U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

November 2012, NCJ 239972

Bul l etin

Correctional Populations
in the United States, 2011
Lauren E. Glaze, BJS Statistician
and Erika Parks, BJS Intern

T

here were 6.98 million offenders
under the supervision of the adult
correctional systems at yearend 2011, a
decrease of more than 98,900 offenders during
the year (figure 1). The adult correctional
systems supervise offenders in the community
under the authority of probation or parole
agencies and those held in the custody of state
and federal prisons or local jails. The 1.4%
decline in the correctional population during
2011 was the third consecutive year of decline
and by yearend, the population dropped
below the level observed in 2004 (6,995,900).
At yearend 2011, about 1 in every 34 adult
residents in the U.S. was under some form of
correctional supervision, down from 1 in 31
in 2007.
This report provides summary data on
offenders supervised by the adult correctional
systems. (See Methodology for more
information.) It also highlights significant
changes in the components of the correctional
population—probationers, parolees, state and
federal prisoners, and local jail inmates.

Figure 1
Total population under the supervision of adult correctional
systems and annual percent change, 1980–2011
Annual percent change

Population (in millions)
8
7
6
~

5
4
3

16

Population -

14
12

Annual percent change

10

'\.. ~

8
6
4

2

2

1

Inli

......

0
1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

0

-2
2011

Note: Annual percentage change was based on within-year change in the
probation and parole populations and year-to-year changes in the prison and jail
populations. See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey,
Annual Survey of Jails, Census of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics Program,
1980–2011.

HIGHLIGHTS
„„ Adult correctional authorities supervised about

6,977,700 offenders at yearend 2011, a decrease of
1.4% during the year.
„„ The decline of 98,900 offenders during 2011

marked the third consecutive year of decrease
in the correctional population, which includes
probationers, parolees, local jail inmates, and
prisoners in the custody of state and federal facilities.
„„ About 2.9% of adults in the U.S. (or 1 in every 34

adults) were under some form of correctional
supervision at yearend 2011, a rate comparable to
1998 (1 in every 34).

„„ At yearend 2011, about 1 in every 50 adults in the

U.S. was supervised in the community on probation
or parole while about 1 in every 107 adults was
incarcerated in prison or jail.
„„ The community supervision population (including

probationers and parolees, down 1.5%) and the
incarcerated population (including local jail inmates
and federal and state prisoners, down 1.3%)
decreased at about the same rate in 2011.
„„ The majority (83%) of the decline in the correctional

population during the year was attributed to the
decrease in the probation population (down 81,800
offenders).

BJS
HJS

About 2.9% of adults in the U.S. (or 1
in every 34 adults) were under some
form of correctional supervision
at yearend 2011 (table 1). The
correctional supervision rate observed
in 2011 marked the lowest rate of
adults in the U.S. under correctional
supervision since 2000. The 2011 rate
was comparable to the correctional
supervision rate observed in 1998 (1 in
every 34 adults) when about one million
fewer offenders were under correctional
supervision (5.9 million in 1998).1
At yearend 2011, the rate of adults in
the U.S. who were under supervision
in the community on probation or
parole (2,015 per 100,000 adults) was
more than twice as high as the rate of
adults incarcerated in state and federal
prisons or local jails (937 per 100,000
adults). (See appendix table 1 for the
incarceration rate, which is different
from the imprisonment rate published
in Prisoners in 2011, BJS website, NCJ
239808, December 2012. See Probation
1See Probation and Parole in the United States,

1998, BJS website, NCJ 178234, August 1999.

and Parole in the United States, 2011, BJS
website, NCJ 239686, November 2012,
for the community supervision rate.)
About 1 in every 50 adults in the U.S.
was under community supervision and
1 in every 107 adults was incarcerated
in 2011.

At yearend 2011, about 7 in 10 offenders
supervised by the adult correctional
systems were on probation or parole,
while about 3 in 10 were held in the
custody of state and federal prisons or
local jails. These findings have remained
relatively constant since 2000.

Table 1
U.S. adult residents supervised by the adult correctional systems, 2000–2011
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Number per 100,000 U.S. adult residentsa
3,060
3,080
3,120
3,150
3,170
3,160
3,190
3,210
3,160
3,090
2,990
2,920

U.S. adult residents under correctional supervision—
1 in 33
1 in 32
1 in 32
1 in 32
1 in 32
1 in 32
1 in 31
1 in 31
1 in 32
1 in 32
1 in 33
1 in 34

Note: Rates are estimated to the nearest 10. Estimates may not be comparable to previously published BJS reports
due to updated information.
aThe correctional supervision rate was computed using the U.S. adult resident population estimates for January 1
of the following year.
Source: Adult correctional population estimates are based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Annual Probation
Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, Census of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics Program,
2000–2011. The adult resident population estimates are based on U.S. Census Bureau National Intercensal
Estimates 2001–2010, and unpublished adult resident population estimates on January 1, 2011, and January 1,
2012.

Prison populations: A comparison between the jurisdiction and custody populations
BJS’s official measure of the prison population is the count
of prisoners under the jurisdiction or legal authority of state
and federal adult correctional officials (1,598,780 in 2011). The
jurisdiction population count is reported in Prisoners in 2011,
BJS website, NCJ 239808, December 2012. These prisoners may
be held in prison or jail facilities located outside of the state
or federal prison systems. The prison population reported in
table 2 in this report is the number held in custody or physically
housed in state (1,289,376 in 2011) and federal (214,774 in 2011)
adult correctional facilities, regardless of which entity has legal
authority over the prisoners (appendix table 1). This includes

state and federal prisoners held in privately operated facilities.
The difference between the number of prisoners in custody and
the number under jurisdiction is the number of state and federal
prisoners held in the custody of local jails, inmates out to court,
and those in transit from the jurisdiction of legal authority to
the custody of a confinement facility outside that jurisdiction.
Because table 2 presents data on the number of individuals under
the supervision of the adult correctional systems by correctional
status, BJS uses the count of the number of prisoners held in
custody to avoid double counting prisoners held in local jails.

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Community supervision and
incarcerated populations decreased
at about the same rate during 2011
At yearend 2011 about 4,814,200
offenders were supervised in the
community either on probation or
parole, while about 2,239,800 offenders
were incarcerated in state and federal
prisons or local jails (table 2). During
2011, the population supervised in
the community (down 1.5%) and the
incarcerated (down 1.3%) population
declined at about the same rate. This
was the third consecutive year of decline
in both correctional populations.
All of the decrease in the number of
offenders supervised in the community
(down 71,300) on probation or parole
was attributed to the decline in the
probation population (down 81,800).
An increase of 1.6% (13,300 parolees)
in the parole population slightly offset
the decline observed in the community
supervision population during the year.2
During 2011, less than half (43%) of the
decrease in the incarcerated population
(down 30,400 inmates) was attributed to
the decline in the local jail population
(down 13,100). In comparison, more
than half (57%) of the decrease in the
incarcerated population was due to the
decline in the number of persons in
the custody of state and federal prisons
(down 17,300).3 All of the decrease in
the total prison population was due to
the decline in the number of prisoners
held in the custody of state facilities
(down 25,100 prisoners or 1.9%),
2A small number of parolees were also on
probation during 2011. The total community
supervision population and change in the
population during the year was adjusted to
account for these offenders to avoid double
counting. For this reason, the sum of the changes
in the probation and parole populations during
2011 does not equal the total change in the
community supervision population during the
year. See Methodology for more details.
3Changes in the prison population in this report
are not comparable to changes in the prison
population reported in Prisoners in 2011, BJS
website, NCJ 239808, December 2012. This is due
to the difference in the custody prison population
and the jurisdiction prison population, which is
BJS’s official measure of the prison population.
See the text box at the bottom of page 2 for more
information.

including privately operated facilities
under state authority (appendix table 1).
The increase in the number of prisoners
held in the custody of federal facilities
(up 7,800 or 3.8%) partially offset the
decline in the total prison population

during the year. The growth in the
federal prison population during 2011
was lead by an increase in the number
of federal prisoners held in privately
operated facilities under federal
authority (up 4,600 or 18.2%).

Table 2
Trends in the adult correctional population, by correctional status, 2000–2001, 2005,
2008–2011
Total correctional
Year
populationa
2000
6,460,000
2001
6,583,500
2005
7,050,900
2008
7,311,600
2009
7,231,400
2010
7,079,500
2011
6,977,700
Average annual
percent change,
2000–2010
0.9%
Percent change,
2010–2011f
-1.4%

Community supervision
Totalb Probation Parole
4,565,100 3,839,532 725,527
4,665,900 3,934,713 731,147
4,946,800 4,162,495 784,354
5,095,200 4,270,917 828,169
5,017,300 4,198,155 824,115
4,887,900 4,055,514 840,676
4,814,200 3,971,319 853,852

Total
1,937,500
1,961,200
2,195,500
2,307,500
2,292,100
2,270,100
2,239,800

Incarceratedc
Jaild
Prisone
621,149 1,316,333
631,240 1,330,007
747,529 1,447,942
785,533 1,521,971
767,434 1,524,650
748,728 1,521,414
735,601 1,504,150

0.7%

0.5%

1.5%

1.6%

1.9%

1.4%

-1.5%

-2.0%

1.6%

-1.3%

-1.8%

-1.1%

Note: The change in the total correctional population was based on the sum of the differences in the probation,
parole, local jail, and prison custody populations. Estimates were rounded to the nearest 100 and may not be
comparable to previously published BJS reports due to updated information. Total community supervision,
probation, parole, and prison custody estimates are for December 31 within the reporting year; jail population
estimates are for June 30. See Methodology.
aEstimates were adjusted to account for some offenders with multiple correctional statuses. For this reason, details
do not sum to totals. See Methodology.	
bIncludes some offenders held in a prison or jail but who remained under the jurisdiction of a probation or parole
agency. The 2008 to 2011 estimates were adjusted to account for offenders with dual community supervision
statuses. For this reason, details do not sum to totals. See Methodology. 	
cIncludes local jail inmates and prisoners held in the custody of state or federal prisons or privately operated
facilities.
dTotals were estimated based on the Annual Survey of Jails, except the total for 2005, which is a complete
enumeration based on the Census of Jail Inmates. See appendix table 4 for standard errors and Methodology.
eIncludes prisoners held in the custody of state and federal prisons or privately operated facilities. The custody
prison population is not comparable to the jurisdiction prison population. See text box on page 2 for a discussion
about the differences between the two prison populations. See Prisoners in 2011, BJS website, NCJ 239808,
December 2012, for information on the jurisdiction prison population, which is BJS’s official measure of the prison
population.	
fThe change in the total correctional population was based on the sum of the differences in the probation, parole,
local jail, and prison custody populations. See Methodology for more information on the methods used to calculate
annual change within each correctional population.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, Census
of Jail Inmates, and National Prisoner Statistics Program, 2000-2011.

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Fewer probationers during 2011
accounted for most of the decline in
the correctional population
The probation population (57%)
represented the largest component of
the correctional population at yearend
2011, relatively consistent since 1980
(61%) (table 3). About 81,800 fewer
offenders were on probation at the end
of 2011, accounting for most (83%)
of the decline in the correctional
population during the year.
The drop in the number of prisoners
held in the custody of state and federal
prisons (down 17,300) during 2011
represented about 18% of the decline
in the correctional population, while
the decrease in the number of local
jail inmates (down 13,100) accounted
for about 13%. The parole population
(up 13,300) was the only correctional
population to increase during 2011,
partially offsetting the decline in the total
correctional population during the year.

Table 3
Adult correctional population, by correctional status, 2011
Correctional populations
Totala
Probationb
Paroleb
Prisonc
Local jaild
Multiple correctional statuse

Population,
12/31/2011
6,977,700
3,971,319
853,852
1,504,150
735,601
87,200

Percent of total
100%
56.9%
12.2
21.6
10.5
:

Population change, 2011
Percent of
Number
total decline
-98,900
100%
-81,796
82.7%
13,254
-13.4
-17,264
17.5
-13,127
13.3
:
:

Note: Estimates were rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.	
:Not calculated.
aEquals the sum of each correctional population and excludes the number of offenders with multiple correctional
statuses. Change equals the sum of the change for each correctional population. See Methodology.
bChange equals the difference between the January 1 and December 31, 2011, populations.
cCustody prison population as of December 31. See the text box on page 2 for a discussion of the difference
between the custody and jurisdiction prison populations. Change equals the difference between the December 31
custody prison populations for 2010 and 2011.
dPopulation is as of the last weekday in June. Change equals the difference between the populations on the last
weekday in June 2010 and 2011.
eSome probationers and parolees on December 31, 2011, were held in a prison or jail but still remained under the
jurisdiction of a probation or parole agency and were excluded from the total correctional population to avoid
double counting. See table 4 and Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, Annual Survey of Jails, and
National Prisoner Statistics Program, 2011.

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Methodology
Sources of data
The data were collected through five
separate Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS) data collections:
Annual Probation Survey; Annual
Parole Survey. BJS’s Annual Probation
Survey and Annual Parole Survey began
in 1980 and collect data from probation
and parole agencies in the U.S. that
supervise adults. In these data, adults
are persons subject to the jurisdiction
of an adult court or correctional
agency. Persons under age 18 who were
prosecuted as adults in a criminal court
are considered adults, but persons under
age 18 who were under the jurisdiction
of a juvenile court or agency are
excluded. The National Criminal Justice
Information and Statistics Service
of the Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration (LEAA), BJS’s
predecessor agency, began a statistical
series on parole in 1976 and probation
in 1979.
The Annual Probation Survey and
the Annual Parole Survey collect data
on (1) the total number of adults
supervised in the community on January
1 and December 31 each year, (2) the
number of adults who enter and exit
supervision during the reporting year,
(3) characteristics of the populations at
yearend, and (4) other information. Both
surveys cover the 50 states, the District
of Columbia, and the federal system. BJS
relies on the voluntary participation of
state central reporters and separate state,
county, and court agencies for its annual
data on probation and parole. For more
information, go to the Probation and
Parole Population series page on the BJS
website at www.bjs.gov.
Annual Survey of Jails. BJS’s Annual
Survey of Jails (ASJ) began in 1982.
Jails are confinement facilities, usually
administered by a local law enforcement
agency, that are intended to hold adults.
Local jails may also hold inmates under
age 18 before or after adjudication (about
5,900 in 2011; See Jail Inmates at Midyear
2011 – Statistical Tables, BJS website, NCJ
237961, April 2012). These inmates are
included in the jail population count.

The ASJ collects data from a nationally
representative sample of local jails and
has been conducted annually except
for 1983, 1988, 1993, 1999, and 2005 in
which a complete census of U.S. local
jails was conducted. It collects data on
(1) the size of the jail inmate population
at midyear, (2) the characteristics of the
population, (3) information about jail
capacity, and (4) in recent years, data
on weekly admissions and releases. BJS
relies on the voluntary participation of
local jail administrators for the ASJ data.
For more information, go to the Prison
and Jail Inmates at Midyear series page
on the BJS website at www.bjs.gov for
the Jail Inmates at Midyear statistical
products. Prior to 2007, the Jail Inmates
at Midyear statistical products were
titled Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear.
Census of Jails. BJS’s Census of Jails
(CJS) is part of a series of data collection
efforts aimed at studying the nation’s
locally administered jails. To reduce
respondent burden and improve data
quality and timeliness, the census
was split into two data collections in
2005 and 2006: the 2005 Census of Jail
Inmates (CJI) and the 2006 Census of
Jail Facilities (CJF). The census collects
data on (1) jail jurisdictions’ supervised
populations, which may include inmates
under age 18 who were held before or
after adjudication, (2) inmate counts
and movements, and (3) persons under
jail supervision who were supervised
outside a jail facility. The Census of
Jails began in 1970 and was conducted
in 1972, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993,
1999, 2002, 2005, and 2006. For more
information on the 2005 CJI, 2006 CJF,
and the original Census of Jails, go to
www.bjs.gov.
National Prisoner Statistics Program.
Begun in 1926 under a mandate
from Congress, the National Prisoner
Statistics (NPS) program collects data
on the number of state and federal
prisoners at midyear and yearend. BJS
relies on the voluntary participation by
state departments of corrections and the
Federal Bureau of Prisons for NPS data.
The NPS distinguishes between
prisoners in custody and prisoners
under jurisdiction. To have custody of a

prisoner, a state or federal correctional
authority must physically house a
prisoner in one of its facilities or in a
private facility under its authority. To
have jurisdiction over a prisoner, a
state or federal prison must have legal
authority over the prisoner, regardless
of where the prisoner is held. These
prisoners may be held in prison or jail
facilities located outside of the state or
in the federal prison system.
The prison data in this report reflect
the NPS custody counts and they
include all inmates held within a
respondent’s facilities, including
inmates housed for other correctional
facilities, prisoners held in privately
operated facilities, prisoners under age
18 who were serving time in a state or
federal correctional facility after being
sentenced as an adult in a criminal
court (1,790 in 2011), and inmates in
the six states in which prisons and jails
form one integrated system, including
inmates under age 18 who may have
been held before or after adjudication.4
Probation and parole populations
Total correctional population counts
reflect data reported by probation and
parole agencies within the specific
reporting year. While some agencies
update their probation and parole data
for different reasons after submitting their
data, BJS does not obtain updated data for
prior years.
Updated data usually include data that
were not entered into the information
system before the survey was submitted
or data that were not fully processed by
yearend. Probation and parole agencies
also experience changes in reporting
methods over time. (See Probation
and Parole in the United States, 2011,
BJS website, NCJ 239686, December
2012.) Therefore, probation and parole
population counts on January 1 of the
current year may differ from population
counts on December 31 of the prior
reporting year.
4See Prisoners in 2011, BJS website, NCJ 239808,

December 2012, for more information about the
six states with combined prison and jail systems.

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The number of offenders supervised
by the adult correctional systems in
each year reflect the population counts
reported by probation and parole
agencies within the reporting year.
For example, the 2010 probation and
parole totals are the December 31,
2010, population counts reported by
the agencies for the 2010 reporting year.
This method was first adopted with
Correctional Populations in the United
States, 2010, BJS website, NCJ 236319,
December 2011.
In previously published BJS reports,
the December 31 probation and parole
population counts within a reporting
year were updated with the January
1 probation and parole population
counts from the next reporting year.
The total correctional population counts
within a year in previously published
BJS reports included the January
1 probation and parole population
counts from the next reporting year.
This former method was previously
used to facilitate the estimation of
annual change in the total correctional
population, as well as the probation and
parole populations, by attempting to
account for annual reporting changes
or updated data. However, for this
report, BJS used the newer method
to estimate annual change in the total
correctional population, and the
probation and parole populations. This
method is comparable to the method
used for the 2010 report. (See Estimating
annual change in the total correctional
populations, page 7.)

Local jail and custody prison
population

Counts adjusted for offenders with
multiple correctional statuses

Respondents to the ASJ are asked
to report the number of jail inmates
confined as of the last weekday in June
of each year. The total correctional
population counts in each year include
jail population counts as of the last
weekday in June for all inmates confined
in local jails. This is used as an estimate
of the number in local jails at yearend.

Offenders under correctional
supervision may have multiple
correctional statuses for several
reasons. For example, probation and
parole agencies may not always be
notified immediately of new arrests,
jail admissions, or prison admissions;
absconders included in a probation
or parole agency’s population in one
jurisdiction may actually be incarcerated
in another jurisdiction; individuals
may be admitted to jail or prison
before formal revocation hearings and
potential discharge by a probation or
parole agency; and individuals may be
serving separate probation and parole
sentences concurrently.

Respondents to the NPS are asked to
report separate population counts of
the number of prisoners in the custody
of and under the jurisdiction of state
or federal correctional facilities on
December 31 of each year. The total
correctional population count in
each year reflects the custody prison
populations as of December 31, and
differs from the jurisdiction population
counts reported in Prisoners in 2011, BJS
website, NCJ 239808, December 2012.

In 1998, BJS began collecting data on
the number of offenders with multiple
correctional statuses and has expanded
on the information collected since then.
Table 4 includes the adjustments that
were made to the total correctional
population to exclude offenders with
multiple correctional statuses.

Table 4
Offenders with multiple correctional statuses at yearend, by correctional status,
1998–2011
Year
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Total
49,500
46,700
42,500
43,600
50,300
47,000
56,000
91,400
92,000
75,800
95,000
82,900
86,800
87,200

Probationers in—
State or
Local jails federal prisons
28,800
20,700
23,900
22,800
20,400
22,100
23,400
20,200
29,300
20,900
25,500
21,500
34,400
21,600
32,600
22,100
33,900
21,700
19,300
23,100
23,800
32,400
21,400
23,100
21,300
21,500
21,100
22,300

In local jails
-------18,300
20,700
18,800
19,300
19,100
21,400
18,000

Parolees—
In state or
federal prisons
-------18,400
15,700
14,600
15,600
14,300
14,400
14,900

On probation
----------3,900
5,000
8,300
11,000

Note: Estimates may not be comparable to previously published BJS reports due to updated information. Details
may not sum to totals due to rounding.
--Not collected or excluded from total correctional population.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Probation Survey, Annual Parole Survey, 1998–2011.

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These estimates are based on reported
data provided by the probation and
parole agencies that were capable of
providing the information within the
specific reporting year. Because some
probation and parole agencies did
not provide these data each year, the
numbers may underestimate the total
number of offenders with multiple
correctional statuses between 1998 and
2011. Due to these adjustments, the sum
of the four correctional populations in
tables 2 and 3 will not equal the total
correctional population. In addition,
the sum of the probation and parole
populations for 2008 through 2011
will not equal the total community
supervision population because the total
was adjusted for parolees who were also
on probation.
Estimating annual change in the
correctional populations
The probation and parole population
counts on January 1 of the current year
may differ from population counts on
December 31 of the prior reporting
year, because probation and parole
agencies may update their data (See
Probation and parole populations on
page 5), change their reporting methods
from one year to the next, or discharge
offenders on January 1 of each year.
For these reasons, annual change in the
probation and parole populations was
calculated within the reporting year.
(See Methodology in Probation and
Parole in the United States, 2011, BJS
website, NCJ 239686, December 2012
for more information.)
The annual change in the community
supervision population was also
calculated within the reporting year.
For years 2008 through 2011, change in
the community supervision population
was calculated after accounting for
offenders with multiple community
supervision statuses. (See Counts

adjusted for offenders with multiple
correctional status on page 6.) For these
reasons, in years 2008 through 2011,
the sum of the changes in the probation
and parole populations does not equal
the total change in the community
supervision population. For example,
the change in the probation population
(down 81,800) during 2011 plus the
change in the parole population (up
13,300) during the year does not equal
the total change in the community
supervision population (down 71,300).
The difference (up 2,800) is the change
in the number of parolees who were also
on probation during 2011.
The annual change in the jail and
custody prison populations was based
on the change from the prior year to the
current year because respondents are
only asked to report a population count
for one reference date. For example, the
annual change in the jail population for
2011 is the difference (down 13,100)
between the populations on the last
weekday in June 2010 and June 2011.
The annual change in the custody prison
population for 2011 is the difference
(down 17,300) between the December
31, 2010, and December 31, 2011,
custody prison populations. The change
in the total incarcerated population was
calculated as the sum of the change in
the jail and custody prison populations
from the prior year to the current year.
The annual change in the total
correctional population for each year
was not calculated as the difference in
the total correctional population from
the prior year and the current year but
rather the sum of the annual changes
for each correctional population. For
example, the annual change in the
total correctional population (down
98,900) during 2011 was calculated as
the sum of four components: (1) the
change in the probation population
(down 81,800) in 2011; (2) the change

in the parole population (up 13,300)
in 2011; (3) the change in the jail
population (down 13,100), or the
difference between the populations on
the last weekday in June 2010 and June
2011; and (4) the change in the custody
prison population (down 17,300), or
the difference between the December
31 populations in 2010 and 2011.
Probation coverage expanded
beginning in 1998 through 1999
To address survey undercoverage,
the number of probation agencies
was expanded beginning in 1998 and
continued through 1999 to include
misdemeanor probation agencies in a
few states that fell within the scope of
this survey. In 1998, survey coverage
was expanded to include 35 additional
probation agencies, which accounted
for 27,644 additional probationers.
Expansion of probation coverage
continued through 1999, and in that
year an additional 178 probation
agencies were added to the collection,
which accounted for 259,744 additional
probationers. Therefore, the 1998 total
correctional population reported in
figure 1 includes 27,644 probationers
added through the expansion of
coverage in 1998. The 1999 correctional
population reported in figure 1 includes
259,744 probationers added through the
expansion of coverage in 1999.
To calculate the annual change in the
total correctional population between
1997 and 1998, the 27,644 probationers
added through the expansion of
coverage in 1998 were subtracted
from the 1998 total correctional
population reported in figure 1. The
259,744 probationers added through
the expansion of coverage in 1999 were
subtracted from the 1999 correctional
population total in order to calculate the
annual change between 1998 and 1999.

co r r e c t i o n a l p o p u l at i o n s i n t h e u n i t e d s tat e s , 2011 | N o v e m b e r 2012	

7

Appendix Table 1
Inmates held in custody in state or federal prisons or in local jails, December 31, 2000, 2010–2011
Inmates in custody
Total
Federal prisonersa
Prisons
Federal facilities
Privately operated facilities
Community Corrections Centersb
State prisoners
State facilities
Privately operated facilities
Local jailsc
Incarceration rated
Adult incarceration ratee

2000
1,937,482
140,064
133,921
124,540
9,381
6,143
1,176,269
1,100,978
75,291
621,149
683
918

Number of inmates
2010
2,270,142
206,968
198,339
173,138
25,201
8,629
1,314,446
1,220,331
94,115
748,728
731
960

2011
2,239,751
214,774
206,004
176,228
29,776
8,770
1,289,376
1,196,981
92,395
735,601
716
937

Average annual
change, 2000–2010
1.6%
3.9%
3.9
3.3
9.9
3.4
1.1%
1.0
2.2
1.9%
0.7%
0.5

Percent change,
2010–2011
-1.3%
3.8%
3.9
1.8
18.2
1.6
-1.9%
-1.9
-1.8
-1.8%
-2.0%
-2.3

Note: Estimates may not be comparable to previously published BJS reports due to updated information. Total includes all inmates held in local jails, state or federal prisons,
or privately operated facilities. It does not include inmates held in U.S. territories (appendix table 2), military facilities (appendix table 3), U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement facilities, jails in Indian country, and juvenile facilities. See Methodology for sources of incarceration data and the text box on page 2 for a discussion of the
differences between the custody and jurisdiction prison populations.
aIn 2001, responsibility for sentenced prisoners from the District of Columbia was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
bNon-secure, privately operated community corrections centers.
cCounts for inmates held in local jails are for the last weekday in June of each year. Counts were estimated from the Annual Survey of Jails. See Methodology.
dThe total number in the custody of local jails, state or federal prisons, or privately operated facilities as of December 31, 2011, per 100,000 U.S. residents. Resident population
estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau for January 1 of the following year.
eThe total number in custody as of December 31, 2011 per 100,000 U.S. residents age 18 or older. Adult resident population estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau for
January 1 of the following year. See Methodology for information on inmates under the age of 18 who were in prison after being sentenced as adults or being held in local jails
before or after adjudication.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, and National Prisoner Statistics Program, 2000 and 2010–2011. The total and adult resident population estimates are
based on U.S. Census Bureau National Intercensal Estimates 2001, and unpublished total and adult resident population estimates, January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2012.

Appendix Table 2
Prisoners in custody of correctional authorities in the U.S. territories and
commonwealths, 2011
Jurisdiction
Totalb
American Samoa
Guam
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands

Total number
of prisoners
12,413
167
632
162
11,452
--

Sentenced to more than 1 year
Number
Incarceration rate, 2011a
9,641
243
117
212
240
150
91
174
9,193
248
-:

-- Not reported.
: Not calculated.
aThe number of prisoners with a sentence of more than 1 year per 100,000 persons in the resident population on
July 1, 2011.
bExcludes the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics Program, 2011. Resident population estimates are
based on U.S. Census Bureau International Database estimates.

co r r e c t i o n a l p o p u l at i o n s i n t h e u n i t e d s tat e s , 2011 | N o v e m b e r 2012	

8

Appendix Table 3
Prisoners under military jurisdiction, by branch of service, 2010–2011
Branch of service
Total
Prisoners who served in—
Air Force
Army
Marine Corps
Navy
Coast Guard
Prisoners held by—
Air Force
Army
Marine Corps
Navy

2010
1,475

Total
Percent change,
2011 2010–2011
1,527
3.5%

Sentenced to more than 1 year
Percent change,
2010
2011 2010–2011
913
1,051
15.1%

269
619
378
201
8

285
702
299
235
6

5.9
13.4
-20.9
16.9
-25.0

177
425
155
155
1

204
512
157
176
2

15.3
20.5
1.3
13.5
100.0

48
719
177
531

54
828
102
543

12.5
15.2
-42.4
2.3

8
571
11
323

5
678
5
363

-37.5%
18.7
-54.5
12.4

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics Program, 2010–2011.

Appendix Table 4
Estimated standard errors for local jail inmates, 2000, 2001, and 2008–2011
Year
2000
2001
2008
2009
2010
2011

Total
621,149
631,240
785,533
767,434
748,728
735,601

Standard error
2,551
2,721
4,276
4,453
5,638
6,168

Relative standard error (percent)*
0.41%
0.43
0.54
0.58
0.75
0.84

*Calculated by dividing the standard error by the survey estimate and multiplying by 100.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2000, 2001, and 2008–2011.

co r r e c t i o n a l p o p u l at i o n s i n t h e u n i t e d s tat e s , 2011 | N o v e m b e r 2012	

9

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistics agency of the U.S.
Department of Justice. James P. Lynch is director.
Lauren E. Glaze and Erika Parks wrote this report. Lauren E. Glaze
and Erika Parks analyzed the data and prepared the tables and graphs
with assistance from E. Ann Carson. Todd Minton and E. Ann
Carson provided statistical verification. Sheri Simmons provided
statistical review.
Doris J. James edited the report, and Barbara Quinn and Tina Dorsey
produced the report under the supervision of Doris J. James.
November 2012, NCJ 239972

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