FBOP’s Growth Rate Outpaces State Prisons
WASHINGTON – The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the nation’s largest system, grew by 5.8 percent to more than 9,500 inmates in 2003, while state prisons grew by about 20,000 inmates, or 1.6 percent, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
As of Dec. 31, 2003, state prisons were operating at as much as 16 percent above capacity, while the FBOP operated at 39 percent above capacity. At the same time, privately operated facilities housed 95,522 inmates, or 5.7 percent of state inmates and 12.6 percent of federal inmates.
Since the end of 2000, the number of federal inmates held in private facilities has increased more than 40 percent, while state inmates held in private facilities declined 1.8 percent, according to the BJS.
Among the large states with significant increases in prisoner counts were Texas (4,900), Florida (4,400) and California (3,100). The two states with the largest population declines were Connecticut (down 4.2 percent) and New York (down 2.8 percent).
Together, state and federal authorities held 1,470,045 prisoners at the end of 2003, a 2.1 percent annual increase. The bulletin, Prisoners in 2003, was written by BJS statisticians Paige M. Harrison and Allen J. Beck and is available online.
