September 13, 2013
Did you know that state governments are responsible for overseeing the vast majority of the nation’s prison population? Prisoners under state jurisdiction accounted for 86.1 percent of the total U.S. prison population in calendar year 2012. State spending for corrections reached $52.4 billion in fiscal 2012 and has risen above 7.0 percent of general fund expenditures every year since fiscal 2008. Corrections now comprises a larger share of general fund budgets than it did in prior decades, but policy makers have taken notice and are finding ways to reduce costs and improve outcomes while seeking to avoid jeopardizing public safety. To learn more about state corrections spending trends and recent criminal justice policy reforms, take a look at the new NASBO Issue Brief.