BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
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Data Collection: National Prisoner Statistics (NPS)
Status: Active
Frequency: Bi-annually
Latest data available: This dataset is not archived at this time. Data from the collection is available annually

Produces annual and semiannual national and state-level data on the number of prisoners in state and federal prison facilities. Aggregate data are collected on age, race, and sex, inmates held in private facilities and local jails, system capacity, noncitizens, and persons under age 18. Findings are released in the Prisoners series. Data are from the 50 state departments of correction and from the District of Columbia (until 2001, when the District ceased operating a prison system).

On This Page
  • Methodology
  • Changes Over Time
  • Publications & Products
  • Related Topics
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    Collection Period

    Ongoing

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    Questionnaires

    Advance Year-end Counts (NPS-1b -old)
    2004 PDF
    Population Reports Midyear Counts (NPS-1a)
    2010 PDF (78K) | 2009 PDF (80K) | 2008 PDF (69K) | 2007 PDF (103K) | 2006 PDF (72K) | 2005 PDF (68K) | 2004 PDF (47K)
    Summary of Sentenced Population Movement (NPS 1b-new)
    2010 PDF (78K) | 2009 PDF (98K) | 2008 PDF (102K) | 2007 PDF (102K)
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    Methodology

    Collection forms for December 31 are sent to central respondents in each of the fifty state departments of correction of each year. June 30 forms were sent to the central respondents through 2010, when the midyear collection was suspended pending redesign by BJS. Forms were sent to the District of Columbia until 2001, when its prison system ceased operations. Respondents are permitted to update the previous years' data when submitting the current year. Data are submitted via mail, fax, or online at a secure site.

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    Changes Over Time

    The following categories were added or altered over time - admission and release categories; race and ethnicity categories (1999, 2005), inmates held in local jails due to crowding; inmates held in private facilities, local jails, and in another state (1999); person under 18 held (1998); noncitizens held (1998); HIV information (1999).

    The Prisoner Population Reports Midyear Counts (NPS-1A) survey was temporarily suspended pending redesign.

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    Publications & Products

    The following publications and products were generated by BJS using data from this collection.


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    Related Topics

  • Corrections
  • Corrections | Total correctional population
  • Corrections | State and federal prisoners and prison facilities
  • Corrections | State and federal prisoners and prison facilities | Prison population counts
  • Corrections | State and federal prisoners and prison facilities | Prison inmate characteristics
  • Corrections | State and federal prisoners and prison facilities | State and federal prison facility characteristics

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