA data
- 89% of jail medical facilities rated inadequate by inmates in 2018
- Overdose deaths in jails rose 20% post-2020, with 400 incidents reported
- 48% of jails lacked on-site mental health staff in 2021, relying on referrals
- TB infection rates 17 times higher in jails than community in 2018
- 67% of jail suicides involved hanging, often with bedsheets in cells
- Chronic pain affected 33% of jail inmates without adequate meds in 2018
- 15% of jails reported staff shortages over 20% in 2021, impacting safety
- Homicide rate in jails was 4.2 per 100,000 in 2018, up from prior years
- Illness/death was 42% of jail fatalities in 2018, totaling 888 cases
- Only 25% of jails screened all inmates for mental health upon intake in 2021
- Dental care unavailable to 40% of jail inmates serving over 30 days
- 22% of jail staff reported injuries from assaults in 2021 surveys
- Overcrowded housing units over 120% capacity in 30% of jails in 2021
- Substance withdrawal untreated in 55% of affected inmates per 2018 data
- PREA staff-on-inmate abuse substantiated at 10% of complaints in 2019
- Vision/hearing impairments reported by 14% without glasses/hearing aids in jails
- 70% of jails used restraints on pregnant women during labor in 2021 reports
Conditions and Health Interpretation
The cold statistics of incarceration paint a bleak portrait where inadequate medical care, untreated mental illness, rampant disease, and systemic violence conspire to create an environment where simply surviving a sentence often feels like a cruel and unusual punishment.
Costs and Economics
- U.S. jails cost $80 billion annually in 2017, averaging $182 per inmate per day nationwide
- Annual jail operating costs reached $25 billion for counties in 2017, excluding capital expenses
- Pretrial detention costs $14 billion yearly, with 469,000 people held pretrial averaging 23 days each
- Large counties spent $196 per inmate daily in 2017 vs $129 in small counties
- Jail construction costs averaged $200,000 per bed since 2010, totaling $15 billion invested
- Mental health treatment in jails costs $20,000 more per inmate annually than community care
- Reducing jail populations by 1% saves $450 million yearly in operating costs, per 2017 analysis
- Probation violation holds cost $2.1 billion annually in U.S. jails
- Immigration detention in jails costs $2.8 billion yearly for 400,000 stays
- Substance use treatment saves $5,600 per jail inmate diverted to community programs
- Jail healthcare spending was 20% of budgets in 2017, averaging $37 per inmate daily
- Capital costs for jails totaled $4 billion in new construction from 2010-2017
- Every dollar invested in pretrial reform saves $15 in future costs, per NYC study
- Jail fees and fines generated $1.2 billion revenue for counties in 2017 but cost more overall
- Female jail costs 20% higher due to pregnancy/childcare needs, averaging $220/day
- COVID-19 jail responses cost $1 billion extra in 2020 for sanitation/testing
- Reducing low-level offense holds saves $500 million yearly, per 2022 estimates
- Jail staff salaries comprised 60% of operating budgets, $15 billion in 2017
- Utilities and food costs averaged $25 per inmate daily in 2017 jails
- Diversion programs cost $5,000 per person vs $30,000 for jail stay
- Elderly inmate care costs $70,000 yearly per person vs $30,000 average
- Bail industry profits $2 billion annually from 3 million pretrial bonds
- Community supervision costs $3.50 per day vs $182 in jail, saving 98%
- Jail debt collection costs counties $100 million yearly with low recovery rates
- In 2021, 44 states had jail populations costing over $1 billion combined annually
- Overcrowding in jails adds 15% to maintenance costs due to wear
Costs and Economics Interpretation
We're essentially paying premium prices for a catastrophic failure of imagination, where we spend a fortune caging people in a broken system instead of investing a fraction of that in the supports that would keep most of them out in the first place.
Demographics
- Black individuals made up 38% of jail inmates in 2021 despite being 13% of U.S. population
- White inmates comprised 47% of U.S. jail population in 2021
- Hispanic inmates were 16% of jail population in 2021
- Males represented 87% of jail inmates in 2021, totaling 577,000 individuals
- Females were 13% of jail population in 2021, with higher pretrial rates at 75%
- In 2021, 27% of jail inmates were age 25-34, the largest age group
- Inmates aged 18-24 made up 22% of jail population in 2021
- Over 50-year-olds comprised 12% of jail inmates in 2021, up from 9% in 2010
- Black males had a jail incarceration rate of 603 per 100,000 in 2020
- White males' rate was 192 per 100,000 in jails in 2020
- Hispanic males faced 266 per 100,000 jail rate in 2020
- Black females' jail rate was 64 per 100,000 in 2020, 4 times white females' 16 per 100,000
- 32% of jail inmates had no high school diploma in 2018
- 28% of jail inmates reported chronic health conditions in 2018
- Mental health issues affected 44% of jail inmates reporting fair/poor health in 2018
- In 2021, 15% of jail inmates were foreign-born, higher in border states
- Veterans comprised 8% of jail population in 2018 surveys
- 54% of jail inmates were unemployed at arrest in 2018
- Single/never married individuals were 65% of jail inmates in 2018
- Parents of minor children made up 51% of male and 65% of female jail inmates in 2018
- In urban jails, Black inmates were 46% of population vs 25% city demographics in 2021
- Rural jails had 50% white inmates aligning closer to regional demographics in 2021
- Age 35-49 group was 24% of jail population in 2021
- Asian/Pacific Islander inmates were 2% of jails in 2021
- Native American inmates comprised 3% nationally but 20% in some Western jails in 2021
- 40% of jail inmates reported substance use disorders in 2018 surveys
- Lifetime arrest history for 90% of jail inmates included prior jail time in 2018
- In 2020, Black women were incarcerated in jails at 6 times the rate of white women
- Pretrial Black detainees averaged longer stays, 25 days vs 20 for whites in 2019 data
- 25% of jail inmates had serious mental illness in 2021 estimates
Demographics Interpretation
These stark numbers paint a portrait not of a criminal justice system, but of a system that criminalizes poverty, mental illness, and race with chilling efficiency.
Population Trends
- In 2021, the average daily population in U.S. local jails was 663,107 inmates, marking a 7% decrease from 2019 levels due to COVID-19 impacts
- U.S. jails admitted nearly 8.9 million individuals in 2021, with an average length of stay of 25 days for sentenced inmates
- By year-end 2021, 69% of jail inmates were held pretrial, totaling about 457,000 individuals awaiting trial
- From 2010 to 2021, the jail incarceration rate dropped 25%, from 259 to 194 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents
- In 2021, 85% of jail jurisdictions reported decreases in average daily population compared to 2019, averaging a 21% decline
- Federal jails held 12,700 inmates in 2021, representing 2% of the total U.S. jail population
- State jail populations averaged 10,200 inmates daily in 2021, often housing state prisoners in local facilities
- Tribal jails held 2,800 inmates on average in 2021, with a capacity utilization rate of 102%
- In 2020, U.S. jails had a rated capacity of 907,600 beds but housed 30% fewer inmates due to pandemic releases
- Jail admissions fell 41% from 2019 to 2020, from 10.5 million to 6.2 million
- Pretrial detainees comprised 71% of jail population in 2020, up from 62% in 2000
- The jail incarceration rate for Black Americans was 4 times higher than for whites in 2020 at 306 per 100,000
- In 2019, local jails processed 10.5 million admissions, equivalent to one admission per 32 seconds
- U.S. jail population hit a low of 619,000 in 2020, the smallest since 1995
- By mid-2023, jail populations rebounded to 730,000, still 10% below pre-pandemic levels
- Jails in the South held 35% of the national jail population in 2021 despite comprising 38% of U.S. population
- Large jails (average daily population over 1,000) held 43% of all inmates in 2021
- Small jails (under 50 inmates) saw 15% population drops in 2021 compared to 2019
- In 2021, 11% of jail inmates were civil detainees, including immigration cases totaling 38,000
- Youth under 18 in jails numbered 1,900 in 2021, down 85% from 2000 peaks
- Female jail population averaged 89,000 daily in 2021, 13% of total inmates
- In 2018, U.S. jails cost $30.2 billion annually, with population at 785,000
- Jail turnover rate was 19 times per bed in 2019, meaning each bed used by 19 people yearly
- During 2020, 36 states saw jail populations drop over 20%
- National jail population in October 2023 was 712,000, per Council of State Governments
- Jails held 10,000 people for probation/parole violations in 2021
- In 2021, 7% of jail inmates were held for drug offenses as most serious charge
- Property crimes accounted for 23% of sentenced jail inmates' convictions in 2021
- Violent crimes led to 18% of jail sentences in 2021
- Public order offenses comprised 29% of sentenced jail populations in 2021
Population Trends Interpretation
While COVID-19 temporarily thinned the herd, America's jails remain a revolving door disproportionately crowded with the unconvicted and people of color, proving that even a pandemic can't cure our addiction to pre-trial detention and systemic inequality.
Recidivism
- 64% of jail inmates rearrested within 1 year of release in 2005 cohort study
- 83% of jail releasees rearrested within 9 years, per 2005 BJS study of 404,638
- State prisoners returning to jail: 68% within 3 years, higher than direct recidivism
- Pretrial releasees had 55% rearrest rate within 2 years in 2019 study
- Drug offenders from jails recidivated at 77% within 3 years in 2005 data
- Property crime jail releasees rearrested 82% within 3 years
- Violent jail releasees had 71% recidivism rate within 3 years
- Females from jails rearrested at 68% vs 82% for males within 5 years
- Blacks from jails recidivated 83% within 3 years vs 75% whites
- Younger releasees (24 or younger) had 84% rearrest rate within 3 years
- Jail-based education programs reduce recidivism 43% per RAND meta-analysis
- Vocational training cuts jail recidivism 28%, saving $5 per $1 invested
- Mental health treatment lowers jail rearrests by 22% in first year
- Substance abuse programs reduce recidivism 12% for jail populations
- Average jail sentence length was 4 months for sentenced inmates in 2021
- 50% of jail releasees returned to original arrest county within 1 year
- Reconviction rate for jail releasees was 55% within 3 years for new sentences
- Reincarceration in jail/prison hit 55% within 3 years for 2005 cohort
- High school completion in jail drops recidivism to 42% vs 59% without
- Employment post-release reduces jail recidivism 24%, per longitudinal studies
- Housing instability post-jail triples recidivism odds within 1 year
- Bail reform in NJ reduced jail returns by 20% without crime spike
- Kentucky jail diversion program cut recidivism 25% for misdemeanants
- Cognitive behavioral therapy in jails lowers recidivism 10-30%
- 75% of jail recidivism involved same offense type within 3 years
- Post-release supervision increased jail recidivism slightly by 3%
- Women with trauma programs saw 15% recidivism drop post-jail
- Drug courts for jail diversions achieve 17% lower recidivism rates
- 1 in 5 jail releasees homeless at discharge, correlating to 40% higher recidivism
Recidivism Interpretation
Our jails have perfected a revolving door, where high rates of releasees return—often for the same missteps—yet the keys to breaking this cycle, like education, treatment, and stable housing, are proven to work if we'd only use them.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BJSbjs.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 2PRISONPOLICYprisonpolicy.orgVisit source
- Reference 3VERAvera.orgVisit source
- Reference 4COUNCILONCJcounciloncj.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 5PEWTRUSTSpewtrusts.orgVisit source
- Reference 6AMERICANIMMIGRATIONCOUNCILamericanimmigrationcouncil.orgVisit source
- Reference 7URBANurban.orgVisit source
- Reference 8NYCnyc.govVisit source
- Reference 9COUNCILONCJcounciloncj.ojp.orgVisit source
- Reference 10OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 11RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 12NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source