By Sarah Roebuck
Corrections1
WASHINGTON — A new study has identified states with the biggest decrease in incarceration rates, according to research from H&P Law.
The study compiled data from the National Prisoner Statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which analyzed incarceration rates in each state from 2021 to 2022.
According to the data, the total number of prisoners nationwide increased by 25,056 over a year, a 2.1% increase overall.
The top seven states with the biggest decrease in incarceration rates were identified as:
- Virginia: The state had an annual decrease of -10.5% from 30,357 in 2021 to 27,162 in 2022, according to H&P Law. Virginia’s decrease diverges sharply from the national trend, where the number of prisoners increased by 2.08%, rising from 1,205,087 to 1,230,143.
- Oregon: Coming in second, Oregon had a total reduction of 5.2% in the number of people in prison. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of incarcerated individuals decreased by 34 women and 646 men, dropping from 946 to 912 female prisoners and from 12,252 to 11,606 male prisoners, according to H&P Law.
- California: The state comes in third with an overall 3.8% decrease in incarceration.
- New Mexico: In fourth place, New Mexico had a decrease of 3.6% in the number of people in prisons.
- Massachusetts: Coming in fifth, Massachusetts had a 2.4% decrease in incarcerations.
- New Hampshire: This state saw a 1.9% decrease in incarceration rates.
- Iowa: Coming in seventh, Iowa had a 1% drop in incarceration rates.
- Arizona: In the eighth spot, Arizona saw a 0.1% reduction in the number of people in prison.
The study also included states with the highest increase in incarceration rates.
The top three states with the biggest increase in incarceration rates were identified as:
- Mississippi: The state had an increase of 14.3% in incarcerations.
- Montana: Coming in second, Montana had an 8.8% increase in the number of people in prisons.
- Colorado: Rounding out the top three, Colorado had an 8.2% increase in incarceration rates.