The District’s prison population has declined steeply, but the overall percentage of D.C. residents incarcerated is still the highest in the country, according to a report issued recently by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics report said the District’s prison population declined 10.9 percent for the 12 months ending June 30, 1998, down 1,060 prisoner from the previous year, the biggest percentage decline in the country. Idaho had the second biggest decline in prison population at 3.6 percent followed by Wyoming at 3 percent and Massachusetts with a .3 percent decline. They were the only jurisdictions to show a decline in prison population.

However, the District still jails 13.29 percent of its residents, the highest percentage in the country and nearly double the rate of the next highest jurisdiction. Louisiana has the next highest percentage at 7.09 percent, followed by Texas at 7 percent. Overall, the nation’s prison population increased by 4.8 percent for the year ending June 30, 1998, down from the average increase of 6.9 percent since 1990. Nationwide, approximately 1,802,496 people were held in prisons and jails as of June 30, 1998, an increase of 76,711 people from the previous year.

According to the bureau, the population totals include D.C. prisoners who are currently housed at out-of-state correctional facilities, including the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, Ohio.

Copyright 1999, The Common Denominator