BOP Office of Research Home Page
TOTAL INMATE POPULATION: 110,160
In BOP facilities: 99,175
In contract facilities: 10,985
Click here for the most recent weekly population figures
The total population includes all inmates in BOP custody: those in BOP facilities and those in contract facilities. BOP facilities -- Penitentiaries, Federal Correctional Institutions, Federal Prison Camps, Federal Medical Centers, and others -- are operated by the BOP. Contract facilities, usually Community Corrections Centers or detention facilities, are operated by non-BOP staff. The BOP contracts with these facilities to house Federal offenders on a per capita basis. The data presented here relate to offenders in BOP facilities only unless otherwise noted.
Minimum: 26,734 (29.02%) Low: 31,557 (34.25%) Medium: 21,031 (22.83%) High: 12,814 (13.91%) (7,039 inmates have not been assigned a security level)
Male: 92,116 (92.88%) Female: 7,059 (7.12%)
White: 56,200 (56.67%) Black: 39,836 (40.17%) Asian: 1,658 (1.67%) Native American: 1,481 (1.49%)
Hispanic: 27,230 (27.46%) Non-Hispanic: 71,945 (72.54%)
United States: 72,541 (74.52%) Mexico: 8,609 (8.84%) Colombia: 4,334 (4.45%) Cuba: 2,759 (2.83%) Other/Unknown: 11,024 (10.89%)
SENTENCE IMPOSED (calculated for those with sentencing information available)
Less than 1 year: 1,625 (2.01%) 1-3 years: 11,122 (13.75%) 3-5 years: 11,470 (14.19%) 5-10 years: 19,875 (24.58%) 10-15 years: 17,676 (21.86%) 15-20 years: 7,781 (9.62%) More than 20 years: 8,934 (11.05%) Life: 2,375 (2.94%)
TYPE OF OFFENSE (calculated for those with offense-specific information available)
Drug Offenses: 52,956 (60.2%) Robbery: 8,414 (9.6%) Firearms, Explosives, Arson: 7,950 (9.0%) Extortion, Fraud, Bribery: 4,962 (5.6%) Property Offenses: 5,194 (5.9%) Violent Offenses: 2,270 (2.6%) Immigration: 2,988 (3.4%) Continuing Criminal Enterprise: 667 (0.8%) White Collar: 644 (0.7%) Courts or Corrections: 560 (0.6%) National Security: 74 (0.1%) Miscellaneous: 1,339 (1.5%)
FEDERAL PRISON POPULATION OVER TIME/DRUG OFFENDERS
| Year | Total sentenced and unsentenced population | Total sentenced population | Total sentenced drug offenders | Percentage of sentenced prisoners who are drug offenders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21,266 | 20,686 | 3,384 | 16.3% |
| 1971 | 20,891 | 20,529 | 3,495 | 7.0% |
| 1972 | 22,090 | 20,729 | 3,523 | 16.9% |
| 1973 | 23,336 | 22,038 | 5,652 | 25.6% |
| 1974 | 23,690 | 21,769 | 6,203 | 28.4% |
| 1975 | 23,566 | 20,692 | 5,540 | 26.7% |
| 1976 | 27,033 | 24,135 | 6,425 | 26.6% |
| 1977 | 29,877 | 25,673 | 6,743 | 26.2% |
| 1978 | 27,674 | 23,501 | 5,981 | 25.4% |
| 1979 | 24,810 | 21,539 | 5,468 | 25.3% |
| 1980 | 24,252 | 19,023 | 4,749 | 24.9% |
| 1981 | 26,195 | 19,765 | 5,076 | 25.6% |
| 1982 | 28,133 | 20,938 | 5,518 | 26.3% |
| 1983 | 30,214 | 26,027 | 7,201 | 27.6% |
| 1984 | 32,317 | 27,622 | 8,152 | 29.5% |
| 1985 | 36,042 | 27,623 | 9,491 | 34.3% |
| 1986 | 40,505 | 31,831 | 12,119 | 38.1% |
| 1987 | 43,683 | 34,163 | 14,354 | 42.0% |
| 1988 | 43,401 | 34,680 | 15,526 | 44.8% |
| 1989 | 50,173 | 38,969 | 19,459 | 49.9% |
| 1990 | 57,331 | 47,847 | 25,037 | 52.3% |
| 1991 | 63,711 | 53,526 | 30,498 | 57.0% |
| 1992 | 70,346 | 61,026 | 36,349 | 59.6% |
| 1993 | 79,483 | 70,557 | 42,945 | 60.9% |
| 1994 | 85,290 | 76,186 | 46,743 | 61.4% |
| 1995 | 89,564 | 79,347 | 48,118 | 60.6% |
| 1996 | 94,215 | 83,515 | 50,754 | 60.8% |
| 1997* | 99,175 | 88,018 | 52,956 | 60.2% |
*Year to date. Note: Data for 1970 to 1976 are for June 30; data for 1977 onwards are for September 30. Data are for inmates in BOP facilities only (i.e., do not include inmates in contract facilities).
Male: 21,828 (73.4%) Female: 7,906 (26.6%)
White (Non-Hispanic): 20,091 (67.6%) African American: 5,700 (19.2%) Hispanic: 2,970 (10.0%) Other: 975 (3.3%)
The mission of the Bureau of Prisons is to protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prison and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, and appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens.
All Federal inmates who are able must work and are paid a small wage, a portion of which some inmates use to make restitution to victims through the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program. About one-fourth of the inmates are employed by Federal Prison Industries, Inc., a Government corporation that produces a range of goods and services from office furniture to electronic cable assemblies for sale to Federal Government clients. Research has shown that inmates who work or receive vocational training adjust better to prison, are more likely to hold a job after release, and are less likely to commit new crimes.
Most inmates serve the last few months of their sentence in a community corrections center, or "halfway house," and often hold jobs in the community while preparing for their release. Several hundred halfway houses around the country are privately operated under contract and monitored by the Bureau.
The Bureau's Central Office in Washington, D.C., provides leadership, long-range planning, facility development, policy formulation, and coordination for the nationwide network of Federal correctional facilities and community resources.
For operational efficiency, the Bureau is divided into six geographical regions, each headed by a regional director, that provide technical support and on-site assistance to field locations. Regional Offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Annapolis Junction, Maryland (near Baltimore); Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Kansas City, Kansas; and Dublin, California (near San Francisco).
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) provides advisory and technical support to State and local correctional agencies throughout the country primarily through technical assistance, training, and information services. The NIC Director's Office, Deputy Director, Administrative Services, and Prisons and Community Corrections Divisions are located in Washington, D.C. Its Jails and Academy Divisions and the NIC Information Center are located in Longmont, Colorado.
Return to the top of this page.
Federal Bureau of
Prisons Home Page
BOP Office of Research Home Page