On December 31, 2013, U.S. jails held an estimated 731,570 inmates. In addition to sentenced offenders and convicted offenders awaiting their sentences, this total included unconvicted men and women who had pending court action on a current charge.
At yearend 2013, the nation’s local jail authorities also oversaw 46,770 people who were under community supervision, which included electronic monitoring, house arrest, community service, day reporting, and work programs. Jail authorities supervised an additional 9,670 people December 26-28, 2013, who were serving weekend-only sentences at local jails across the nation.
From 1999 to 2013, the number of inmates in local jails increased by 21%, from 605,943 to 731,570. During this period, the growth in the jail population was not steady, as the jail confined population peaked in 2008 at 785,533 then declined to its 2013 level.
The nation’s jail inmates continue to be predominantly white men. At yearend 2013, about 86% of inmates in local jails were male, which was a decline from 89% in 1999.
Meanwhile, the female local jail population increased 48% between 1999 and 2013, from 68,100 to 100,940.
At yearend 2013, white inmates made up an estimated 47% of the total jail population, which was an increase from 41% in 1999. Black inmates declined from 42% in 1999 to 34% in 2013, and the proportion of Hispanic inmates (16%) remained stable.
The juvenile population in adult jails accounted for less than 1% (4,420) of the total inmate population at yearend 2013, which was down from a peak of 1.6% in 1999 (9,458).The adult jail incarceration rates changed slightly between midyear 1999 (304) and yearend 2013 (310). Nearly half (46%) of all local jail inmates were confined in jurisdictions holding 1,000 or more inmates in 2013, down slightly from 50% in 2006.
The juvenile population (persons age 17 or younger) held in adult jail facilities in 2013 (4,420) decreased by more than half from its peak in 1999 (9,458). Jails admitted nearly 12 million persons during the 12-month period ending December 31, 2013, down from a peak of 13.6 million in 1998.
Among jail inmates, the expected length of inmate stay was 23 days in 2013.
The rated capacity of local jails increased an estimated 39% (252,550 beds) between 1999 and 2013, which was nearly twice the rate of the inmate population (up 21% or 125,630 inmates).
From 1999 to 2013, the number of correctional officers increased by 16% from 149,600 to 173,900. Jails in the South employed the largest share (47%) of all correctional offices in 2013, up from 44% in 1999.