4.3 million U.S. residents in 2001 were former prisoners
Of the estimated 5.6 million adults in the United States who had been incarcerated in State or Federal prison at some time before yearend 2001, nearly 4.3 million were no longer in prison (table 1). Former prisoners accounted for 77% of all adult residents who had ever been confined in prison.
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Table 1. Prevalence of incarceration in a State or Federal prison, by
current and former prisoners, 1974-2001
Current and former prisoners ever incarcerated in a State
or Federal prison--
1974 1979 1986 1991 1997 2001
Number incarcerated
Total 1,819,000 2,100,000 2,667,000 3,437,000 4,652,000 5,618,000
Current 216,000 302,000 524,000 788,000 1,171,000 1,319,000
Former 1,603,000 1,798,000 2,143,000 2,649,000 3,481,000 4,299,000
Ever incarcerated rate*
Total 1,251 1,308 1,516 1,828 2,336 2,673
Current 149 188 298 419 588 628
Former 1,102 1,120 1,218 1,409 1,748 2,045
Note: Numbers of current adult prisoners from National Prisoner Statistics
data series. Former prisoner statistics based on inmate survey data.
Estimates were rounded to the nearest 1,000. See Methodology for
estimation procedures.
*The number ever incarcerated per 100,000 adult U.S. residents.
U.S. adult resident population
1974 1986 1991 1997 2001
145,356,000 175,886,630 187,982,751 199,121,734 210,207,901
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Persons ages 35 to 44 comprised the largest age group, accounting for 3 out of 10 former prisoners at yearend 2001 (1,280,000). Former prisoners were older than those currently in State or Federal prison, with 49% of former prisoners age 45 or older compared to 13% of persons confined on December 31, 2001. Current prisoners outnumbered former prisoners only among those ages 18 to 24 (254,000 compared with 155,000).
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Number of adults with prison experience, 2001
Former Current
Age inmates inmates
Total 4,299,000 1,319,000
18-24 155,000 254,000
25-34 775,000 511,000
35-44 1,280,000 385,000
45-54 1,002,000 130,000
55-64 509,000 30,000
65 or older 578,000 9,000
Note: See Methodology for estimation procedures.
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More than two-thirds of former prisoners no longer under correctional supervision
At yearend 2001 former prisoners included 731,147 persons on parole, an estimated 437,000 persons on probation who had either served part of their current sentence in prison or been confined in prison on a previous sentence, and an estimated 166,000 jail inmates who had served a previous sentence in prison. An estimated 3 million former prisoners were no longer under correctional supervision as of yearend 2001.
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Former State and Federal prisoners, 2001
Number Percent
Total 4,299,000 100.0%
Under supervision 1,334,000 31.0
Parole 731,000 17.0
Probation 437,000 10.2
Jail 166,000 3.9
Not under supervision 2,965,000 69.0
Note: Estimates rounded to nearest 1,000.
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Demographic techniques used to create prevalence estimates