National Snapshot

figures below are for midyear 2002

Total Number of People Imprisoned in the U.S. 2.1 million

• in 12-state area covered by Critical

Resistance South: 560,000

• incarceration rate per 100,000 in U.S.: 474

Three highest ranking states in terms of incarceration rates: Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

Incarceration rates per 100,000

• in Louisiana: 800
• in Mississippi 728
• in Texas: 685

Three lowest ranking states in terms of incarceration rates: Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota

Incarceration rates per 100,000

• in Maine: 137
• in Minnesota: 139
• in North Dakota: 167

-- Source: Bureau of Justice

Prison Population by Racial Breakdown

African-Americans make up just 12% of the U.S. population but comprise 47% of the prison population nationally.

Across the U.S.:

• Black males ages 25-29 in prison: 12.9%
• Black males overall in prison: 4.8%
• Hispanics in prison: 1.7%
• Whites in prison: 1.6%

-- Source: The Sentencing Project, "Nation’s Population Exceeds 2 Million," April 6, 2003