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Louisiana has an incarceration rate of 1,052 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 Louisiana and why.

Are you looking for information on what jails and prisons in Louisiana are doing to stop COVID-19? See our regularly-updated coronavirus response page.

50,000 people from Louisiana are behind bars

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

More than half of the people held in jails in Louisiana are held for federal or state agencies, primarily the state prison system. To avoid counting them twice, this population is not included in the yellow jails line. For annual counts of people in jails held for federal or state authorizes in Louisiana, see our table "Jail and prison incarcerated populations by state over time."

Also see these Louisiana graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

This graph excludes people held for state or federal authorities from the total count of people held in Louisiana jails. Because a majority (66%) of the population in Louisiana jails is held for the state prison system, this graph likely overstates the convicted population and understates the pre-trial population.

Today, Louisiana’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 Louisiana prisons and jails.

Louisiana's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

Our other articles about Louisiana

• We graded every state’s response to the coronavirus in prisons and jails. Louisiana got an F+
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Louisiana prisons don't provide air conditioning
• How much do incarcerated people in Louisiana earn for their work in prison?
• Louisiana prisons charge a $3 copay to incarcerated people, putting health at risk
• New data: Low incomes - but high fees - for people on probation in Louisiana
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Louisiana gets an F
• Louisiana state prisons still charge more than most other states for telephone calls
• Who's helping the 47,788 women released from Louisiana correctional facilities each year?
• Vera finds costs outweigh benefits in Louisiana's “user-funded” criminal justice system
• Avoiding prison gerrymandering is often a matter of common sense: Texas and Louisiana research update
• Louisiana Local Governments' Struggles With Prison-Based Gerrymandering Could Be Eased By State

Other resources

• Research on Louisiana in our Research Library