BOSTON, MA –Millions of people are booked into local jails annually, but detailed national data has historically been lacking, according to a recent collaboration between the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) and the Jail Data Initiative (JDI).
The report sheds light on critical disparities in the U.S. jail system. The 2023 data reveal systemic issues related to race, gender, and socioeconomic status, highlighting how jailing disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
According to the JDI report, over 5.6 million individuals were booked into jails in 2023, accounting for 7.6 million total jail admissions. One in four were repeat bookings, involving people jailed multiple times in a single year. The findings underscore how low-level “public order” offenses and systemic poverty contribute to over-incarceration.
Black individuals, who comprise 14 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 32 percent of jail admissions and 29 percent of repeat bookings in 2023, according to the Jail Data Initiative.
The data note systemic racism inherent in the criminal justice system, as over-policing and frequent re-incarceration target Black communities disproportionately, charged the report.
Indigenous people also face significant disparities, the JDI said, with incarceration rates two to four times higher than those of white individuals. Among Indigenous bookings, 33 percent involved repeat jailings within 12 months far above the average for other groups.
Women’s jail admissions have risen sharply, with a nine percent increase between 2021 and 2022 compared to three percent for men. Most women entering jails are mothers, and over 55,000 were pregnant at the time of their booking, reported JDI.
PPI’s analysis emphasizes the long-term consequences of incarcerating women, noting jailing exacerbates mental health struggles, increases suicide risk, and often leads to homelessness, disrupting families and communities.
The JDI data also reveal how jails disproportionately target unhoused individuals. Although only four percent of bookings explicitly listed unhoused individuals, 42 percent of those jailed were rebooked within a year.
This figure suggests systemic criminalization of homelessness and the use of jails as a default response to poverty rather than addressing underlying social issues, claims the JDI report.
Public order offenses such as loitering, disorderly conduct, and public intoxication accounted for 31 percent of bookings in 2023, as reported by the Jail Data Initiative.
Drug charges made up 14 percent, reflecting a decline since the “war on drugs” era. Only 26 percent of bookings involved violent charges, underscoring how the majority of incarcerations are for non-violent, low-level offenses.
The findings from the Jail Data Initiative emphasize the urgent need for systemic reform, and vulnerable populations including unhoused individuals, Black and Indigenous communities, and women face disproportionate impacts from over-incarceration.
As noted by PPI and JDI, addressing the root causes of incarceration through community-based support and alternatives to jail is critical to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system.
