There are nearly 12 million jail admissions annually—equivalent to the populations of New York City and Los Angeles combined and almost 19 times the annual admissions to state and federal prisons.

Three out of five people in jail are legally presumed innocent, awaiting trial or resolution through plea negotiations.

An estimated 14.5% of men and 31% of women admitted to jail have a  serious mental illness—rates that are four to six times higher than in the general population.

Nearly 75% of sentenced offenders and those detained in jail before trial are there for nonviolent traffic, property, drug, or public order offenses.

Nationally, African Americans are jailed at almost  4x the rate of white Americans.

From 1982 to 2011, local spending on corrections—largely building and running jails—increased at least 235%. Today, $22.2 billion is spent annually by local jurisdictions on correctional institutions.