Florida profile
Florida has an incarceration rate of 833 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than many wealthy democracies do. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Florida and why.
176,000 people from Florida are behind bars
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
Also see these Florida graphs:
- total numbers rather than rates.
- Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
- Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
Today, Florida’s incarceration rates stand out internationally
In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.
People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails
See also our detailed graphs about Whites and Blacks in Florida prisons and jails.
Florida's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails
Our other articles about Florida
- Cruel and unusual punishment: When Florida prisons don't provide air conditioning
- How much do incarcerated people in Florida earn for their work in prison?
- Florida prisons charge a $5 copay to incarcerated people, putting health at risk
- We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Florida gets an F-
- People in Florida jails often face high first-minute rates for phone calls
- Florida is 1 of only 8 states still suspending driver's licenses for drug offenses unrelated to driving
- Who's helping the 125,006 women released from Florida correctional facilities each year?
- How Florida has reformed its juvenile justice system (from our report Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie)
- New infographic shows that states with harshest disenfranchisement laws will likely pick the next president
Prison-based gerrymandering in Florida
- Federal Judge holds prison gerrymandering unconstitutional
- ACLU files lawsuit challenging "prison gerrymandering" election districts in Florida county
- Reading, Writing, and Redistricting in School Board Districts with Prisons Part II: Florida
Other resources
- Research on Florida in our Research Library
