How Crowded Are They?
Mandatory sentencing guidelines and a growing number of drug-related convictions are factors in a continued growth of inmates held in federal, state and local prisons and jails in the United States. Although local jails are generally operating under their stated capacities, all state and federal prisons are overcrowded — some as much as 33 percent higher than their official capacities. The total population of prisons and jails in the United States neared the 2.1 million mark in June 2003, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), indicating the largest increase from year to year in four years. The latest BJS report listed 2,078,570 men and women incarcerated on June 30, 2003, an increase of 57,600 more inmates than state, local and federal officials held on the same date a year earlier. States and the federal prisons held 1,380,776 prisoners while local municipal and county jails housed 691,301 inmates. From July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, the number of state and federal pr
Related Questions
- If a crime is committed that is a violation of local, state, and federal laws, does the FBI "take over" the investigation?
- Why Should the Citizens have to Investigate the Crime Instead of Local, State or Federal Law Enforcement?
- How are the trial and punishment phases different for a federal crime versus a state crime?
