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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

The Rise in State Prison Populations

Most states’ prison populations are at historic highs after decades of extraordinary growth. This growth has been costly, limiting economic opportunity for communities with especially high incarceration rates and taking critical resources from other important investments, such as education. Click on the map below to learn more about the rise in prison populations and spending in each state. The downloadable data file also includes state-by-state information on recent criminal justice reforms.