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U.S. Jail Incarceration Rate Decreases, While Oklahoma's Increases

Matthew Ansley / Unsplash

Fewer people are being arrested and sent to jail in the United States, but Oklahoma seems to defy the trend.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports the incarceration rate for county and city jails across the country fell by 12 percent between 2008 and 2018. But, data from the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice suggests Oklahoma jail populations mostly increased over most of that time period.

The Justice Department reports the country as a whole jailed significantly fewer black and hispanic residents, while the incarceration rate for white Americans rose.

The vast majority of people in the country’s jails were men.

Quinton Chandler worked at StateImpact Oklahoma from January 2018 to August 2021, focusing on criminal justice reporting.
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