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Missouri has an incarceration rate of 713 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 any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Missouri and why.

41,000 people from Missouri are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Missouri is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 128,000 different people are booked into local jails in Missouri.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Missouri graphs:

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

Today, Missouri’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

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

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Missouri's criminal legal system:

Filter to show Most recent All Big picture Collateral consequences Communication Exploitation Health Jails & bail Parole and probation Policing Poverty Prison gerrymandering Racial justice Women, gender, & families

• Before he leaves office at the beginning of 2025, Missouri Governor Mike Parson should commute the sentences of the 12 people on death row in the state.
• People on probation in Missouri are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Missouri have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
• With an incarceration rate of 713 per 100,000 residents, Missouri locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• After the Dobbs’ decision, striking down Roe v. Wade, Missouri totally banned abortion, putting access to the service effectively out of reach for the 13,777 women on probation or parole in the state who also face travel restrictions.
• Prisons in Missouri force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 78% of people in Missouri jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
• Missouri releases roughly 221,134 men and 61,857 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• Greene County, Missouri's jail construction woes should serve as a warning to other communities around the nation.
• After implementing a restrictive mail-scanning policy purportedly to address drugs behind bars, the rate of overdoses in Missouri prisons is now higher than before the policy was introduced.
• People on parole in Missouri can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone who has a felony or misdemeanor conviction — even loved ones who are trying to support them
• Black people in Missouri are incarcerated at a rate 3.7 times higher than white people.
• Decarcerate KC, a grassroots organization working to change Kansas City's approach to public safety, asked us to review the “needs assessment” local leaders commissioned to try to justify building a new jail. We found the community doesn’t actually need more jail beds and most people currently in its custody are there for minor offenses.
• “Housing First” programs, like Missouri's Solid Start, have been shown to reduce the likelihood of future criminal justice system involvement for participants. More places should adopt this type of housing program.
• Missouri's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 14% of people in Missouri prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Missouri makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• Missouri is one of 20 states that locks up some people convicted of sex offenses in shadowy "civil commitment" facilities, long after their sentences are over — and often indefinitely
• In Missouri, 41,000 people are incarcerated and another 55,000 are on probation or parole.
• Missouri charges up to 25¢ for an e-message to or from prison.
• Missouri passed a caregiver mitigation and diversion law that expands the use of sentencing alternatives to incarceration for primary caregivers.
• Jails in Missouri charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge 75¢ for a 15-minute call.
• Missouri prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
• Bail companies in Missouri have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
• How the end of Roe v. Wade will impact the 15,167 women on probation and parole in Missouri
• Missouri is one of just a handful of states that do not charge incarcerated people copays for medical care.
• Missouri’s policy on resources for the poorest people in prisons lacks important information.
• Missouri prisons charge families up to a 20% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Missouri a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Missouri hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Missouri communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Missouri prisons don't provide air conditioning
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states — Missouri gets an F
• The hidden costs in Missouri’s “no-cost” prison tablet contract
• Missouri incarcerates women at a rate of 176 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Missouri prisons earn as little as 5¢ an hour for their work.
• Prison Populations Create Complications at Redistricting Time, by Peter Wagner, Missouri Municipal Review, January 2012
• Local governments still struggling with Census' prison counts
• One person, two votes in Pacific, Missouri?

Other resources

• Research on Missouri in our Research Library