U.S. PRISONS, JAILS HOLD RECORD 1.9 MILLION INMATES

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The record number of people in U.S. prisons and
jails increased to nearly 1,932,000 inmates last June, and will surpass 2
million late this year, the U.S. Justice Department said Sunday. The
department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said the total number of inmates
in state and federal prisons and in local jails went up by 3 percent, or
56,660, over the 12-month period that ended June 30.

Two Justice Department statisticians said in the report that the nation's
inmate population is projected to reach 2 million by the end of December,
based on current policies and practices.

According to the report, prison incarceration rates have risen sharply
since 1990, although the rate of increase has slowed in recent years. It
said the number of prisoners in state facilities went up by just 1.5
percent for the 12 months ended in June, for the smallest annual increase
since 1971.

The report gave no reasons why the prison population has been increasing
from year to year.

But experts have cited tougher laws that impose longer sentences, more drug
offenders put behind bars and an increase in the number of parole violators
returned to prison.

Since the end of 1990, the total incarcerated population has risen by more
than 783,000 inmates, nearly a 70 percent rise, according to the report.
Privately operated prison facilities held more than 76,000 state and
federal inmates on June 30, a more than 9 percent rise in six months. Four
states -- New Mexico, Alaska, Montana and Oklahoma -- had at least 25
percent of their prisoners in private facilities.

There were 7,615 people under 18 in adult jails on June 30, down from 9,458
a year earlier. The number of state prisoners under 18 fell to 3,915 from
4,194 a year earlier.