Graph showing, for the years 2007 to 2014, the number of people -- 11 to 13 million -- a year who are admitted to jail per year and the number of people -- about 700,000 to 800,000 -- who are in jail on a given day.

Data Source: Compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Inmates at Midyear Series. (Graph: Peter Wagner, 2015)

This graph originally appeared in Jails matter. But who is listening?.

Addressing the problem of jails means grappling with the tremendous churn through jails. How can we lessen the numbers who enter jails and reduce the time that 11 million people spend there each year?

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