of the world's prisoners are in the United States

The United States is home to 5% of the world’s people and 25% of the world’s

prisoners. –NAACP.org/smartandsafe

25%

Crunching the Numbers Related to Incarceration in America

children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent

More than 2.7 million children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent and

approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some

point in their lives. –The Osborne Association, Factsheet

2.7

million

1,153

out of 100,000 is the incarceration rate of DC

(including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities) — a higher

​

incarceration rate than any U.S. state. - Prison Policy Initiative

8,300

of the District of Columbia's residents are locked up in various kinds

of facilities.

–Prison Policy Initiative 

12,000

People are booked into local jails in Washington, DC every year

–Prison Policy Initiative 

18,000

DC residents are behind bars or under criminal justice supervision

–Prison Policy Initiative 

50%

of DC high school students graduate

In D.C., 50% of high school students graduate, but only 15% of those students attend college

–U.S. Department of Education

of adults in America are in jail or prison

The Pew Charitable Trusts

  1%

increase in the number of female prisoners over a decade

Between 1995 and 2005, the number of incarcerated women in the U.S. increased by

57% –U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics

57%

incarcerated fathers 

Nationally, there are more than 120,000 incarcerated mothers and 1.1 millionincarcerated fathers who are parents with minor children (ages 0-17).

–The Osborne Association, Factsheet

1.1

million

63%

of federal prisoners are parents

63 percent of federal prisoners and 55 percent of state prisoners are parents of

children under age 18.—U.S. Department of Justice

67%

of arrested parents were handcuffed in front of their children

A national study conducted in 1998 estimated that of parents arrested, 67% were

handcuffed in front of their children, 27% reported weapons drawn in front of their

children, 4.3% reported a physical struggle, and 3.2% reported the use of pepper

spray. –The Osborne Association, Factsheet

is the average stay in foster care for children with an incarcerated parent

–U.S. Department of Education

3.9

years

9X

African American children are nine times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children

There is a disparate impact on families of color.  Hispanic children are also three times more

likely to have a parent in prison than white children. - U.S. Department of Justice

11.4%

of African American children have an incarcerated parent

3.5% of Hispanic children and 1.8% of white children have an incarcerated parent.

–The Osborne Association, Factsheet

Parental incarceration creates additional challenges for children and families

often resulting in financial instability and material hardship, with financial problems the most

severe for already vulnerable families and caregivers who support contact between the

incarcerated parent and his or her child.

-Parental Incarceration in Fragile Families: Summary of Three Year Findings