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Mississippi has an incarceration rate of 1,020 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 Mississippi and why.

27,000 people from Mississippi are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Mississippi is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 84,000 different people are booked into local jails in Mississippi.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

More than half of the people held in jails in Mississippi 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 Mississippi, see our table "Jail and prison incarcerated populations by state over time."

Also see these Mississippi 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 Mississippi jails. Because a tremendous proportion (48%) of the population in Mississippi’s jails is held for the state prison system, this graph likely overstates the convicted population and understates the pre-trial population.

Today, Mississippi’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

The relatively high proportion of Hispanics incarcerated in Mississippi is due largely to the Adams County Correctional Center, a Corrections Corporation of American facility that contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to hold immigration detainees.

Mississippi'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 Mississippi's criminal legal system:

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

• Mississippi does not make medications for opioid use disorder available in its prisons. Why is getting treatment for substance use disorders so difficult across the US carceral system?
• While other states reduced their prison populations during the pandemic, Mississippi's prison population has been increasing since the pandemic started.
• Mississippi has been court-ordered to fix its prison healthcare system twice. Why is healthcare behind bars so bad, and what can be done to fix it?
• People on probation in Mississippi are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• With an incarceration rate of 1,020 per 100,000 residents, Mississippi locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• After the Dobbs’ decision, striking down Roe v. Wade, Mississippi totally banned abortion, putting access to the service effectively out of reach for the 7,870 women on probation or parole in the state who also face travel restrictions.
• Prisons in Mississippi force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 48% of people in Mississippi 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?
• Mississippi releases roughly 127,062 men and 29,927 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• Mississippi is home to three of the worst prison gerrymanders in the nation.
• People on parole in Mississippi can be sent back to prison for "associating" with anyone who has a felony conviction — even loved ones who are trying to support them
• Black people in Mississippi are incarcerated at a rate 2.5 times higher than white people.
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 12% of people in Mississippi prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Mississippi makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• Mississippi has one of nation’s highest rates of HIV in prison as well as some of the most significant racial disparities in the nation, supporting the correlation between HIV and the incarceration of Black people.
• In Mississippi, 27,000 people are incarcerated and another 40,000 are on probation or parole.
• Mississippi does not offer e-messaging in prisons.
• Jails in Mississippi charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge 59¢ for a 15-minute call.
• Some Mississippi prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
• Bail companies in Mississippi 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 7,660 women on probation and parole in Mississippi
• Mississippi suspended its $6 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic for flu related medical visits — but it should eliminate them completely.
• People in Mississippi prisons must pay for hygiene items and other basics — regardless of their financial resources.
• Mississippi prisons charge families up to a 17% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Mississippi a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Mississippi hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Mississippi 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 Mississippi prisons don't provide air conditioning
• New data: Low incomes — but high fees — for people on probation in Mississippi
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Mississippi gets a C-
• Mississippi incarcerates women at a rate of 161 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Mississippi prisons earn nothing for regular jobs and as little as 20¢ an hour for work in state-owned businesses.
• Mississippi is 1 of only 8 states still suspending driver's licenses for drug offenses unrelated to driving
• From the Prison Gerrymandering Blog: Mississippi Attorney General: Census should change prison count

Other resources

• Research on Mississippi in our Research Library