(BOP) - The Bureau of Prisons ended Fiscal Year 2015 with 8,426 fewer inmates than we had just one year ago. This is the second consecutive year of decreases in the inmate population after 34 successive years of increases.
The reduced population has had a positive impact on federal prisons; overall crowding decreased from 39% in 2013 to 23% today. We continue to experience elevated levels of crowding at medium and high security institutions, though the situation is improving.
The declining inmate population has helped bring down the ratio of inmates to staff, increasing the availability of staff to effectively supervise and treat the inmate population. The relative increase in staff improves safety and security and enhances our reentry efforts, thereby benefitting the American public.
The Bureau expects the population to decline by another 12,000 inmates by the end of FY 2016, resulting in an overall reduction of more than 11% over a period of three years.