Today, almost 2 million are incarcerated between state and federal jails and prisons. In 2024, 3,681,900 adults were estimated to be under probation or parole. Yet crime rates are continuing to drop, with the 2025 crime rate the lowest it’s been since 1960. Currently, more than 70 million people in the United States have a criminal record. That number is estimated to grow to 100 million by 2030.
The Law Dictionary defines the correctional system as a means to both keep members of society safe by separating them from individuals who have committed crimes and to punish wrongdoers. Essential as it may be, the prison system itself is also troubled. In recent years, reformers have begun a movement to improve how facilities are run, how they treat and care for inhabitants, and how they prepare the released for constructive and healthy lives.
The issues to be addressed are manifold. Stigma haunts those with criminal records or jail experience. To most of society, “jail” means “guilty,” when in fact, 78 percent of those in jail under local authority have not been convicted; they are presumed innocent. In addition to those awaiting trial, thousands with serious mental illness end up stuck in jail for months or even years waiting for a state hospital bed. The carceral system disproportionately holds people of color, people in poverty, and people with mental health and disabilities. It does not adequately heal people, make them safer, and solve issues of housing, racism, and discrimination. So, what’s really going on when the cell door clangs shut? Here’s a look.
To view the infographic, click here.
Sources: Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Prison Policy Initiative; US Department of Health & Human Services, ASPE; The Sentencing Project; US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; National Institute of Corrections; RAND; BC Law Clinics; BC Prison Education Program; Solitary Watch.