Young Adults in Jail or Prison
View as PDF (Best for Printing)

Headline

Between 1999 and 2005 the number of adults ages 18 to 29 in prison of jail rose from 745,200 to 843,228, an increase of 13 percent. In the last year alone, numbers rose by nearly 20,000. (See Figure 2)

Importance

Imprisonment has been consistently linked with an earnings loss of between 10 and 30 percent.¹ Not only does incarceration reduce one's level of wages, but it also has the effect of decreasing wage growth over the life cycle.² Economic hardship, in turn, is associated with lower levels of mental well-being, physical health, social attachments, and a lower life expectancy.³

Of particular concern are high rates of imprisonment among young, disadvantaged minority men. According to one estimate, among black male high school dropouts ages 20 to 35, more were in custody than in paid employment on an average day in 1996.⁴

Up to one-third of youth are reincarcerated within a few years after release.⁵ Factors associated with ceasing to engage in criminal behavior in young adulthood include employment,⁶ marriage,⁷ parenthood,⁸ job stability,⁹ and high school graduation.¹⁰

Trends

The estimated total number of young adults ages 18 to 29 in prison or jails increased steadily from 745,200 in 1999 to 813,600 in 2002. It then declined to 806,400 in 2003, and the rose again 843,228 in 2005. (See Figure 2)

> Back to Top

Differences by Race and Ethnicity

Among the estimated 843,228 young adults ages 18 to 29 who were incarcerated in 2005, 40.0 percent (33,7016) were non-Hispanic black males. (See Figure 1)

Non-Hispanic black males are far more likely than other males to be incarcerated at any age. For example, in 2005, among young adult males ages 20 to 24, 10.5 percent of non-Hispanic black males were incarcerated, followed by 3.9 percent of Hispanic males and 1.6 percent of non-Hispanic white males. (See Figure 3)

Non-Hispanic black females are also more likely than other females to be incarcerated, although differences among women are smaller than they are among men. Among young adult females ages 20 to 24 in 2005, 0.6 percent of non-Hispanic black females were incarcerated, followed by 0.3 percent of Hispanic females and 0.2 percent of non-Hispanic white females. (See Figure 3)

Differences by Gender

Male youth are substantially more likely that female youth to be in prison or jail. Among youth ages 18 to 19 in 2005, males were about 17 times more likely than females to be in jail or prison (1.7 percent for males, and 0.1 percent for females). Among youth ages 20 to 24 in 2005, males were 11 times more likely than females to be in jail or prison (3.3 percent for males and 0.3 percent females). (See Table 2)

Related Indicators

Juvenile Detention: Adolescents in Residential Placements

> Back to Top

State and Local Estimates

None

International Estimates

None

National Goals

None

> Back to Top

What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs

Research References

¹Western, B. 2002. The impact of incarceration on wage mobility and inequality. American Sociological Review, 67: 526-546.

²Western, Bruce. 2002.

³Mirowsky, John and Catherine E. Ross. (1989). "Social Causes of Psychological Distress." New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

⁴Western, Bruce and Becky Pettit. 2000. "Incarceration and racial inequality in men's employment." Industrial and labor relations review 54:3-16.

⁵Mears, Daniel P. and Jeremy Travis. 2004. "The dimensions, pathways and consequences of youth reentry." Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410927_youth_reentry.pdf.

⁶Uggen, Christopher. 2000. "Work as a turning point in the life course of criminals: A duration model of age, employment and recidivism." American Sociological Review 65: 529-46.

⁷Labouvie, Erich. 1996. "Maturing out of substance use: Selection and self-correction." Journal of Drug Issues, 26:457-476; Sampson, Robert J. and John H. Laub. 1993. "Crime in the Making: Pathways and Turning Points." Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; Warr, Mark. 1998. Life-course transitions and desistance from crime. Criminology, 36: 183-215.

⁸Labouvie 1996.

⁹Sampson, Robert J. and John H. Laub 1993. "Crime and Deviance in the Life Course." Annual Review of Sociology, 18: 63-84.

¹⁰Lochner, Lance and Moretti, Enrico. 2004. The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests, and Self-Reports. American Economic Review, 94:155-89.

> Back to Top

Definition

Young adults ages 18 to 29 in the custody of a State or Federal prison or a local jail are included in these estimates. To be in custody the prisoner must be confined in one of the facilities of the prison or jail. Prisoners under a State's jurisdiction, meaning the State has legal authority but not physical custody, are not included in these estimates.

Data Source

Data for 1999: Beck, Allen J. (2000). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1999. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 1999. Tables 12 and 13. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim99.htm.

Data for 2000: Beck, Allen J. and Karberg, Jennifer C. (2001). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2000. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2000. Tables 12 and 13. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin (2001).http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim00.pdf.

Data for 2001: Beck, Allen J., Karberg, Jennifer C. and Paige M. Harrison. (2002). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2001. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2001. Tables 14 and 15. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim01.htm.

Data for 2002: Beck, Allen J. and Karberg, Jennifer C. (2003). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2002. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2002. Tables 13 and 14. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim02.htm.

Data for 2003: Beck, Allen J. and Karberg, Jennifer C. (2004). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2003. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails per 100,000 Residents, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2003. Tables 14 and 15. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim03.htm.

Data for 2004: Harrison, Paige M. and Beck, Allen J. (2005). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails per 100,000 Residents, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2004. Tables 13 and 12. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pjim04.pdf.

Data for 2005: Harrison, Paige M. and Beck, Allen J. (2006). Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005. Number of Inmates in State or Federal Prison and Local Jails per 100,000 Residents, By Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, June 30, 2005. Tables 13 and 12. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/pjim05.htm

Raw Data Source

National Prisoners Statistics, reported in the National Corrections Reporting Program available online at: http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/NACJD-SERIES/00038.xml.

Annual Survey of Jails: Jurisdiction-level data available online at: http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/NACJD-SERIES/00007.xml.

Approximate Date of Next Update

May 2007

> Back to Top