Data Source: Compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative from Bureau of Justice Statistics data. For detailed sourcing, see: www.prisonpolicy.org/data/incarceration_counts_and_rates_by_type_over_time.xlsx. (Graph: Leah Wang, 2026)
This graph originally appeared in Updated data and charts: Women’s incarceration, national prison population counts, psychological distress behind bars, and more.
The original version of the charts showing how state policy drives mass incarceration was published in Tracking State Prison Growth in 50 States. The raw numbers were updated through 2015 in Data update: Incarcerated population inching down with the sources listed at the bottom of that post. The total population figures necessary to calculate the incarceration rates are described in the methodology section of Tracking State Prison Growth in 50 States, with recent years added from the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates
Events
- July 1, 2026:
On July 1, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST, join the Prison Policy Initiative and guests Jodi Hocking, Executive Director of Return Strong Nevada, and Taj Mahon-Haft PhD, Director of The Humanization Project, as they discuss the importance of family connections, highlight the ways they are under attack, and share strategies to help families fight back.
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