Data Source: Compiled from state Department of Corrections populations reports and The Marshall Project. (Graph: Wendy Sawyer, 2022)

This graph originally appeared in New data: The changes in prisons, jails, probation, and parole in the first year of the pandemic.

State prison population trends presented here were selected as illustrative examples of the overall national trend. Data for most states began in January 2020, but earliest and most recent data availability varied across states.