Rates of Incarceration in Connecticut

Connecticut’s incarceration rate is lower than the national average, coming in at about 338 out of every 100,000 people, according to the National Institute of Corrections. This amounts to a 14 percent lower incarceration rate than the national average of 395 people for every 100,000 and gives Connecticut the 17th lowest incarceration rate in the U.S.

Maine has the lowest incarceration rate of 148 per 100,000 people, while Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate by far with 847 people incarcerated per 100,000.

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Connecticut has a jail-prison system, which means that the there are no locally maintained jails in the Land of Steady Habits. According to the National Institute of Corrections, “As of December 31, 2013, the Connecticut inmate population was 17,563. The Connecticut Department of Correction operates a combined jail-prison system which housed approximately 16,900 inmates as of July 2013.” The state operates four correctional centers along with 11 correctional institutions to accommodate these criminals.

As of October 2014, more than 42,000 people need parole supervision in the state. In addition, the crime rate in Connecticut is also below the national average, but in this category, the state fairs even better—coming in as the 5th safest state in terms of crime rates coming in behind only Idaho, New Jersey, New York, and South Dakota.

Connecticut is also currently enjoying some of its lowest crime rates ever. The state's crime rate dropped about 10 percent between 2012 and 2013, marking the 7th highest decline in the nation, according to the New Haven Register.

The rate would have been even lower for the state if not for the “large uptick because of the killing of 20 children and seven adults connected to the Sandy Hook Elementary School slayings in Newtown,” according to the newspaper. Connecticut has also made some changes internally in their prisons, including a new credit system. In addition, crime rates have dropped thanks to stricter gun laws in the state.

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