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Section II: Incarceration & Its Consequences

Variation of Incarceration Rates in the States

  • Number of prisoners in Alaska, per 100,000 population in 2000261: 341
  • Number of prisoners in Alabama, per 100,000 population in 2000262: 549
  • Number of prisoners in California, per 100,000 population in 2000263: 474
  • Number of prisoners in the District of Columbia, per 100,000 population in 2000264: 971
  • Number of prisoners in Idaho, per 100,000 population in 2000265: 430
  • Number of prisoners in Louisiana, per 100,000 population in 2000266: 801
  • Number of prisoners in Maine, per 100,000 population in 2000267: 129
  • Number of prisoners in Missouri, per 100,000 population in 2000268: 494
  • Number of prisoners in Montana, per 100,000 population in 2000269: 348
  • Number of prisoners in Nevada, per 100,000 population in 2000270: 518
  • Number of prisoners in North Dakota, per 100,000 population in 2000271: 353
  • Number of prisoners in Oregon, per 100,000 population in 2000272: 316
  • Number of prisoners in South Dakota, per 100,000 population in 2000273: 158
  • Number of prisoners in Texas, per 100,000 population in 2000274: 730
  • Number of prisoners in Utah, per 100,000 population in 2000275: 254
  • Number of prisoners in Virginia , per 100,000 population in 2000276: 422
  • Number of prisoners in Washington, per 100,000 population in 2000277: 251
  • Number of prisoners in West Virginia, per 100,000 population in 2000278: 211
  • Number of prisoners in Wyoming, per 100,000 population in 2000279: 349

Incarceration in New York

  • Number of prisoners, 2001280: 67,534
  • Imprisonment rate per 100,000281: 355
  • Percent change in the rate at which Whites are sent to prison in a year, 1930 to 2000282: -3.7%
  • Percent change in the rate at which African-Americans are sent to prison in a year, 1930 to 2000283: 260%
  • Percent of growth in New York prison population from 1985 to 1997 that was minorities284: 90%
  • Percent of prisoners incarcerated for drug law violations, 1970285: 8.6%
  • Percent of prisoners incarcerated for drug law violations, 2000286: 31.2%
  • Percent of prison population growth since 1970 that is minorities287: 87.6%
  • Number of times a Latino is more likely to go to prison for drugs than a White person288: 26
  • Number of times an African-American is more likely to go to prison for drugs than a White person289: 34
  • For every White prisoner, number of White college students290: 13.9
  • For every African-American prisoner, number of African-American college students291: 0.74
  • Percent of New York that lives in New York City292: 42.2%
  • Percent of New York prisoners from New York City293: 62.2%
  • Percent of New York State prisoners housed outside New York City294: 91%
  • Percent of New York prisoners incarcerated more than 2 hours from New York City295: 87%
  • Percent of new prisons built since 1982 located upstate296: 100%
  • Percent of New York State Senate that is Republican, 2000297: 59%
  • Percent of New York State prisoners that are housed in prisons in Republican Senatorial districts, 2000298: 90%
  • Number of police per 10,000 residents299: 93
  • Among the 50 states, national ranking in New York in police per capita300: 1
  • Annual cost of state prisons in New York, in dollars301: $2 billion

Incarceration in Texas

  • Imprisonment rate per 100,000, 2001302: 731
  • Number of prisoners on death row, 2001303: 453
  • Percentage of U.S. executions carried out in the year 2000 that were in Texas304: 47%
  • Percentage of U.S. executions carried out in the year 2001 that were in Texas305: 25%
  • Percentage of U.S. population that lives in Texas, 2000306: 7.4%
  • Number of prisoners and jail inmates, 2001307: 164,465
  • Number of Texans on probation, 2001308: 443,684
  • Number of Texans on parole, 2001309: 107,688
  • Number of Texans under some form of correctional supervision, 2001310: 755,100
  • Number of people in South Dakota, 2000311: 754,844

What do we think prisons do?

  • Percent of public reporting they believe the prison system does an excellent job rehabilitating prisoners so they are less likely to commit crimes in the future, 2000312: 2%
  • Percent of public reporting they believe the prison system does an excellent job maintaining a safe environment for prisoners, 2000313: 5%
  • Percent of public reporting they believe the prison system does an excellent, good or fair job at keeping prisoners from escaping, 2000314: 90%

This page is an excerpt from The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry (2003) by Peter Wagner, published by the Western Prison Project and the Prison Policy Initiative..