Vol.24 No.18 - Criminal Justice Jail Population Statistics Report - September 8, 1993

Sep 29, 2026

September 8, 1993 issue reporting U.S. local jail population conditions and policy-relevant trends. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports 444,584 inmates as of midyear 1992, up 4.2% from a year earlier, and highlights changes in jail population rates, demographics, and operating capacity. It also details how many of the nation’s largest jail jurisdictions were under court order, the prevalence of alternative-to-incarceration and work-release programs, and program coverage including drug testing, education, and treatment. The issue additionally covers a Michigan prison outbreak that killed three inmates and examines related corrections topics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

IN THIS ISSUE

Jails: BJS releases latest population statistics

Michigan: Mysterious illness kills 3 inmates

Corrections Digest

131 Large Jails Under Court Order

Jail Programs

Vol.24 No.18 LOCAL JAILS HELD 444,584 ATMIDYEAR 1992,BJS FINDS Inmates Total 174 Per100,000 U.S.Inhabitants There were 444,584 local jail inmatesthroughout the country as of midyear 1992,theBureau of Justice Statistics(BJS)announced Aug. 29.BJS,the Department of Justice's statisticsagency,said this was 4.2 percent more than the426,479 inmates 12 months earlier--slightly lessthan the 5.2 percent annual growth recorded in1991. The number of local jail inmates per 100,000U.S.residents has risen 120 percent--from 79 per100,000 to 174 per 100,000-since 1970,BJS said. "During 1992 the nation's 3,300 jails wereestimated to be operating at about 99 percent of therated capacity--an improvement from the 108percent occupancy rate in 1989,the highest yearrecorded,"noted Acting BJS Director Lawrence A.Greenfeld."Jails,as defined here,are facilitiesthat are operated by local rather than state officialsand hold people awaiting criminal trials as well asconvicted offenders generally serving sentences ofone year or less.Excluded are police lockups ordrunk tanks as well as Federal or state prisons." BJS said 91 percent of the jail inmates weremale and estimated that one in every 226 adult menand one in every 2,417 adult women in the countrywere in jail on June 30,1992. Forty percent of the jail population werewhite non-Hispanics,44 percent were non-Hispanicblacks,15 percent were Hispanics of any race,andone percent were of other races,such as NativeAmericans,Aleuts,Asians and Pacific Islanders. September 8,1993 IN THIS ISSUE JAILS:BJS Releases Latest Population Statistics.…1MICHIGAN:MysteriousIllness Kills 3 Inmates………1JOB LISTINGS…… …………… …3EXECUTIONS:Held In Texas,Florida,Delaware………4CRACK SENTENCES: Protested By Civil Rights Groups……………… ……5UNIONS:Ask For Protection From TB… … …6SHERIDAN FCI:Inmates Stage Fiery Riot… 7ALABAMA:Inmates Sue Over Shackling Policy……7 N.Y.:Sheriff Pleads Guilty To Corruption……………9RELIGIOUS PROGRAMS: Have Positive Impact,Study Finds… … …9CALIFORNIA: Prosecutors Oppose Habeas Reform Plan……… 10OHIO:Offers Money To County Jails………………10GOP:Crime Package Focuses On Prison…… …10 MICHIGAN HEALTH OFFICIALS SEEKCAUSE OF PRISON ILLNESS THATKILLED THREE,SICKENS OTHERS An outbreak of pneumonia-like illness in twoMichigan prisons has killed three inmates andsickened at least 30 people. "At this point in time we still have manymore questions than we do answers,"Departmentof Corrections spokesman Warren Williams saidAug.31.He said eight inmates and one prisonstaff member have been hospitalized. One inmate,who had advanced AIDS,diedAug.28.The second,who had hepatitis,and thethird,who suffered from a heart ailment,died Aug. 31. (See KILLER ILLNESS,page two) CORRECTIONS DIGEST Page 2 The incarceration rate for blacks hasrisen more rapidly than the rate for whites.From 1984,the earliest for which the data areavailable,the rate for blacks rose from 339inmates per 100,000 to 619 per 100,000.Forwhites the increase during the 1984-1992period was from 68 to 109 per 100,000.As ofJune 30 last year local jails held an estimated195,156 blacks and 232,966 whites,BJS said. ## 131 Large Jails Under Court Order As of June 30 last year,131 of the country's503 largest jail jurisdictions-meaning jail popula-tions averaging at least 100 inmates-reported that atleast one of their jail facilities was under court orderor a consent decree to reduce inmate population. Judges intervened most often with populationreduction orders,but they also cited staff,medical,recreation,operations and program problems.Overall,157 of the 503 large jurisdictions wereunder court orders to limit population or remedy aspecific situation.Almost one-third of the largejurisdictions with a facility under a court order werecited for six or more conditions. Jurisdictions with large jail populations wereholding 9,528 inmates for Federal authorities and 36,097 for state authorities,primarily

FAQs

How many local jail inmates were reported by BJS as of midyear 1992?

BJS reported 444,584 local jail inmates throughout the country as of midyear 1992.

What did BJS say about changes in inmate growth compared with the prior year?

BJS stated the 1992 figure was 4.2% more than the 426,479 inmates from 12 months earlier.

What proportion of large jail jurisdictions had facilities under court order or consent decrees?

As of June 30, 131 of the country’s 503 largest jail jurisdictions reported at least one facility under court order or a consent decree.

Sep 29, 2026

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