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Virginia has an incarceration rate of 679 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 Virginia and why.

60,000 people from Virginia are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Virginia is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 111,000 different people are booked into local jails in Virginia.

Using 2020 census data, we looked at where people in Virginia prisons and jails come from. We found many of the state's biggest and smallest communities are disproportionately harmed by mass incarceration.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Virginia graphs:

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

Today, Virginia’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

Virginia'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 Virginia'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

• Virginia makes medications for opioid use disorder available in some of its prisons. Why is getting treatment for substance use disorders so difficult across the US carceral system?
• Virginia decreased its prison population during the pandemic and continued to cut its prison population between 2021 and 2023.
• Virginia 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?
• A Virginia nonprofit organization is leveraging liftin up the voices of thousands of other systems-impacted people and their families to make sweeping changes to the state’s prisons.
• People on probation in Virginia are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Virginia 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 679 per 100,000 residents, Virginia locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• During the 2020 redistricting cycle, Virginia successfully reallocated roughly 90% of people in state prison back to their home communities, as part of its efforts to end prison gerrymandering.
• 46% of people in Virginia 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?
• Virginia releases roughly 229,418 men and 67,496 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• In Virginia prisons, breaking even minor rules can come with monetary fines that take weeks of work to pay off
• Amicus brief: Fighting the harsh disciplinary fines that burden people incarcerated in Virginia
• Every year since Virginia prisons began scanning mail in 2017, there have been more overdoses than before the program was implemented.
• Black people in Virginia are incarcerated at a rate 4.1 times higher than white people.
• Virginia'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 Virginia prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Virginia makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• Virginia 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 Virginia, 60,000 people are incarcerated and another 61,800 are on probation or parole.
• Virginia charges up to 39¢ for an e-message to or from prison, well above the national average.
• Jails in Virginia charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge 61¢ for a 15-minute call.
• Virginia prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
• Report: Where people in prison come from: The geography of mass incarceration in Virginia
• In 2021, roughly half the staff at two Virginia prisons quit their jobs
• Virginia suspended medical copays in prisons as part of a pilot program prior to the pandemic — it should make these changes permanent.
• People in Virginia prisons must pay for hygiene items and other basics like writing supplies unless they have less than $5.00 in their spending account.
• Virginia prisons charge families up to a 15% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Virginia a "D-" grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Virginia hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Virginia communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• Virginia was the ninth state to end prison gerrymandering
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Virginia prisons don't provide air conditioning
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Virginia gets an F-
• Virginia incarcerates women at a rate of 161 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Virginia prisons earn as little as 27¢ an hour for their work.
• Virginia is 1 of only 8 states still suspending driver's licenses for drug offenses unrelated to driving

Other resources

• Research on Virginia in our Research Library