One in every 138 residents of the United States, a total of 2,131,180 inmates, were incarcerated in prison or jail as of June 30, 2004 -- growing at a rate of 932 inmates a day over 2003 -- according to a new report from the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Two-thirds were in federal and state prisons, and the other third were in local jails. Jail authorities were supervising an additional 70,548 men and women in the community in work release, weekend reporting, electronic monitoring and other alternative programs.

The incarcerated population grew by 48,452 inmates between midyear 2003 and midyear 2004. Jail inmates grew by 3.3 percent, state prisoners by 1.3 percent, and federal prisoners by 6.3 percent. On June 30, 2004, there were an estimated 726 persons per 100,000 U.S. residents in prison or jail.

In the year ending June 30, 2004, 13 states reported an increase of at least 5 percent, led by Minnesota (13.2 percent), Montana (10.5 percent), and Arkansas (8.9 percent). Twelve states reported decreases in the number of prisoners, including Alabama (6.7 percent), Connecticut (2.5 percent) and Ohio (2.3 percent).

Between June 30, 2003 and June 30, 2004, the number of female prisoners increased 2.9 percent to reach 103,310. At the same time, male prisoners increased 2 percent to reach 1,390,906. Overall, including inmates in prison and jail, men were 11 times more likely to be incarcerated than women (1,348 male inmates per 100,000 U.S. male residents compared to 123 female inmates per 100,000 female residents).

State prisons held 2,477 youths under 18 years old in 2004, less than half of the peak number in 1995 (5,309 youths). Local jails held an estimated 7,083 youths, down from 7,800 in 1995.

Double-Digit Growth

On June 30, 2004, the 50 largest jail jurisdictions held nearly one-third of all jail inmates. Eight jurisdictions experienced double-digit growth in the year ending midyear 2004, led by Clark County, Nevada; Fulton County, Georgia; and Orange County, California -- all up 20 percent.

An estimated 12.6 percent of all black males in their late twenties were in prisons or jails, compared to 3.6 percent of Hispanic males and 1.7 percent of white males.

The number of noncitizens held in state or federal prisons increased 1.4 percent in the year ending June 30, 2004, reaching 91,789. Almost two-thirds of incarcerated noncitizens were held by the federal system.

Private Prisons Growing Too

Privately operated prison facilities held 98,791 men and women, up 3.4 percent in the six months since December 31, 2003. The federal prison system used privately operated facilities to house 13.7 percent of inmates; 5.6 percent of state prisoners were housed in private facilities.

According to the most recent data available, at year-end 2003 prison systems were estimated to be at capacity to 16 percent above capacity. At midyear 2004, jails were operating at 94 percent of capacity.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics

Background:
The Prison and Parole System