Vol.22 - No.21 - October 16, 1991 - FOUR PERCENT MORE PRISONERS IN FIRST HALF OF 1991 LEADS TO RECORD HIGH

Sep 29, 2026

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BJS reports a 4% rise in the nation’s prison population during the first half of 1991, reaching a record 804,524 inmates as of June 30. The article highlights mid-year statistics, including higher Western-state growth and state-by-state changes. It focuses in particular on California’s strain from treating HIV and AIDS-infected inmates, noting the growing number of HIV-positive cases and rising healthcare costs. It also addresses incarceration rates, sentenced-offender counts, and related policy implications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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BJS Reports: FOUR PERCENT MORE PRISONERS IN FIRST HALF OF 1991 LEADS TO RECORD HIGH

MID-YEAR STATISTICS

CALIFORNIA: WRESTLING WITH AIDS EPIDEMIC

CORRECTLDNSTHE ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS SERVICE FOR THE CORRECTIONS PROFESSIONALTHE ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS SERVICE FOR THE CORRECTIONS PROFESSIONAL Vol.22 No.21 October 16,1991 BJS Reports: FOUR PERCENT MORE PRISONERSIN FIRST HALF OF 1991LEADS TO RECORD HIGH MID-YEAR STATISTICS:There's 4%More Inmates..1CALIFORNIA:Wrestling With AIDS Epidemic………1JUVENILE EXECUTIONS:Criticized…… … …4PEOPLE IN THE NEWS…………………… …5CANADA:Cracking Down On Crime…………………6LABOR DEPT.:Working On Harassment Guidelines...7JOB LISTINGS…………………… ……………8DEATH PENALTY LAWS:Politics,Group Says………8HIV-INFECTED INMATES: The nation's state and Federal prison population grew by 30,149 inmates--just under four percent--during the first half of the year to reach a record 804,524 men and women as of June 30,the U.S.Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statis- tics(BJS)announced Oct.13.The Bureau,a component of the Office of Justice Programs,saidthe six-month increase was well below the record 47,000 increase in prisoners recorded during the first half of 1989. "This year's increase was the equivalent of about 1,160 more inmates every week,compared to 1,642 per week during the first half of 1990 and Gain Partial Victory In Alabama Case………………………9FPI:Challenged By Senator…………………… ……10 more than 1,800 additional prisoners per week during the first half of 1989,"said Bureau Director Steven D.Dillingham. "The 12-month growth from June 1990 to June 1991 was 6.5 percent--an increase of just over CALIFORNIA CORRECTION SYSTEMWRESTLING WTTH AIDS EPIDEMIC 49,000 inmates,"he said."This is the lowest annual percentage increase since 1984." The California Department of Corrections(CDC),already strained by the pressures of arapidly-growing inmate population,may soon beburied under the mounting cost of treating HIV andAIDS infected inmates,a spokeswoman said Oct. During the first half of the year,the Federal prison population grew by 3.1 percent,compared to an increase of four percent among the 50 states. Prisoners in the Western states increased by 7. 5.1 percent during the first half of the year, Christine May,a CDC spokeswoman,saidthe number of inmates who are HIV positive hasgrown from two reported cases in 1984 to 725diagnosed cases this year.The economic burden oftreating those inmates adds about $14.5 million to aprison system budget already pushed to the limit.Use of the drug AZT alone costs $3,000 per inmateannually. compared to a 4.2 percent increase in the North- east.Southern and Midwestern prisoner counts each grew by 3.5 percent. Four states recorded double-digit half-year increases--Rhode Island by 14.3 percent;New Hampshire,11.6 percent;Nevada,10.6 percent; and Colorado,10 percent.Eight states had (See CALIFORNIA,page two) STATISTICS,from page one) prisoner growth of at least 10 percent for the 12months ending June 30.Five states recorded de-clines during this one-year period. During the first half of this year the numberof female inmates in state and Federal prisons grew 4.5 percent,compared to a 3.9 percent increase formen.As of June 30,women prisoners accountedfor 5.7 percent of all prisoners nationwide. The number of prisoners per capita on June 30,1991,also reached a record 303 sentencedoffenders (inmates sentenced to a year or more inprison)held in state and Federal prisons per100,000 residents.There were 33 sentencedfemale offenders in prison for every 100,000females in the population--for males the incarcera-tion rate was almost 18 times higher,588 sentencedmale prisoners for every 100,000 males. In addition,California's 101,995 prisoners asof June 30 marks the first time that any jurisdictionin the United States has held more than 100,000offenders. Table 1 on page 3 lists the number of prison-ers in each jurisdiction,while Table 2 on page 4illustrates the prison situation among states. Editor's Note:More information can beobtained from the National Criminal

FAQs

What does the report say about prison growth in the first half of 1991?

The report states the U.S. prison population increased by just under 4% during the first half of 1991, reaching 804,524 inmates as of June 30.

How does the report describe California’s impact from HIV and AIDS among inmates?

It explains that California faces mounting costs for treating HIV and AIDS-infected inmates, with HIV-positive cases rising sharply and expenses including AZT costs.

Does the report indicate whether inmates are routinely tested for HIV in California?

No. It notes there is no mandatory testing, so officials often only know an inmate is infected if treatment is required or the inmate requests testing.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra