NCJ Number
230821
Date Published
June 2010
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Findings are reported on the budgetary cost of incarceration in the United States.
Abstract
The United States has, by far, the highest incarceration rate among the rich countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 2008, over 2.3 million Americans were in prison or jail, and one of every 48 working-age men was incarcerated. In 2008, Federal, State, and local governments spent about $75 billion on corrections, the large majority of which was spent on incarceration. It is suggested that by reducing the number of non-violent offenders (who make up over 60 percent of the prison and jail population in the United States) by half the bill would be lowered by $16.9 billion per year. This projected savings would amount to almost one-fourth of total corrections budgets, and it is suggested that these budgetary savings could be achieved without any appreciable reduction in public safety. This report documents the high and rising rates of incarceration in the United States, comparing the United States prison and jail population to the rest of the world and the United States own historical perspective. The report then reviews the main causes for the rise in incarceration and analyzes the relationship between incarceration and national crime rates. It concludes by quantifying some of the direct financial costs of incarceration and discusses the scope for budgetary savings, particularly for State and local governments. Tables, figures, appendix, and references