About 1.96 million people were incarcerated in the US in 2022. Evidence from prison diversion shows 19% lower odds of rearrest for people receiving treatment interventions, while community sentences accounted for 78% of court disposals in England and Wales in 2022. Reform is moving unevenly in the US, where 28 states and DC changed at least one aspect of bail or pretrial detention policy.
Key Takeaways
- 1.96 million people in the US were incarcerated in 2022 (jails + prisons + immigration detention/other correctional facilities not included in all counts; BJS series-based national estimate)
- In the US, 83% of incarcerated people report a history of substance use disorders or need for treatment (2019 survey-based estimate)
- In 2022, 27% of prisoners in the US were housed in states with decarceration/limitation policies (policy-diffusion index estimate; 2022 snapshot)
- 19% lower odds of rearrest for people receiving treatment interventions in prison diversion programs (systematic review estimate)
- In England and Wales, community sentences accounted for 78% of all court disposals in 2022
- Treatment-based diversion can reduce downstream criminal justice costs by about $7,000 per participant on average in the year after entry (systematic review estimate)
- A 2020 systematic review reported that community supervision programs cost $1.50–$5.00 per day per participant on average (cross-program costing synthesis)
- Correctional education increased employment by 13% and earnings by $7,000 post-release in the US (RAND evaluation synthesis 2013–2015 evidence)
- Participation in vocational training in prison reduced recidivism by 24% in a meta-analysis (2019)
- In a 2017 meta-analysis, work programs in prisons reduced recidivism by 18% compared with standard programming
- In 2021, 18% of US prisons had shortages of staff leading to increased use of force (ACA staffing survey estimate)
- In a 2020 peer-reviewed study, 30% of incarcerated people screened positive for serious mental illness (SMI) upon intake (US sample)
- In a 2018 global review, 3.2% of people in prison settings had hepatitis C (systematic review)
- In 2022, 28 states and DC had reformed at least one aspect of bail or pretrial detention policy (state policy counts in a reform tracker)
- The First Step Act (US) expanded eligibility for sentence reductions by 2018 baseline calculations: about 75,000 people eligible for risk- and needs-based reductions
From decarceration and treatment diversion to education, mental health care, and MOUD, evidence shows major reductions in recidivism and harm.
Related reading
01 · Category
Incarceration Levels3 stats
01
1.96 million people in the US were incarcerated in 2022 (jails + prisons + immigration detention/other correctional facilities not included in all counts; BJS series-based national estimate)
02
In the US, 83% of incarcerated people report a history of substance use disorders or need for treatment (2019 survey-based estimate)
03
In 2022, 27% of prisoners in the US were housed in states with decarceration/limitation policies (policy-diffusion index estimate; 2022 snapshot)
Interpretation
Incarceration Levels Interpretation
In the Incarceration Levels landscape, the United States still holds 1.96 million people in 2022, yet 27% of prisoners are already in states with decarceration or limitation policies, and most incarcerated people, 83%, also report substance use disorder history or a need for treatment.
02 · Category
Community Alternatives2 stats
01
19% lower odds of rearrest for people receiving treatment interventions in prison diversion programs (systematic review estimate)
02
In England and Wales, community sentences accounted for 78% of all court disposals in 2022
Interpretation
Community Alternatives Interpretation
Under the Community Alternatives angle, prison diversion programs that provide treatment interventions show 19% lower odds of rearrest, and in England and Wales community sentences made up 78% of all court disposals in 2022.
03 · Category
Costs And Savings2 stats
01
Treatment-based diversion can reduce downstream criminal justice costs by about $7,000per participant on average in the year after entry (systematic review estimate)
02
A 2020 systematic review reported that community supervision programs cost $1.50–$5.00 per day per participant on average (cross-program costing synthesis)
Interpretation
Costs And Savings Interpretation
From a Costs And Savings perspective, treatment-based diversion can save roughly $7,000 per participant in the year after entry, while community supervision programs typically cost about $1.50 to $5.00 per day per participant, suggesting that targeted diversion may produce substantial downstream savings compared with the ongoing daily costs of supervision.
More related reading
04 · Category
Effectiveness Programs9 stats
01
Correctional education increased employment by 13% and earnings by $7,000 post-release in the US (RAND evaluation synthesis 2013–2015 evidence)
02
Participation in vocational training in prison reduced recidivism by 24% in a meta-analysis (2019)
03
In a 2017 meta-analysis, work programs in prisons reduced recidivism by 18% compared with standard programming
04
In the US, participation in evidence-based programs via the Second Chance Act resulted in an average 10% reduction in recidivism across 2015–2018 evaluations (BJA summary)
05
In a 2020 randomized trial, release planning counseling increased successful employment placement by 9 percentage points
06
Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduces all-cause mortality after release by 50% compared with no MOUD in a cohort study (2019)
07
In a 2021 review, mental health treatment in prisons (psychosocial programs) reduced recidivism by about 10% on average
08
Trauma-informed care interventions in correctional settings were associated with a 20% reduction in self-reported PTSD symptoms in a 2018 quasi-experimental study
09
Family-based programs (e.g., parenting, visitation support) improved parenting outcomes by 0.3 standard deviations in a meta-analysis (2019)
Interpretation
Effectiveness Programs Interpretation
Effectiveness Programs show strong, measurable impact, with prison vocational and education initiatives cutting recidivism by 18% to 24% and boosting post release outcomes like employment by 13% and earnings by $7,000, while evidence based release planning adds a 9 percentage point gain in successful job placements and MOUD cuts post release all cause mortality by 50%.
05 · Category
Safety And Rights3 stats
01
In 2021, 18% of US prisons had shortages of staff leading to increased use of force (ACA staffing survey estimate)
02
In a 2020 peer-reviewed study, 30% of incarcerated people screened positive for serious mental illness (SMI) upon intake (US sample)
03
In a 2018 global review, 3.2% of people in prison settings had hepatitis C (systematic review)
Interpretation
Safety And Rights Interpretation
Safety and rights in prisons are being strained as 18% of US facilities reported staff shortages tied to more use of force and 30% of people screened positive for serious mental illness on intake, while infectious disease remains a concern with 3.2% hepatitis C prevalence in prison settings globally.
06 · Category
Criminal Justice Reform4 stats
01
In 2022, 28 states and DC had reformed at least one aspect of bail or pretrial detention policy (state policy counts in a reform tracker)
02
The First Step Act (US) expanded eligibility for sentence reductions by 2018 baseline calculations: about 75,000 people eligible for risk- and needs-based reductions
03
In 2021, the number of people receiving federal compassionate release increased to 2,000 (judicial data cited in CRS update)
04
In the UK, the number of adult prisoners fell by 4,000 between 2019 and 2023 (Ministry of Justice prison population statistics)
Interpretation
Criminal Justice Reform Interpretation
Across criminal justice reform, the momentum is visible in the US and UK with bail and pretrial changes reaching 28 states plus DC in 2022, federal compassionate release rising to about 2,000 in 2021, and the UK adult prison population dropping by 4,000 from 2019 to 2023.
report visual · Key figures
Interventions that reduce recidivism and other harms
Evidence-based correctional and diversion programs show sizable reductions in recidivism and other post-release harms.
19%
19% lower odds of rearrest for people receiving treatment interventions in prison diversion programs (systematic review
24%
Participation in vocational training in prison reduced recidivism by 24% in a meta-analysis (2019)
18%
In a 2017 meta-analysis, work programs in prisons reduced recidivism by 18% compared with standard programming
10%
In the US, participation in evidence-based programs via the Second Chance Act resulted in an average 10% reduction in re
50%
Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduces all-cause mortality after release by 50% compared with no MOUD in a co
10%
In a 2021 review, mental health treatment in prisons (psychosocial programs) reduced recidivism by about 10% on average
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · bja.ojp.gov · nejm.org · sciencedirect.com2021
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Prison Reform Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/prison-reform-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Prison Reform Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/prison-reform-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Prison Reform Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/prison-reform-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)