Prisons - Table - 1-30-12

^{• All of the above numbers represent estimates, not exact counts. The source reports from the Bureau of Justice Statistics for various years have been periodically revised. The methodologies used to collect these data may also be modified over time, rendering the percent change values approximations.}

^{• † The conviction on a drug offense means that possession or sales of an illegal drug was the person's most serious offense, even if he or she were convicted of multiple offenses.}

^{• This analysis omits counts for drug offenders in local jails, even though these facilities housed an estimated 767,434 inmates in 2009. The Bureau of Justice Statistics, from which the above numbers were drawn, consistently fails to report the offenses that predicate incarceration in these facilities.}

^{• The above numbers concerning probation and parole have been computed from the percentages that describe the "characteristics of adults" on probation or parole.}

^{• * "% Share of total persons" computes the percentage share of the sum of all probationers, parolees and state and federal prisoners represented by those whose most serious offense involved a drug conviction.}