John Howard’s Early Visits to Prisons in England
Before the House of Commons on March 4, 1774, prison reformer John Howard reportedly testified that he had visited 38 out of 42 county jails in the kingdom.
Statistics
Sex Ratios in Punishment in Europe, 16th-19th Centuries
Statistics showing the sex ratio of persons hung, banished, and in prison in Europe from the 16’th to 19’th centuries.
Comparative National Statistical Interest in Executions
Relatively late development of US execution statistics reflects a US history of decentralized, relatively informal punishment by death.
Historical Statistics on Executions in England and Wales
Clark-Mossop execution statistics are a significant improvement in historical statistics for executions in England and Wales.
U.S. Historical Prisoner Statistics
National prisoner estimates from 1850, including prisoners in jails and in state and federal prisons, and distinguishing by sex where possible.
Prisoners in U.S. National Decennial Censuses, 1850-2010
The decennial national censuses, 1850-2010, include prisoners. Here are links to the census documents, computable prisoner statistics, and data notes.
Prisoner Statistics in the U.S. Censuses of 1860 and 1870
Comparison with U.S. Census data for 1850 indicates that the censuses of 1860 and 1870 excluded a significant number of prisoners.
Prisoner Count Increased Sharply in US, 1850-1860
The social and political stress that preceded the Civil War was associated with greater punishment prevalence through the criminal justice system.
Sentenced Prisoners in U.S. Jails in 1922
Despite some contrary evidence and estimates, the best reading of the fragmentary data implies a time-series estimate of 65% sentenced prisoners.
US Federal and State Prisoners Annual Series from 1925
Prisoners in state and federal prisons and reformatories from 1926 are the only long-run, annual US prisoner statistics.