Gender and Race
At midyear 2003, according to Harrison and Karberg in Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003, the jail incarceration rate for women was 119 per 100,000 female residents in the United States. At the same time, the rate for men was 1,331 per 100,000 adult male residents. In 1995 females represented 10.2% of jail inmates, and in 2003, 11.9%. (See Table 3.6.)
Most local jail inmates in 2003 were minorities, according to Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003. Table 3.6 shows that the percentage of whites and African-Americans experienced slight declines, while Hispanics saw a proportional increase. At midyear 2003, non-Hispanic whites made up 43.6% of the jail population, down from 43.8% at midyear 2002. Non-Hispanic African-Americans were 39.2% of jail inmates, down from 39.8% in 2002 and 43.5% in 1995. Hispanics were 15.4%, up from 14.7% in 2002, and other races (Asians/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives) were 1.8%, up from 1.6% the previous year.
Relative to their proportion in the U.S. population, African-Americans were five times more likely than whites to be held in local jails, according to Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003. In addition, African-Americans
TABLE 3.6
Gender, race, Hispanic origin, and conviction status of local jail inmates, midyear, selected years 1995–2003
| Percent of jail inmates | ||||
| Characteristic | 1995 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 89.8% | 88.6% | 88.4% | 88.1% |
| Female | 10.2 | 11.4 | 11.6 | 11.9 |
| Race/Hispanic origin | ||||
| Whitea | 40.1% | 41.9% | 43.8% | 43.6% |
| Blacka | 43.5 | 41.3 | 39.8 | 39.2 |
| Hispanic | 14.7 | 15.1 | 14.7 | 15.4 |
| Otherb | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Conviction status (adults only) | ||||
| Convicted | 44.0% | 44.0% | 40.0% | 39.4% |
| Male | 39.7 | 39.0 | 35.4 | 34.7 |
| Female | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Unconvicted | 56.0 | 56.0 | 59.9 | 60.6 |
| Male | 50.0 | 50.0 | 53.0 | 53.5 |
| Female | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.1 |
| Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. | ||||
| aNon-Hispanic only. | ||||
| bIncludes Asians, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. | ||||
TABLE 3.7
Gender and race of jail inmates, 2003
| Estimated count | Jail incarceration ratea | ||
| Total | 691,301 | 238 | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 609,132 | 426 | |
| Female | 82,169 | 56 | |
| Race/Hispanic origin | |||
| Whiteb | 301,200 | 151 | |
| Blackb | 271,000 | 748 | |
| Hispanic | 106,600 | 269 | |
| Otherc | 12,500 | 80 | |
| Note: Inmate counts were estimated and rounded to the nearest 100. Resident population figures were estimated for July 1, 2003, based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing. | |||
| aNumber of jail inmates per 100,000 residents in each group. | |||
| bNon-Hispanic only. | |||
| cIncludes Asians, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. | |||
were nearly three times more likely than Hispanics to be held in jail and over nine times more likely than persons of other races. On a per capita basis, men were about eight times more likely than women to have been in a jail in 2003. (See Table 3.7.)
TABLE 3.8
Prior alcohol use of jail inmates, 2002 and 1996
| Percent of jail inmates who drank alcohol | ||||
| Regularlya | At the time of the offenseb | |||
| Characteristics | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 |
| Total | 66.0% | 66.3% | 33.4% | 40.8% |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 67.4% | 67.7% | 34.9% | 41.9% |
| Female | 55.4 | 54.5 | 22.2 | 31.1 |
| Race/Hispanic originc | ||||
| Whited | 75.3% | 76.5 | 38.5% | 48.2% |
| Blackd | 62.2 | 61.0 | 29.3 | 33.6 |
| Hispanic | 56.1 | 56.9 | 30.1 | 38.2 |
| Most serious offense | ||||
| Violent | 65.7% | 67.7% | 37.6% | 40.7% |
| Property | 65.9 | 64.3 | 28.5 | 33.1 |
| Drug | 62.9 | 59.8 | 22.4 | 28.9 |
| Public-order, excluding driving while intoxicated | 65.0 | 68.6 | 26.1 | 32.7 |
| aIncludes inmates who reported ever drinking at least once a week for a month, as well as drinking daily or at least once a week during the year before the current offense. | ||||
| bIncludes all inmates with a current conviction or prior conviction. | ||||
| cJail inmates who identified more than one race not shown. | ||||
| dNon-Hispanic inmates. | ||||
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
According to Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002, the majority of jail inmates reported that they were regular users of alcohol and drugs before they were arrested. Table 3.8 shows that in 2002, 66% of all inmates said that before their arrest, they had drunk alcohol regularly, defined as at least once a week for at least a month. This number is down slightly from 66.3% reported in 1996. One-third (33.4%) of all inmates had been drinking alcohol at the time of their arrest. The number of male inmates who had used alcohol at the time of their arrest was higher (34.9%) than for female inmates (22.2%). Of those arrested for violent offenses, 37.6% had been using alcohol at the time of their arrest.
Drug use among jail inmates was also common. In 2002, 54.6% of jail inmates had used drugs in the month prior to their arrest. In 1996 the number had been virtually the same, 54%. (See Table 3.9.) The most popular drugs used were marijuana or hashish, cocaine or crack, and methamphetamines. Almost 29% of all jail inmates had been using drugs at the time of their arrest, a decline from 34.9% in 1996. Combining the data on alcohol and drug use, almost half of all jail inmates (49.7%) were using alcohol or drugs at the time of their arrest. (See Table 3.10.) Male inmates were more likely to have been using alcohol at the time of their arrest (34.9%) than using drugs (28%). Female inmates were more likely to have been using drugs (34.4%) than using alcohol (22.2%).
Drug use often continues behind bars as well. According to Drug Use, Testing, and Treatment in Jails (Bureau of Justice Statistics, May 2000), facilities regularly testing inmates for drugs reported that about 10% of those tested were found to be positive.
Juveniles in Jail
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in Key Facts at a Glance (May 28, 2004), the number of juveniles in jail rose from 2,301 in 1990 to 6,869 juveniles in 2003. (See Table 3.11.) The number hit its peak in 1999
TABLE 3.9
Prior drug use of jail inmates, by type of drug, 2002 and 1996
| Percent of jail inmates who used drugs | ||||||||
| All inmates | Convicted inmatesa | |||||||
| Ever | Regularlyb | In the month before the offense | At the time of the offense | |||||
| Type of drug | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 |
| Any Drug | 82.2% | 82.4% | 68.7% | 64.2% | 54.6% | 54.0% | 28.8% | 34.9% |
| Marijuana or hashish | 75.7% | 78.2% | 58.5% | 54.9 | 37.5% | 36.0% | 13.6% | 18.0% |
| Cocaine or crack | 48.1 | 50.4 | 30.9 | 31.0 | 20.7 | 22.8 | 10.6 | 14.3 |
| Heroin/opiates | 20.7 | 23.9 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 4.1 | 5.1 |
| Depressantsc | 21.6 | 29.9 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Stimulantsd | 27.8 | 33.6 | 17.1 | 16.5 | 11.4 | 9.6 | 5.2 | 5.6 |
| Hallucinogense | 32.4 | 32.2 | 13.4 | 10.5 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Inhalants | 12.7 | 16.8 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| aIncludes all inmates with a current conviction or with a prior conviction, but no new conviction for the current charge. | ||||||||
| bUsed drugs at least once a week for at least a month. | ||||||||
| cDepressants include barbiturates, tranquilizers, and quaaludes. | ||||||||
| dStimulants include amphetamines and methamphetamines. | ||||||||
| eHallucinogens include LSD, ecstasy, and PCP. | ||||||||
TABLE 3.10
Convicted jail inmates using drugs or alcohol at the time of the offense, by characteristics of inmates, 2002 and 1996
| Alcohol or drugs | Alcohol | Drugs | ||||
| Characteristic | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 | 2002 | 1996 |
| Total | 49.7% | 58.8% | 33.4% | 40.8% | 28.8% | 33.4% |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 50.2% | 58.9% | 34.9% | 41.4% | 28.0% | 32.4% |
| Female | 46.3 | 58.4 | 22.2 | 32.9 | 34.4 | 42.5 |
| Race/Hispanic origin | ||||||
| White* | 58.8 | 67.1% | 38.5 | 46.7 | 33.2 | 30.3 |
| Black* | 43.2 | 51.1 | 29.3 | 34.2 | 27.3 | 39.2 |
| Hispanic | 44.2 | 57.4 | 30.1 | 36.4 | 23.8 | 30.6 |
| Most serious offense | ||||||
| Violent | 47.2% | 52.9% | 37.6% | 40.9% | 21.8% | 24.1% |
| Property | 46.8 | 53.0 | 28.5 | 33.7 | 32.5 | 37.0 |
| Drug | 51.7 | 63.1 | 22.4 | 27.6 | 43.2 | 60.3 |
| Public-order, excluding driving while intoxicated | 37.2 | 45.4 | 26.1 | 33.7 | 19.8 | 22.7 |
| Note: Includes all inmates with a current conviction or a prior conviction. | ||||||
| *Non-Hispanic inmates | ||||||
when 9,458 juveniles were in jail. Since that year, the numbers have been falling.
Of the 6,869 juveniles held in adult jails, according to Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003, 80% (5,484) had been convicted or were being held for trial as adults. Most states require that persons under eighteen be subject to juvenile court jurisdiction, but exceptions are made based on the severity of the offense or the offender's criminal history.
TABLE 3.11
Jail populations by age and gender, 1990–2003
[one-day count]
| Year | Adult males | Adult females | Juveniles |
| 1990 | 365,821 | 37,198 | 2,301 |
| 1991 | 384,628 | 39,501 | 2,350 |
| 1992 | 401,106 | 40,674 | 2,804 |
| 1993 | 411,500 | 44,100 | 4,300 |
| 1994 | 431,300 | 48,500 | 6,700 |
| 1995 | 448,000 | 51,300 | 7,800 |
| 1996 | 454,700 | 55,700 | 8,100 |
| 1997 | 498,678 | 59,296 | 9,105 |
| 1998 | 520,581 | 63,791 | 8,090 |
| 1999 | 528,998 | 67,487 | 9,458 |
| 2000 | 543,120 | 70,414 | 7,615 |
| 2001 | 551,007 | 72,621 | 7,613 |
| 2002 | 581,411 | 76,817 | 7,248 |
| 2003 | 602,781 | 81,650 | 6,869 |
Adult Conviction Status
Convicted inmates include those awaiting sentencing, serving a sentence, or returned to jail for a violation of probation or parole. As shown at the bottom of Table 3.6, less than half (39.4%) of all adults under supervision by jail authorities had been convicted of their current charges in 2003. This figure is down from 44% in 2000. Harrison and Karberg reported in Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003 that convicted female inmates comprised 4.7% of the inmate population in 2003, up from 4.6% in 2002. Adult inmates who were unconvicted at year-end 2003 made up 60.6% of the jail population; 53.5% of the jail population were unconvicted males, and unconvicted females comprised 7.1%.
Confinement Status
In 1995, for the first time, the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Annual Survey of Jails obtained the count of the number of offenders under community supervision. Respondents were asked if their jail jurisdictions operated any community-based programs and how many persons participated in them.
From June 30, 1995, to June 30, 2003, the number of persons supervised outside a jail facility rose from 34,869 to 71,371. (See Table 3.12.) The largest number of persons supervised outside a jail facility (17,102 or 24%) were sentenced to community service. Next were persons sentenced to electronic monitoring (12,678 or about 18%), people who wear electronic bracelets from which their location can be determined. The next largest category (12,111 or 17%) comprised individuals who were sentenced to spend their weekends in jail.
TABLE 3.12
Persons under jail supervision, by confinement status and type of
program, midyear 1995 and 2000–03
| Confinement status and type of program | Number of persons under jail supervision | ||||
| 1995 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| Total | 541,913 | 687,033 | 702,044 | 737,912 | 762,672 |
| Held in jail | 507,044 | 621,149 | 631,240 | 665,475 | 691,301 |
| Supervised outside a jail facilitya | 34,869 | 65,884 | 70,804 | 72,437 | 71,371 |
| Weekender programs | 1,909 | 14,523 | 14,381 | 17,955 | 12,111 |
| Electronic monitoring | 6,788 | 10,782 | 10,017 | 9,706 | 12,678 |
| Home detentionb | 1,376 | 332 | 539 | 1,037 | 594 |
| Day reporting | 1,283 | 3,969 | 3,522 | 5,010 | 7,965 |
| Community service | 10,253 | 13,592 | 17,561 | 13,918 | 17,102 |
| Other pretrial supervision | 3,229 | 6,279 | 6,632 | 8,702 | 11,452 |
| Other work programsc | 9,144 | 8,011 | 5,204 | 5,190 | 4,498 |
| Treatment programsd | e | 5,714 | 5,219 | 1,256 | 1,891 |
| Other/unspecified | 887 | 2,682 | 7,729 | 9,663 | 3,080 |
| aExcludes persons supervised by a probation or parole agency. | |||||
| bIncludes only those without electronic monitoring. | |||||
| cIncludes persons in work release programs, work gangs, and other work alternative programs. | |||||
| dIncludes persons under drug, alcohol, mental health, and other medical treatment. | |||||
| eNot available. | |||||
Other offenders participated in drug, alcohol, or mental treatment programs, work release, day reporting, or home detention.
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