Fact: Almost 1/3 of the world’s female prisoners are in the United States.
Fact: The U.S. incarcerates over 200,000 women.
Fact: This is more than China, Russia, and Brazil combined.
Source: Nearly a Third of All Female Prisoners Worldwide Are Incarcerated in the United States, Forbes
Fact: 36 states allow the indiscriminate shackling of juveniles in court rooms.
Fact: Only 18 states prohibit or restrict the shackling of pregnant prisoners, including during labor.
Fact: Roughly 12,000 women are pregnant at the time of incarceration, including thousands who give birth while incarcerated annually.
Source: DC Attorneys Want Juveniles Released from Shackles in Court, Washington Post; The Shackling of Pregnant Women and Girls in U.S. Prisons, Jails, and Youth Detention Centers; ACLU
Fact: Approximately 250,000 youths are tried in the adult criminal justice system annually.
Fact: On any given night, approximately 60,000 youth are incarcerated in a correctional facility or out-of-home placement.
Fact: Approximately 10,000 are incarcerated in an adult jail or prison.
Fact: The overwhelming majority are accused of minor and nonviolent offenses.
Source: Juvenile Justice, Public Welfare Foundation
Fact: There are approximately 2.7 million children with one or both parents incarcerated in the United States.
Fact: One quarter of black children born in 1990 have seen a parent go to jail or prison by age 14.
Fact: Children with incarcerated parents are three times more likely to suffer depression and behavioral problems.
Fact: Children with incarcerated parents are also more likely to suffer from higher levels of asthma, obesity, and speech problems.
Source: Kids are Paying the Price for America’s Prison Binge, Mother Jones
Fact: 52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmates are parents to a child under 18 years old.
Fact: An estimated 1.7 million minors have one or both parents in prison – approximately 2% of the U.S. youth population. This does not include children with parents who have served time or are currently under probation or parole.
Fact: Since 1991, parents of minor children held in state or federal facilities has increased 79%.
Source: Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Fact: Since 1980, the rate of incarceration among women has increased 580%.
Fact: Since 1980, the rate of male incarceration has increased 230%.
Fact: Over 1 million women are under direct supervision in the American criminal justice system.
Source: Just Facts: Actually, Orange Really Is The New Black, Brennan Center for Justice
Fact: There are almost 15,000 children behind bars whose most serious offense was not a crime.
Fact: Of these youth, 12,000 are incarcerated for violating technical terms of parole or probation (rather than a new offense) and 3,000 are incarcerated for, according to the Department of Justice, “behaviors that are not law violations for adults, such as running away, truancy, and incorrigibility.”
Source: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, Prison Policy Initiative
Fact: Local jails process approximately 12 million admissions annually. This does not include federal, state, juvenile, military, Indian Country, or immigration facilities.
Fact: On any given day, there are approximately 722,000 people confined in local jails.
Fact: The majority of these prisoners have not been convicted of a crime.
Source: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie, Prison Policy Initiative
Fact: The Bureau of Prisons places some prisoners in “Communication Management Units” where all communication by the inmate is monitored.
Fact: A proposed rule would limit the communication of those in a CMU with others outside of the prison to a single 15 minute phone call and three sheets of paper per month.
Fact: These communications are all monitored by the Bureau of Prisons.
Source: Federal Register & Equal Future
Fact: 9 out of 10 U.S. adults believe that people who possess or use small amounts of marijuana should *not* face jail time.
Fact: The majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana possession and use.
Fact: More than 42% of Americans report having tried marijuana use in their life time.
Source: The Uncovery, ACLU
Criminal Justice Reform Facts 