New Jersey profile
39,000 people from New Jersey are behind bars today
Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years
Also see these New Jersey graphs:
- total numbers rather than rates.
- Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
- Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
Today, New Jersey’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, and Blacks in New Jersey prisons and jails.
New Jersey's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails
Our other articles about New Jersey
- New Jersey legislation aims to protect in-person visits from video visitation, by Bernadette Rabuy, December 22, 2016
- New Contract for NJ, phone rates under 5 cents per minute coming soon! by New Jersey Phone Justice, April 8, 2015
- Ending prison gerrymandering in New Jersey campaign and resource page
Other resources
- Research on New Jersey in our Research Library
