stAtestAts
Prisons Are Expensive
One in every 31 adults in the 7 mILLION ANd cOUNTING PRISONS dOmINATE SPENdING
United States is under some form of Led by probation, the correctional population has Across 34 states, nearly 9 of 10 correctional
correctional supervision, according tripled in 25 years. dollars went to prisons in FY 2008.
to the Public Safety Performance AMOUNT TO
8,000,000
Project of the Pew Center on the PROBATION
States. There are 2.3 million people
7,000,000 12% AND PAROLE
6,000,000 $2.52 billion
incarcerated in state or federal pris-
PROBATION
ons and local jails. Combine that 5,000,000 4,293,163 AMOUNT TO
with more than 5 million people 4,000,000
PRISONS
$18.65 billion
on probation or parole, and you
have 7.3 million people under cor-
3,000,000 PAROLE
824,365 88%
2,000,000
rectional supervision. That is more
PRISON
1,512,576
TOTAL CORRECTIONS
1,000,000 SPENDING
than the combined populations of JAIL
$21.17 billion
0 780,581
Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego 82 87 92 97 02 07
and Dallas. Bureau of Justice Statistics Correctional Surveys available at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/corr2tab.htm.
Sp res were collected from AR, AL, AK, CO, DE, GA, ID, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD,
MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA and WY.
Yet while nearly 90 percent of Due to rs with dual status, the sum of these four correctional categories
slightly overstates the total correctional population.
corrections money went to prisons,
only 31 percent of offenders under
some kind of correctional supervi-
sion are incarcerated, according to
wIdE VARIANcE IN cORREcTIONAL cONTROL
Share of adults under correctional control. year end, 2007.
the new Pew Center on the States
report, “1 in 31: The Long Reach WA NH
1 in 30 1 in 88 ME
of Corrections,” that analyzed data MT ND VT 1 in 81
1 in 44 MN
from 33 states. 1 in 63 1 in 26 1 in 46
OR
1 in 33 MA
In other words, one day in prison ID SD
WI NY 1 in 24
1 in 18 1 in 39 1 in 53
costs more than 10 days on parole WY 1 in 40
MI RI
1 in 38 1 in 27
or 22 days on probation. IA PA CT 1 in 26
NV NE 1 in 54 1 in 28 1 in 33
1 in 44 IN OH NJ
1 in 48 UT IL 1 in 26 1 in 25
1 in 38 1 in 35
1 in 64 CO WV DE
CA 1 in 29 KS 1 in 68 VA 1 in 26
1 in 36 MO 1 in 46
1 in 53 1 in 36 MD DC
KY 1 in 35 1 in 27 1 in 21
NC
TN 1 in 40 1 in 38
AZ OK
1 in 33 NM AR SC
1 in 42 1 in 29
1 in 35 1 in 38
MS GA
AL 1 in 13
1 in 38 1 in 32
LA Highest fth
TX 1 in 26
AK 1 in 22
Second highest
1 in 36 FL Middle fth
1 in 31 Second lowest
HI L fth
1 in 32
Calculation incl e and federal jail, prison and community supervision and is based on data from the U.S. Census State Population Estimates, the Bureau of
Justice Statistics Correctional Surveys available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/corr2tab.htm, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the Administrative of U.S. Courts and the
Pew Public Safety Performance Project.
AVERAGE STATE dAILy cOST PER OffENdER
One day in prison costs more than 10 days on parole or 23 days on probation.
PROBATION AGENCIES $3.42
PAROLE AGENCIES $7.47
PRISON SYSTEMS $78.95
Spending ted from AR, AL, AK, CO, DE, GA, ID, IA, KY, LA, MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA and WY.
Caution should be used in making interstate comparisons since a wide variety of factors beyond agency perform ency can account for daily cost di ces. Some states
have separate probation and parole agencies, while others have combined them.
6 stAte legislAtures June 2009