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State Prison Capacity, Overcrowded Prisons Data

Data shows states with most overcrowded correctional facilities.

Overcrowded prisons are quite common across many states. States like Alabama, for example, have extended prisons far beyond their capacity for years, while California remains subject to a federal order to trim its large prison population.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics compiles prison capacity data from states, with the most recent data current as of the end of 2013. About half of states reporting data then were at 99 percent or more of their operational capacity. Most states expect their prison populations to continue to grow in the coming years, although incarceration rates have recently declined nationally.

How overcrowded a state's prison system is depends on the measure used to define prison capacity -- several definitions are outlined below. Statistics below show the number of inmates in custody as a percentage of a state's prison capacity. Figures are current as of Dec. 31, 2013.

       
Jurisdiction % Operational Capacity % Rated Capacity % Design Capacity
Alabama 100 -- 197
Alaska -- -- --
Arizona 82 94 94
Arkansas 99 99 103
California -- -- 143
Colorado 115 -- 124
Connecticut -- -- --
Delaware 130 118 163
Florida 88 -- --
Georgia 98 89 --
Hawaii 113 -- 164
Idaho 104 -- 103
Illinois 152 152 173
Indiana 92 -- --
Iowa -- -- 114
Kansas 103 104 104
Kentucky 93 100 88
Louisiana 121 104 112
Maine 102 89 89
Maryland 92 -- --
Massachusetts -- -- 132
Michigan 99 97 --
Minnesota 103 -- --
Mississippi 61 -- --
Missouri 99 -- --
Montana -- 99 --
Nebraska 126 -- 158
Nevada -- -- --
New Hampshire 100 -- 130
New Jersey 93 100 85
New Mexico 51 58 51
New York 100 101 102
North Carolina 95 -- 111
North Dakota 159 150 150
Ohio -- 132 --
Oklahoma 98 98 98
Oregon -- -- 102
Pennsylvania 104 104 104
Rhode Island 84 79 80
South Carolina 90 -- --
South Dakota 99 -- --
Tennessee 73 70 --
Texas 91 87 87
Utah 75 -- 72
Vermont 94 94 119
Virginia -- 90 --
Washington 108 106 --
West Virginia 99 115 115
Wisconsin 98 -- 131
Wyoming 89 89 85

NOTE: Figures not shown were either unavailable or not reported by states. See appendix Table 1 in "Prisoners in 2013" published by BJS for notes on individual states. SOURCE: Bureau of Justice Statistics

Data Definitions

  • Operational Capacity: Number of inmates that "can be accommodated based on a facility's staff, existing programs and services."
  • Rated Capacity: Assigned by rating officials
  • Design Capacity: Refers to how many inmates architects/planners originally intended for facilities
 

Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.
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