BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics
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FAQ Detail
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How many persons in the U.S. have ever been convicted of a felony? This is a question the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) frequently receives and, unfortunately, cannot completely answer. BJS can provide an estimate of the number of living persons in the United States who have ever been to state or federal prison. At yearend 2001, more than 5.6 million U.S. adult residents, or about 1 in 37 U.S. adults, had served time in state or federal prison. See Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001. BJS publishes Felony Sentences in State Courts statistical series every two years, providing the number of persons convicted of a felony in state courts in a particular year. In 2004, an estimated 1,079,000 adults were convicted of a felony in state courts nationwide. See Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties,2004 report. |