Number of adults in US prisons on the rise, DOJ says News
Number of adults in US prisons on the rise, DOJ says

[JURIST] The number of adults in prison is on the rise in the United States, according to a report [PDF text; press release] released by the US Justice Department [official website] Wednesday. Nearly 7 million adults were in US prisons, on probation or on parole at the end of 2004, 30 percent more than in 1995. Allan J. Beck, who oversaw the preparation of the department's annual report on probation and parole populations stated that he believes the increase in incarceration may be attributed to the sentencing changes put in effect since the 1990s. The Department of Justice recently released a report [PDF text] showing that the number of female prisoners is on the rise, having increased four percent from the previous year [JURIST report]. AP has more.