Bureau of Justice Statistics releases Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected under the First Step Act, 2020
The US Justice Department s Bureau ofJustice Statistics today released this interesting new data report titled Federal Prisoner Statistics Collected under the First Step Act, 2020. Despite the year in its title, the report provides data on the federal prison population at the end of 2019 (so before any COVID-era shocks). Here is how this 19-page report gets started and a few of its key findings :
The First Step Act of 2018 (FSA) requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), through its National Prisoner Statistics program, to collect data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) on a number of topics and to report these data annually. BJS is required to report on selected characteristics of prisoners, including marital, veteran, citizenship, and English-speaking status; educational levels; medical conditions; and participation in treatment programs. Also, BJS is re