For the first time since the Justice Department began tracking local jail population in 1982, the number of inmates in county and city jails across the country declined year-to-year, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics data released Thursday.
The population of city and county jails declined for the first time since 1982 (DOJ)
Between mid-year 2008 and 2009, the inmate population of city and county jails declined by 2.3 percent. The number of male inmates decreased by 1.7 percent, while the population of female inmates decreased by 6 percent nationwide.
Approximately 62 percent of jail inmates were being held pending arraignment, awaiting trial, or conviction, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found.
At the same time, the total rated capacity for all jails across the country increased from more than 828,000 in 2008 to nearly 850,000 at the same point in 2009, an increase of 2.6 percent. In 2009, 90.4 percent of the beds available were occupied, the lowest since 2001, when 90 percent were occupied.
The full report, authored by statistician Minton D. Todd, can be found on the BJS website. Todd said that the survey did not look at a reason for the decline.
