Originally written for Crime in America. Republished with permission.
I was the director of public information for the Maryland Department of Public Safety for 14 years. The state took over the operations of Baltimore's jail for fiscal reasons.
Beyond finding a large number of inmates held for months or years beyond their release date (it became a national and international story), I spent days within the jail and the newly constructed booking center trying to understand how jails operate.
To suggest that jails are chaotic places would be an understatement. We had hundreds of new intakes daily, fresh from the streets after arrest, and many going through detox. Separating newly arrived people from rival gangs and placing them into property security and medical levels was an immense and unforgiving task. Most were repeat offenders.
Most readers understand that there is a difference between jails and prisons. Jails hold people on a pretrial basis, and those incarcerated for short periods, most less than a year.
Most jail inmates are held on pretrial.
In midyear 2023, 70% (467,600) of the jail population was unconvicted, either awaiting court action on a current charge or held in jail for other reasons.
The remaining 30% (196,600) were convicted, either serving a sentence or awaiting sentencing on a conviction.
Insights
The data below is from the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice, documenting the number of jail intakes and breaking them down into descriptive characteristics.
Jail populations declined considerably, and COVID reduced their numbers substantially.
Efforts to limit the use of monetary bail before trial have been a hallmark of the previous decade.
There are indications of an increasing jail population, which "may" reflect a growing concern that bail reform could have public safety issues.
What's really surprising is the dramatic increase in the jail population of those aged 65 and older. When I did an article about older people and crime, the numbers suggested that there were aging individuals involved in criminal conspiracies with extensive criminal records, which may be a reason for the increase. They grew more than other age group since 2020.
The number of persons held in local jails for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement decreased by 60% from 2013 to 2023, which provides a glimpse into the immigration enforcement policies of previous presidential administrations.
After a 12% increase from 2015 to 2019, the number of staff employed at local jails decreased to 211,700 by midyear 2023, falling below the 2015 level (213,000). There is a recruitment and retention problem in law enforcement (we lost over 25,000 police employees per the Bureau of Labor Statistics) and a significant decline in correctional officers in prisons.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of convicted persons in jail decreased by 29%, while the number of unconvicted persons increased by 3%, which "may" be an indication of changing bail policies.
About 1,200 persons served weekend-only sentences, reflecting an 89% decrease from the 11,000 recorded in 2013, which indicates that weekend jail incarcerations have fallen into disfavor.
An estimated 75% (500,300) of the jail population in midyear 2023 were held for felony offenses, marking an increase from 68% (494,100) at midyear 2015, which indicates that jails are housing serious offenders.
Bureau of Justice Statistics Report-Jail Inmates-2023
In midyear 2023, local jails held 664,200 persons in custody, similar to midyear 2022 (663,100) and marking a 9% decrease in the inmate population compared to the 731,200 10 years earlier.
The rate of incarceration stood at 198 persons per 100,000 U.S. residents, a 14% decline from 231 jail inmates per 100,000 a decade ago.
From July 2022 to June 2023, local jails nationwide recorded 7.6 million admissions. While this represented a 4% increase from the 7.3 million admissions the year before, annual admissions were 35% lower than a decade ago when admissions totaled 11.7 million.
The number of incarcerated adults ages 65 and over incarcerated in local jails has grown more than other age groups since 2020.
The number of persons held in local jails for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement decreased by 60% from 2013 to 2023.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of convicted persons in jail decreased by 29%, while the number of unconvicted persons increased by 3%.
About 1,200 persons served weekend-only sentences on the weekend before the last weekday in June 2023, reflecting an 89% decrease from the 11,000 recorded in 2013.
An estimated 75% (500,300) of the jail population in midyear 2023 were held for felony offenses, marking an increase from 68% (494,100) at midyear 2015.
In midyear 2023, there were a total of 915,800 jail beds in the United States, and 73% of the beds were occupied.
After a 12% increase from 2015 to 2019, the number of staff employed at local jails decreased to 211,700 by midyear 2023, falling below the 2015 level (213,000).
In midyear 2023, local jails housed 95,100 females, representing 14% of the total jail inmate population. The female jail population experienced a 37% drop from 2019 to 2020. However, by midyear 2023, the female jail population reached 86% of its 2019 level.
The number of incarcerated adults ages 65 and over incarcerated in local jails has grown more than other age groups since 2020, when BJS started collecting age group data through the Annual Survey of Jails. From 2020 to 2023, the number of persons aged 65 and over increased by 78%, while the population of those between ages 35 and 64 grew by 33%.
As of midyear 2023, individuals aged 17 or younger accounted for 0.3% of the incarcerated population in local jails. Their numbers declined by 56%, from 4,400 in 2013 to 2,000 in 2023.
Approximately 47% of incarcerated individuals were white, 36% were black, and 14% were Hispanic. Other racial and ethnic groups, including American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, Asian individuals, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander individuals, and those identifying with two or more races, collectively comprised 3% of the total jail population. The percentage of jail population that was black was the same in 2013 and 2023.
Jail incarceration rates
In midyear 2023, there were 198 persons incarcerated in jail per 100,000 U.S. residents, down from 231 inmates per 100,000 in midyear 2013. The midyear 2023 incarceration rate for males was higher, 343 per 100,000 male U.S. residents, which was more than six times the rate for females at 56 per 100,000 female U.S. residents.
In 2023, individuals ages 25–34 were incarcerated in jail at a rate of 480 inmates per 100,000 residents, approximately 22 times the rate for those age 65 or older (22 per 100,000). Between 2020 and 2023, the jail incarceration rate for individuals aged 45 or older increased by 34%.
The jail incarceration rate for black U.S. residents was 552 per 100,000, 3.6 times the rate for white U.S. residents (155 per 100,000) at midyear 2023. American Indian and Alaskan Native persons had the second highest rate at 425 per 100,000. Hispanic persons (143 per 100,000) were incarcerated at a rate comparable to white persons (155 per 100,000).
Conviction status and offense characteristics
In midyear 2023, 70% (467,600) of the jail population was unconvicted, either awaiting court action on a current charge or held in jail for other reasons.
The remaining 30% (196,600) were convicted, either serving a sentence or awaiting sentencing on a conviction.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of convicted persons in jail decreased by 29%, while the number of unconvicted persons increased by 3%.
An estimated 75% (500,300) of the jail population in midyear 2023 were held for felony offenses, marking an increase from 68% (494,100) at midyear 2015.
A total of 129,600 persons were held in jail for a misdemeanor at midyear 2023, down 33% from 193,100 at midyear 2015.
At midyear 2023, 96,100 individuals were held in jail for probation violations, accounting for 14% of the inmate population. About 5% (30,900) of the inmates were in jail for parole violations.
Average daily population, admissions, and average time in jail
During the 12 months ending on June 30, 2023, jails processed 7.6 million admissions and accommodated an average daily population (ADP) of 664,800 persons. Within that time frame, females constituted 23% of all admissions and 14% of the ADP.
From July 2022 to June 2023, people admitted to local jails spent an average of 32 days in custody before release, 7 days longer than the average stay of 25 days 8 years prior.
The average duration of jail incarceration increased from 26 days in 2019 to 33 days in 2021. Since 2021, the average jail stay has stabilized.
From July 2022 to June 2023, males were incarcerated for 36 days and females 19 days on average, up from 27 days and 16 days 8 years prior, respectively.
Capacity and staffing
At midyear 2023, there were a total of 915,800 jail beds in the United States and 73% of the beds were occupied. From 2013 to 2023, the total number of jail beds increased by 5%, while the occupancy rate decreased from 84% to 73%.
As of midyear 2023, 12% of jail jurisdictions were operating above their rated capacity.
The total number of staff employed at local jails declined from 237,500 in 2019 to 212,300 in 2022, with no significant change in 2023 as it remained at 211,700.
Local jails employed 164,800 correctional officers and 47,000 other jail staff, including administrators, clerical and maintenance staff, educational staff, and professional and technical staff in 2023.
Throughout the period from 2015 to 2023, about 8 in 10 staff members were correctional officers.
Persons supervised outside jail and those serving weekend sentences
In addition to supervising inmates in custody, local jails operate various programs such as electronic monitoring, home detention, day reporting, community service, alcohol or drug treatment programs, and other pretrial supervision and work programs outside of a jail facility.
At midyear 2023, local jails supervised 50,100 persons in such programs outside of jail
About 1,200 persons served weekend-only sentences on the weekend before the last weekday in June 2023, reflecting an 89% decrease from the 11,000 recorded in 2013
Source
Jail Inmates in 2023 – Statistical Tables
See more articles on crime and justice at Crime in America.
Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.
US Crime Rates at Nationwide Crime Rates.
National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Statistics for the Department of Justice's clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.
Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the "McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime" national media campaign. Produced successful state anti-crime media campaigns.
Thirty-five years of directing award-winning (50+) public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often with a focus on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcasting series. Produced a unique and emulated style of government proactive public relations.
Certificate of Advanced Study-The Johns Hopkins University.
Author of "Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization" available at Amazon and additional bookstores.
Crime in America.Net-"Trusted Crime Data, Made Clear."
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