BOP Prisoner Count Increases Despite Continuing Drop in State Prisoners

by Derek Gilna

Showing once again that the federal government continues to be out of step with declining crime rates nationwide, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) noted “that the federal prison population increased by 1,453 ... in 2012, while the state prison population declined by 29,223,” according to a new report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The new report shows that the federal government, despite severe financial pressure, the sequester, and continuing threats of a shutdown over debt-ceiling disagreements in Congress, still managed to find the money to incarcerate even more individuals.

Prison populations fell in nine states, including California, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Arkansas, New York, Florida, Virginia, and Maryland. Several states showed increases, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, and Kentucky.

California, under the pressure of continuing litigation over overcrowding, shed 15,035 prisoners in 2012, many of whom were shuttled to local jails. Louisiana had the highest increase in prisoners in the states reporting, with more than 1,000 additional people locked up. Louisiana continued to incarcerate the highest percentage of its citizens: 893 per 100,000 residents.

Maine had the lowest rate of imprisonment, 145 per 100,000, followed by Minnesota and Rhode Island.

U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (R-Va), who heads the Congressional subcommittee which funds the Justice Department, has suggested that a study be done to explore ways of controlling the numbers of federal prisoners. Other prison experts have noted that investing in additional programs to educate prisoners and better prepare them for reentry into society have clearly resulted in lowering prison populations on the state level, leading to a steady decline of the incarcerated in the states since 2007 that mirrors the dropping crime rate.

In the words of the Justice Department’s own study, it was state decreases that “drove” the number of incarcerated downward, not the BOP. Clearly there is still a disconnect between the recent prison reform rhetoric emanating from Washington and the number of people convicted of federal crimes sitting in federal prison. While most states are closing prisons, the cash-strapped federal government still seems to find the money to build new ones.

Sources: “Prisoners in 2012, Advance Counts,” www.bjs.gov; www.thecrimereport.org

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