More than 2 million people are in jail or prison — here are 4 charts that break that down

Harris County Jail
An inmate in the mental-heath unit at the Harris County Jail in 2014 in Houston.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
More than 2 million people in the US are serving time in one of the country's correctional facilities, according to a report released by the Prison Policy Initiative on Tuesday.

The report found the US to be holding 2.3 million people in more than 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 901 juvenile correctional facilities, and 3,163 local jails, among other detention centers.

With the adult population of the US at more than 249 million in 2015, one in roughly every 100 people over 18 is locked up in the country's correctional system.

PPI created some charts to further explain mass incarceration in America:


The "war on drugs" has locked up a lot of people.

Courtesy of Prison Policy Initiative

Drugs are by far the most common reason for incarceration. One in five incarcerated people is convicted for a drug-related offense like trafficking or possession, according to the report.

The number of drug arrests has nearly tripled over the past 30 or so years. Many experts credit that development to the "war on drugs," a series of tough criminal justice and drug policies that began under President Richard Nixon and continued under President Ronald Reagan.

During the war on drugs, lengthy mandatory minimum sentences became standard for drug offenders. The PPI report suggested that that policy, and others like it, left people in poor communities with criminal records, setting of a cycle of instability and criminal involvement.

"The data makes it clear that ending the War on Drugs will not alone end mass incarceration, but that the federal government and some states have effectively reduced their incarcerated populations by turning to drug policy reform," the report says.


The vast majority of people in state prisons are locked up for violent offenses.

Courtesy Prison Policy Initiative

Only 34,000 offenders are younger than 18.

While making up only a small portion of those incarcerated, the young offenders behind bars often serve time for offenses such as "technical violations" of parole (6,600 people) or "status offenses" like running away from home (600 people).


There are very large racial and ethnic disparities in the correctional system.

Courtesy of Prison Policy Initiative

White people make up 64% of the US population but 39% of the prison and jail populations, while African-Americans make up 13% of the US population and 40% of those behind bars, according to 2010 census data.

Latino and Native incarceration rates are roughly proportional with the overall US population.

While the country also has a roughly equal population of men and women, men make up 91% of those in prison or jail.


The criminal-justice system isn't limited to those who are presently serving time.

Courtesy of Prison Policy Initiative

Unlike in federal and state prisons, the vast majority of people held in local jails have not yet been convicted — most are held there temporarily until they make bail or go on trial.

The report estimates that out of the 630,000 people held in jail, only 187,000 have been convicted of a crime, which is most often a misdemeanor that does not warrant time in prison.

In total, more than 3.7 million Americans are on probation and 840,000 more are on parole.

Even when compared with countries with stricter laws , the US has had the highest per capita prison population in the world since 2002.

SEE ALSO: This World Map Shows The Enormity Of America's Prison Problem

More: Incarceration Criminal Justice Prison System Features