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In 2020, the imprisonment rate was 358 per 100,000 U.S. residents, the lowest since 1992. From 2010 to 2020, the sentenced imprisonment rate for U.S. residents fell 37% among blacks; 32% among Hispanics; 32% among Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders; 26% among whites; and 25% among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
In 2020, the largest jail population declines were in rural areas, declining by 60,400 people between midyear 2019 and 2020—a 33 percent reduction. However, from mid- to late 2020, the number of people in rural jails grew by 10,600 people, a 9 percent increase.
Imprisonment rates of U.S. residents, based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, per 100,000 U.S. residents, by race or ethnicity, 2010–2020.
In 2020, the imprisonment rate was 358 per 100,000 U.S. residents, the lowest since 1992. From 2010 to 2020, the sentenced imprisonment rate for U.S. residents fell 37% among blacks; 32% among Hispanics; 32% among Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacifc Islanders; 26% among whites; and 25% among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
a sample of 1,558 jail jurisdictions and the national prison population based on a sample of 49 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. An electronic version of this report is posted on Vera’s website at vera.org/people-in-jail-and-prison-in-2020. For more information about this report, contact Jacob Kang-Brown, senior research associ-
14 gru 2021 · Nine states showed decreases in the number of persons in prison of at least 20% from 2019 to 2020. The prison populations of California, Texas, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons each declined by more than 22,500 from 2019 to 2020, accounting for 33% of the total prison population decrease.
In 2020, the number of persons held in state or federal prisons in the United States declined 15%, from 1,430,200 at yearend 2019 to 1,215,800 at yearend 2020. Only Alaska showed an increase (2%) in its prison population, while other jurisdictions showed declines of 7% to 31%.
