Despite a decade of reforms and declining crime rates, Mississippi has the highest incarceration rate in the nation, 60% higher than the national average. The Crime and Justice Institute’s latest report – Mississippi by the Numbers – calls attention to what may be driving this.
CJI’s data analysis, made possible through the generous support of the Public Welfare Foundation, highlights key findings throughout Mississippi’s justice system, from arrest to reentry, including:
- An overreliance on incarceration for nonviolent offenses with 2/3 of arrests, 4/5 jail detainees, and 2/3 prison admissions being for such offenses in 2023.
- Longer lengths of stay with sentences over 10 years rising 43% over the past decade.
- Persistent racial disparities across all areas of the state’s justice system, such as 60% of the prison population being Black compared to just 38% of the community.
- Rising recidivism rates driven by growing readmissions to prison for parole violations, up 150% since 2013.
Read the Full Report: Mississippi by the Numbers
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