The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate, and total documented prison populationin the world. Bureau of Justice Statistics As of year-end 2007, a record 7.2 million people were behind bars,on probation or on parole. Of the total, 2.3 million were incarcerated. More than 1 in 100 American adults were incarcerated at the start of 2008. By mid-year 2008 2,310,984 prisoners were held in federal or state prison or in local jails-an increase from year end 2007. (2009 statistics are not available at this time).
Nearly 650,000 people are released from state and federal prison yearly and arrive on the doorsteps of communities nationwide. Office of Justice Re-entryA far greater number reenter communities from local jails, and for many offendersand/defendants, this may occur multiple times in a year. According to the Bureauof Justice Statistics (BJS) over 50 percent of those released from incarceration will be in some form of legal trouble witin 3 years.
The number of adults in the correctional population has been increasing.
In 2007, over 7.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on paroleat year-end 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 31 adults.
State and federal prison authorities had jurisdiction over 1,610,584 prisoners atmidyear 2008: 1,409,442 in state jurisdiction and 201,142 in federal jurisdiction.
Local jails held 785,556 persons awaiting trial or serving a sentence at midyear 2008. An additional 72,852 persons under jail supervision were serving their sentence in the community.
After sharp increases in the 1980s and 1990s, the incarceration rate has recently grown at a slower pace.
Population growth during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008 was same in both state andfederal prisons (up 1%).
Population growth during the 12-month period ending June 29, 2008 in local jails increased up 0.7%).
Executions
Numbers and statistics based on information fromBureau of Justice & Death Penalty Information In 2007 42 persons were executed. 27 were in Texas. 1 in Georgia. 1 in South Carolina. 2 in Ohio. 3 in Oklahoma. 3 in Alabama. 1 in Arizona. 2 In Indiana. 1 in South Dakota. 1 in Tennessee. * Executions were between Jan 07 to Sept. 07. *No executions between Sept 07 to Dec. 07, 2007. * Executions were in a de facto moratorium for eight (8) months September 07 - April 08, as the United States Supreme Court considered the lethal injection issue. The case being considered was Baze vs Rees. When the court upheld Kentucky's lethal injection process in Baez, many execution dates were set and carried out.
In 2008, 37 persons in nine states were executed -- 18 in Texas; 4 in Virginia; 3 each in Georgia and South Carolina; * April to December. * No executions January 2008 to April 2008.
2009 as of June 18th., 27 persons have been executed in six states - 16 in Texas; 1 in Virginia; 3 in Oklahoma; 1 in Florida; 4 in Alabama, 2 in Georgia; 1 in Missouri.
July 2009 10 Executions are Scheduled.
NOTE: Based on the de facto moratorium in effect for 8 months. (Sept, 2007 to April 2008) the following are estimates FVC is stating based on the above statistics for the Bureau of Justice and Death Penalty Information.
2008 -Slight increase in executions since 2007 2009 - Based on 27 executions carried out and 10 scheduled executions in July a higher increase. * Indicating, executions are on a rise.
Prisoners under sentence of death
The number of prisoners under sentence of death decreased for the seventh consecutive year in 2007.
At year-end 2008, 35 states and the federal prison system held 3,297 prisoners under sentence of death, 13 fewer than at year-end 2006.
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976, white inmates have made up more than half of the number under sentence of death.
Of persons under sentence of death in 2007: -- 1,804 were white -- 1,345 were black -- 26 were American Indian -- 35 were Asian -- 10 were of unknown race.
Fifty-six women were under a sentence of death at yearend 2007.
The 362 Hispanic inmates under sentence of death at yearend 2007 accounted for 13% of inmates with a known ethnicity.
Among inmates under sentence of death and with available criminal histories at yearend 2007: -- nearly 2 in 3 had a prior felony conviction -- 1 in 12 had a prior homicide conviction.
Among persons for whom arrest information was available, the average age at time of arrest was 29; nearly 1 in 9 inmates were age 19 or younger at the time of arrest.
At year-end 2007, the youngest inmate under sentence of death was 19; the oldest was 92.
