BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
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Home | Corrections | Local jail inmates and jail facilities | Jail inmate characteristics
Jail inmate characteristics
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The Annual Survey of Jails collects information on the jail inmate population including inmate counts and basic demographic characteristics. Data on the jail population are also collected in complete censuses conducted every 5 to 7 years and in annual sample surveys in years when censuses are not conducted. Jail censuses include information on confined and nonconfined persons under supervision of jail authorities, inmate counts and movements, staffing, and facility programs. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is only able to report state-by-state data on the jail inmate population during Census years the Annual Survey of Jails is a sample, and does not allow for state-level estimates. The Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ), conducted periodically, provides national estimates of jail inmate characteristics (see Jail Data Collection and Surveys for more information).

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Data Collections & Surveys

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Publications & Products


Jail Inmates in 2015 Presents information on the change in the number of jail inmates between 2000 and 2015 by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and conviction status. This report also provides estimates of year-to-year changes from 2000 to 2015 in the average daily population, rated capacity of local jails, and percent of capacity occupied.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 163K) | PDF (582K) | ASCII file (24K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Spreadsheet 22K)

Census of Jails: Population Changes, 1999–2013 Presents state-level estimates of the number of inmates confined in local jails at year end 2013, by sex, race, and Hispanic origin.
  Summary (PDF 234K) | PDF (994K) | ASCII file (35K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 23K)
Part of the Census of Jails Series

Veterans in Prison and Jail, 2011–2012 Presents counts and rates of veterans in state and federal prison and local jail in 2011 and 2012.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 247K) | PDF (541K) | ASCII file (34K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 35K)

Jail Inmates at Midyear 2014 THE NATION'S JAILS HELD FEWER INMATES AT MIDYEAR 2014 COMPARED TO THEIR PEAK COUNT IN 2008
  Press Release

Jail Inmates at Midyear 2014 Presents estimates of the number of jail inmates at midyear 2014 by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and conviction status.
  Press Release | Summary (PDF 21K) | Full report (PDF 450K) | ASCII file (28K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 43K)
Part of the Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear Series

Jails in Indian Country, 2013 Presents findings from the 2013 Survey of Jails in Indian Country, an enumeration of 79 jails, confinement facilities, detention centers, and other correctional facilities operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
  PDF (847K) | ASCII file (42K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 32K)
Part of the Jails in Indian Country Series

Jail Inmates at Midyear 2013 - Statistical Tables (Revised) Presents estimates of the number of jail inmates at midyear 2013, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and conviction status.
  Press Release | PDF (1.21M) | ASCII file (23K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 43K)
Part of the Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear Series

Correctional Populations in the United States, 2012 Summarizes data from various correctional collections to provide statistics on the number of offenders supervised by the adult correctional systems in the U.S. Adult correctional systems include offenders supervised in the community under the authority of probation or parole agencies and inmates held in state and federal prisons or local jails.
  Press Release | PDF (766K) | ASCII file (23K) | Comma-delimited format (CSV) (Zip format 15K)
Part of the Correctional Populations in the United States Series

Correctional Populations in the United States, 2012 TOTAL U.S. CORRECTIONAL POPULATION DECLINED IN 2012 FOR FOURTH YEAR
  Press Release
Part of the Correctional Populations in the United States Series

Jails in Indian Country, 2012 INDIAN COUNTRY JAIL INMATE POPULATION INCREASED ABOUT SIX PERCENT FOR SECOND INDIAN COUNTRY JAIL INMATE POPULATION INCREASED ABOUT SIX PERCENT FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
  Press Release
Part of the Jails in Indian Country Series

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Terms & Definitions

Custody To have custody of a prisoner, a state or the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must physically hold that person in one of its facilities. A locality, state, or the BOP may hold inmates over whom a different government maintains jurisdiction.
 
Design capacity The number of inmates that planners or architects intended for the facility.
 
Jail inmates Offenders confined in short-term facilities that are usually administered by a local law enforcement agency and that are intended for adults but sometimes hold juveniles before or after adjudication. Jail inmates usually have a sentence of less than 1 year or are being held pending a trial, awaiting sentencing, or awaiting transfer to other facilities after a conviction.
 
Jurisdiction A unit of government or the legal authority to exercise governmental power. In corrections, it refers to the government that has legal authority over an inmate (state or federal). Prisoners under a given state's jurisdiction may be housed in another state or local correctional facility.
 
Operational capacity The number of inmates that can be accommodated based on a facility's staff, existing programs, and services.
 
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