A growing number of policy experts and advocacy organizations are now calling for a 50 percent reduction in the U.S. Cory Booker and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Growing recognition of the scale and urgency of mass incarceration is now reflected in the work of leaders as diverse as Sen. Washington, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Kentucky have also grown their prison populations by 10% or more during this five-year period. Among these states, the largest 5-year increases in prison populations since 2012 have occurred in Arkansas, with a 23% increase. Eleven states had not achieved any prison population reductions by 2017, even though most are experiencing reported crime rates that are far below their peak levels.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series and US Census. While Texas has only modestly reduced its prison population, the state’s imprisonment rate-the number of prisoners per 100,000 residents-has declined by 27% between peak year 19, largely due to the state’s total population growing at over twice the nationwide rate during this period (38% versus 17%). 3) California ranks second among states in the size of its prison population. Texas and Florida, which rank first and third highest among states in the size of their prison populations, have downsized their prisons by just 4% and 6%, respectively, since reaching their peak levels. In 14 states the prison population reduction was less than 5%. Source: Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Reporting Programīut overall, the pace of decarceration has been slow in most states. Change in New York and National Reported Crime Rates, 1999-2017 Meanwhile, New York’s declines in reported rates of murder, violence, and property crimes during this period far outpaced the nationwide crime drop. Between 19, the state downsized its prison population by 32% while the nationwide level of imprisonment increased by 10%. This pattern is most pronounced in New York State, driven by changes in New York City.
While some critics have charged that decarceration would lead to rising crime, states with the most substantial reductions in their prison populations have often outpaced the nationwide crime drop. These prison population reductions are the result of a mix of changes in policy and practice designed to reduce prison admissions and lengths of stay. The number of people held in federal prisons has since continued to decline. The federal prison population declined in size by 16% between its peak in 20-at over twice the nationwide rate of decarceration.
The overall pace of decarceration has varied considerably across states, but has been modest overall. This follows a nearly 700% growth in the prison population between 19.
By yearend 2017, 1.4 million people were imprisoned in the United States, a decline of 7% since the prison population reached its peak level in 2009.