Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.s. Population, 1974-2001

A scientific publication written in the early 21st century. This report provides a statistical analysis of incarceration rates and demographic trends in the United States over a span of nearly three decades. The primary focus is on the significant growth in imprisonment rates among various racial and gender demographics within the U.S. population. At the start of the report, Bonczar outlines the staggering increase in the prevalence of imprisonment, revealing that over 5.6 million U.S. adults had previously served time in prison by the end of 2001. The author presents key statistics, highlighting demographic disparities, with a particular emphasis on the higher rates of incarceration among black and Hispanic males compared to their white counterparts. He employs demographic modeling techniques to inform readers of how these trends have evolved from 1974 to 2001, culminating in projections about future rates of incarceration based on existing trends.