by the Safety and Justice Challenge with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
- Disparity: While Black and Latinx people are ~30% of the U.S. population, they make up about half of the jail population.
- Source: MacArthur Foundation’s Safety & Justice Challenge (SJC). Safety and Justice Challenge
- Cross-check: At mid-year 2022, BJS reports ~35% of people in local jails were Black and ~14% Hispanic (≈49% together) vs. ~33% of the U.S. population being Black or Hispanic. Bureau of Justice Statistics+1
- Share on X: “Black & Latinx people are ~30% of the U.S. but ~50% of our jail population. We can build safety without unequal incarceration. #RethinkJails”
- Presumed innocent, jailed: Over the last 30 years, the pretrial share of jail populations rose from ~40% to 62%.
- Source: SJC. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Related research: The pretrial population has surged even as crime fell. Vera Institute
- Share on X: “62% of people in U.S. jails are pretrial—not convicted of anything. We should end wealth-based detention. #EndCashBail”
- Education barrier:47% of people in jail have not finished high school or earned a GED, limiting work and income prospects.
- Source: SJC. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Context: BJS has long found correctional populations are far less likely to have a diploma/GED than the general public. Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Share on X: “Education matters: 47% of people in jail lack a HS diploma/GED—locking folks out of jobs and stability. #SecondChances”
- Mental health gap: Serious mental health issues are 4–6× more common in jails than in the general population; 83% of people in jail with mental health issues did not receive treatment after admission.
- Source: SJC. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Cross-check: BJS found 44% of jail inmates reported a past mental health diagnosis; treatment rates remain low. Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Share on X: “Jails are not treatment centers: mental illness 4–6× higher, and most people don’t get care. Invest in services, not cells. #CareNotCages”
- Addiction is widespread:68% of people in jail have experienced addiction to drugs, alcohol, or both.
- Source: SJC and supporting visualization. Safety and Justice Challenge+1
- Cross-check: NIDA and BJS analyses likewise show very high rates of substance use disorders in incarcerated populations. NIDA+1
- Share on X: “Addiction is a public health issue: 68% of people in jail struggle with substance use. Treatment > incarceration. #HarmReduction”
- Taxpayer cost: Local jurisdictions spend at least $22.2B annually operating jails—excluding pensions and many health costs.
- Source: SJC. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Update: Pew estimates local jail spending reached ~$25B by 2017 and has grown substantially since 1977. Pew Charitable Trusts
- Share on X: “Jails cost taxpayers $22B+/yr (and more when you count hidden costs). Smarter safety saves money and lives. #SmartJustice”
- Crime fell, jail churn rose:Violent and property crime have fallen since 1991, yet annual jail admissions nearly doubled from 1983–2013.
- Source: SJC. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Cross-check: Multiple studies document the long-term crime decline while jail/prison use grew in earlier decades. Brennan Center for Justice+1
- Share on X: “America got safer—but jail admissions still surged for decades. It’s time to realign policy with evidence. #PublicSafety”
- Bail = wealth test:38% of people charged with felonies spend their entire pretrial period in jail; 9 in 10 are there simply because they can’t afford bail.
- Source: SJC (synthesizing felony-court data). Safety and Justice Challenge
- Underlying research: Legal scholars and reform studies confirm most pretrial detentions hinge on ability to pay, not risk. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- Share on X: “Pretrial detention shouldn’t depend on your wallet. 9 in 10 detained felony defendants are there because they can’t pay bail. #EndCashBail”
Notes on methodology & freshness
- The eight bullet points appear verbatim on Safety & Justice Challenge – “The Problem”, supported by the MacArthur Foundation; we preserved that language and added cross-checks from BJS (the federal statistical agency), Pew, NIDA, Vera, and other reputable researchers where newer or reinforcing data exist. Vera Institute+4Safety and Justice Challenge+4Bureau of Justice Statistics+4
- Racial composition: SJC’s “30% of population vs. 51% of jail population” reflects the long-standing overrepresentation of Black and Hispanic people in jail datasets. The latest BJS 2022 tables show ~35% Black, ~14% Hispanic in jails; together ≈49%, still roughly 1.5× their share of the U.S. population (≈33%). Bureau of Justice Statistics+1
- Costs: SJC’s $22.2B figure is conservative (excludes pensions/health). Pew’s later estimate shows $25B by 2017 for operations alone. Safety and Justice Challenge+1
- Pretrial/bail: The “9 in 10” affordability finding is consistent with legal syntheses of DOJ/urban-court datasets (e.g., Academy for Justice). Jurisdictions that reduced cash bail (NJ, DC, IL) have maintained high court-appearance rates without harming public safety. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law+1
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- While Black and Latinx people make up ~30% of the U.S. population, they account for about half of the jail population. Safety and Justice Challenge
- In the last 30 years, the proportion of people in jail pretrial grew from ~40% to 62%. Safety and Justice Challenge
- 47% of people in jail have not graduated high school or passed the GED. Safety and Justice Challenge
- Serious mental health issues are 4–6× more common in jails than in the general population; 83% of those with mental health issues did not receive treatment after admission. Safety and Justice Challenge
- 68% of people in jail have struggled with addiction to drugs, alcohol, or both. Safety and Justice Challenge+1
- Local jurisdictions spend at least $22.2B annually on jails, excluding many benefits/health costs; later estimates put operations at ~$25B. Safety and Justice Challenge+1
- Even as violent and property crime declined since 1991, annual jail admissions nearly doubled (1983–2013). Safety and Justice Challenge
- 38% of felony defendants spend their entire pretrial period in jail; 90% of them are detained because they cannot afford bail. Safety and Justice Challenge+1
