Local Spending on Jails Tops $25 Billion

Jail costs rose even as crime and admissions to jail fell. As of the end of 2017:

• A 20% decrease in crime and a 19% drop in jail admissions since 2007 had not led to reduced jail spending.

• The portion of local budgets spent on jails did not correlate with state crime rates.

• Small localities spent more per capita on jails than most other jurisdictions, despite having lower crime rates.

Pew Trusts

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/01/local-spending-on-jails-tops-%2425-billion-in-latest-nationwide-data