Adult correctional population in the U.S. 2005-2021
In 2021, the adult correctional population in the United States amounted to about 5.44 million Americans, meaning they were either on probation, on parole, or incarcerated. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when 5.5 million people were in corrections, and is likely due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.