Idaho profile
Idaho has an incarceration rate of 734 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 Idaho and why.
13,000 people from Idaho are behind bars
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
Also see these Idaho graphs:
- total numbers rather than rates.
- Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
- Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
Today, Idaho’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, Hispanics, Blacks, and American Indians/Native Americans in Idaho prisons and jails.
Idaho's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails
Our other articles about Idaho
- How much do incarcerated people in Idaho earn for their work in prison?
- Idaho prisons charge a $5 copay to incarcerated people, putting health at risk
- New data: Low incomes - but high fees - for people on probation in Idaho
- We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Idaho gets an F
- Some jails in Idaho charge $12.00 or more for a 15-minute phone call
- Who's helping the 12,254 women released from Idaho correctional facilities each year?
- Census prison quirk dilutes democracy in Idaho
Other resources
- Research on Idaho in our Research Library
