Highlights
The correlation between new criminality and incarceration (or lack of incarceration) seems strong based on rapidly rising violence.
The imprisonment rate for 2020 represented a decrease of 28% from 2010.
In 2020, the imprisonment rate was the lowest since 1992.
The number of admissions to federal prison (down 19,000) and to state prison (down 211,800) both declined by 40% from 2019 to 2020.
An estimated 2.2 million arrests occurred among the approximately 409,300 persons released from prison per the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Violent crime, especially urban violent crime, increased substantially for 2020-2021 per the FBI and Gallup.
Author
Article
If you wanted to know the impact of COVID and criminal justice reform on the correctional population and current violence, this report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics provides answers.
Correctional populations declined substantially. The number of admissions to federal prison (down 19,000) and to state prison (down 211,800) both declined by 40% from 2019 to 2020.
Some states simply released inmates. “As the coronavirus swept through New Jersey’s prison system last year, killing inmates at the highest rate in the nation for months, state leaders took an unprecedented step: They slashed the prison population by 40%,” Gothamist.
I’m going to leave it to others as to the efficacy of prison admissions and releases and COVID’s impact on the justice system’s ability to process defendants, but the virus plus reform have correlations with substantially increased violence and fear.
I’ll address the data on recidivism and new crimes after the presentation of current Bureau Of Justice Statistics research.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
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%.
The number of persons sentenced to more than 1 year in state or federal prison decreased from 1,379,800 in 2019 to 1,182,200 in 2020.
The combined state and federal imprisonment rate for 2020 (358 per 100,000 U.S. residents) represented a decrease of 15% from 2019 (419 per 100,000 U.S. residents) and a decrease of 28% from 2010 (500 per 100,000 U.S. residents).
The number of admissions to federal prison (down 19,000) and to state prison (down 211,800) both declined by 40% from 2019 to 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic was largely responsible for the decline in prisoners under state and federal correctional authority. Courts significantly altered operations for part or all of 2020, leading to delays in trials and/or sentencing of persons, and this was reflected in the 40% decrease in admissions to state and federal prison from 2019.
Although deaths represented 1% of the total releases from prison in 2020, the number of prisoners that died under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities in 2020 (6,100 prisoners) increased 46% from 2019 (4,200).
At yearend 2020, the number of prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction had decreased by 214,300 (down 15%) from 2019 and by 399,700 (down 25%) from 2009, the year the number of prisoners in the United States peaked.
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 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.
Recidivism-Ten Years After Release From Prison-Bureau Of Justice Statistics
A comprehensive summation of all prisoner reentry studies is available at Offender Recidivism.
Most police chiefs are blaming increased crime on repeat offenders. Based on this and other data, they are correct.
82% were arrested at least once during the 10 years following release.
Prisoners released in 2008 had a median of nine prior arrests and five prior convictions in their criminal history.
40% of persons released from prison in 2008 were arrested for a violent offense.
An estimated 2.2 million arrests occurred among the approximately 409,300 persons released from prison across 24 states in 2008.
Nearly 7 in 10 state prisoners released across 22 states had an arrest within 10 years that led to a conviction.
About 61% of prisoners released in 2008 returned to prison within 10 years for a parole or probation violation or a new sentence.
There is an immense difference between a prison sentence and the time actually served. The average state prison sentence served is less than two years for property offenders and less than three years for violent offenders, Time Served-USDOJ.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics previously released data stating that most revocations (rearrests and reincarcerations) are based on new crimes, not technical violations (i.e., escapes from custody, not reporting to parole and probation agencies). This finding was replicated by the US Sentencing Commission.
“ Almost all prisoners who were re-arrested (96% of released sex offenders and 99% of all released offenders) were arrested for an offense other than a probation or parole violation,” BJS.
Fifty-eight percent of state male offenders are “currently” serving sentences for violent crimes, Bureau Of Justice Statistics. The percentage would be much higher if criminal history was included.
Prisoners Released And New Crimes
Conclusions
It’s evident that people released from prison commit a large number of new crimes (2.2 million per BJS). Based on these numbers, I assume that new criminality applies to people who would have gone to prison during “normal” times but did not.
The vast majority of the state prison population is violent (58 percent). If you add criminal history, the percentage would increase substantially.
Over 40 percent of inmates had five to ten prior incarcerations which substantiates prior findings that a minority of offenders commit the majority of crimes (per BJS-future article).
The vast majority had multiple arrests, approximately 13 percent were in prison for their first arrest (per BJS-future article).
As concerning as the statistics above are, it’s a severe undercount of criminality. Only 40 percent of violent crimes are reported to law enforcement and the great majority of reported crimes do not end in arrest.
The correlation between new criminality and incarceration (or lack of incarceration) seems undeniably strong but I’m sure that there are endless advocates for reform who would dispute my assertion.
I know of hundreds of former offenders who are now doing well. We shouldn’t forget that. I regret that we know so little about their journeys. We should celebrate their accomplishments.
But when I asked those successful what separates them from those who failed, they state that violators are facing demons (i.e., mental health, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect) that they can’t control.
See More
See more articles on crime and justice at Crime in America.
Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.
US Crime Rates at Nationwide Crime Rates.
National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.
An Overview Of Data On Mental Health at Mental Health And Crime.
The Crime in America.Net RSS feed (https://crimeinamerica.net/?feed=rss2) provides subscribers with a means to stay informed about the latest news, publications, and other announcements from the site.
One Reply to “40% Decrease In Prison Admissions in 2020-Impact On Growing Violence”
Comments are closed.