Comparing Washington's total population to its incarcerated population, by race

HELP US END MASS INCARCERATION The Prison Policy Initiative uses research, advocacy, and organizing to dismantle mass incarceration. We’ve been in this movement for 25 years, thanks to individual donors like you.

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October 27, 2026:
On October 27, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. EST, join the Prison Policy Initiative for a webinar focused on making public records requests. We’ll cover the basics of making a request and provide tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies that can make your requests more effective.

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Bar chart showing that compared to the total state population, Black and Native people are overrepresented in the incarcerated population, while Asian people are underrepresented.

(Graph: Wendy Sawyer, September 2023)

For more research and graphs about Washington, see our Washington state profile.

Events

October 27, 2026:
On October 27, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. EST, join the Prison Policy Initiative for a webinar focused on making public records requests. We’ll cover the basics of making a request and provide tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of sending requests to jails, prisons, and other agencies that can make your requests more effective.

Register here

Not near you?
Invite us to your city, college or organization.

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