Nevada profile   

23,000 people from Nevada are behind bars today

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Nevada graphs:

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

Today, Nevada’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 Nevada prisons and jails.

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

Our other articles about Nevada

• Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Nevada, by Peter Wagner, December 15, 2004, released by the Prison Policy Initiative and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
• Study: Census count of inmates boosts rural Nevada clout by Brendan Riley, Associated Press (and appearing in newspapers across Nevada), December 16, 2004
• More on prison gerrymandering in Nevada

Other resources

• Research on Nevada in our Research Library